Final Edit

by Robert A. Carter

Nicholas Barlow is the erudite, urbane, and flamboyant CEO of a small New York publishing company. But the corpse he finds in his Manhattan office is definitely nonfiction. The victim is Parker Foxcroft, editor extraordinaire, or should one say diabolique. So many authors has he cut to the quick, so many co-workers has he offended, and so many coveted prizes has he won, that Foxcroft could have earned a Lifetime Achievement Award for Most Enemies. Nick wants to just close the book on the case. Instead, he leads the cops' list of suspects. After all, didn't he have a public shouting match with the victim at the annual booksellers convention? Didn't he arrange to meet the victim at the office after hours? And isn't he now being seen about town with Susan Markham, the drop-dead gorgeous young editor who was Parker Foxcroft's lover? Nick stands, in his Savile Row suit, guilty as charged of everything except the crime. To move the plot along, he introduces another his brilliant though bedridden brother, Timothy. He also feels the need to start grilling suspects, including sweet Susan, which he proceeds to do at the Rainbow Room, Players Club, King Cole Room, and other favorite publishing watering holes. What he discovers is a paper trail on Parker Foxcroft leading to a denouement that has scandal and death written all over it. Now Nicholas Barlow must quickly read between the lines and guess whodunit before the killer makes his final edit - and Nick becomes his final victim. Once again, Robert A. Carter has given us a deliciously wicked, gossipy, and revealing behind-the-scenes romp through the lives of those who make books.

Paperback

First published July 1, 1994

Reviews

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself feeling frustrated by both the plot and characters in this book. The ending isn't quite believable to me.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just goes to prove you shouldn't judge a book by its cover--which is quite striking, but the book itself is a buptke. I bought this when it came out, and it sat on the shelf for a dozen years or so. Then last week I finally got around to it. "Final Edit" is an easy read, but a very poor mystery--one of the weakest I've read in a long time. The hero is a book publisher who likes to bloviate in the first person about his likes and dislikes, and he sort of has an interest in playing sleuth--especially when his star editor (a much-hated fellow, don't you know) is offed, but the real armchair detective is the hero's brother, who is confined to a wheelchair and has only a couple of minor scenes--shades of Nero Wolf (but he's not fat--just lost the use of his legs in a accident many moons ago). When our hero's new girlfriend is killed, it barely rates a "gee whiz, that's a tough break" from the guy; but when his ex-wife suggests they attempt to solve the mystery by treating it as they did a "murder cruise" several years back he can hardly hold back his enthusiasm--even though the exercise proves absolutely pointless. When his brother comes up with the solution going through some computer files, we have to wait for the publisher/hero to gather all the suspects in his office while the disgruntled cops look on. Finally the murderer is revealed--but, anyone paying even modest attention figured out who done it when the character first showed up. A waste of trees and time.