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Murder by Design
Not yet published
Expected 26 May 26- GenresMystery Thriller
239 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 26, 2026
5 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Lee Goldberg
158 books2,107 followersLee Goldberg is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over forty novels, including Malibu Burning, Calico, Lost Hills (the first novel in his acclaimed "Eve Ronin" series), 15 "Monk" mysteries, five "Fox & O'Hare" adventures (co-written with Janet Evanovich), and the new thriller Ashes Never Lie, the second in his "Sharpe & Walker" series.. He's written and/or produced many TV shows, including Diagnosis Murder, SeaQuest, and Monk and he co-created the Hallmark movie series Mystery 101.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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December 11, 2025Goldberg, who has literally written dozens upon dozens of books, has taken a sharp turn from his popular Eve Ronin LAPD series, and tapped into a less serious, albeit still deadly, turn. This is billed as the first in his Edison Bixby series, featuring a former LAPD detective, who following a gunshot to the face, lost control of his verbal abilities and is known for spouting out rude offensive remarks. He is now an insurance investigator and just does that for giggles as he is fabulously wealthy and doesn’t need to work. He lives in a mansion (forget the price) with a Swiss Family Robinson/ Willy Wonka backyard.
The story is told through the eyes of one Wally Nash, a struggling character actor known for embarrassing commercials, who is hired on as Bixby’s assistant and can’t believe what he’s gotten himself into.
Bixby views the world through planned design and instantly can see through a crime scene and is fascinated by how for instance malls are designed. The main plot is the death of a woman who falls to her death down a mall stairway at the nearby Woodland Hills mall, but Bixby quickly discerns that it was no accident. Indeed, it was death by design.
If you take your murder doused liberally with tongue-in-cheek humor, this is your ticket.
The story is told through the eyes of one Wally Nash, a struggling character actor known for embarrassing commercials, who is hired on as Bixby’s assistant and can’t believe what he’s gotten himself into.
Bixby views the world through planned design and instantly can see through a crime scene and is fascinated by how for instance malls are designed. The main plot is the death of a woman who falls to her death down a mall stairway at the nearby Woodland Hills mall, but Bixby quickly discerns that it was no accident. Indeed, it was death by design.
If you take your murder doused liberally with tongue-in-cheek humor, this is your ticket.
December 9, 2025
I’ve been fortunate to receive the last five Lee Goldberg releases as ARCs through NetGalley well before publication, and the best part is I never even have to request them, they’re available for immediate download. I appreciate the author’s generosity, but even more, I love that every book turns out to be a gem. I’ve rated all of them five stars, and this new series is no exception.
After reading countless murder mysteries and detective thrillers, I often wonder how authors keep coming up with fresh ideas. With Lee Goldberg, creativity seems endless. Having read and enjoyed all the Monk books, I was eager for more. Edison Bixby isn’t Monk, but he’s close and maybe even better.
Bixby is a retired cop now working as an investigator for an insurance company. Like Monk, he can identify the killer within minutes of arriving at a crime scene. His retirement was due to a head injury that left him with a “superpower” of sorts: he speaks his mind without filters. Enter Wally Nash, a struggling actor who becomes Bixby’s assistant, tasked with smoothing over the feathers ruffled by Bixby’s bluntness. In reality, Nash isn’t great at that job, but he plays a Robin to Bixby’s Batman. And yes, Bixby is super-rich like Batman, complete with gadgets and a fleet of cars.
Nash is a method actor who dives into roles with imaginative backstories, adding humor and charm to the narrative. Bixby solves multiple cases in this book, and what makes it stand out like all Goldberg novels is the attention to real-world details. The design aspects are explained clearly without feeling like a textbook (unlike some overly technical novels). Another plus: the book packs several murders into just 220 pages without unnecessary filler, melodrama, or gore. No animals or children are harmed, and there’s no dragging heartbreak subplot.
This is why I love Lee Goldberg’s writing: fast-paced, clever, and entertaining. Other authors could learn that word count and gratuitous blood don’t make a better story.
Absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for more!
After reading countless murder mysteries and detective thrillers, I often wonder how authors keep coming up with fresh ideas. With Lee Goldberg, creativity seems endless. Having read and enjoyed all the Monk books, I was eager for more. Edison Bixby isn’t Monk, but he’s close and maybe even better.
Bixby is a retired cop now working as an investigator for an insurance company. Like Monk, he can identify the killer within minutes of arriving at a crime scene. His retirement was due to a head injury that left him with a “superpower” of sorts: he speaks his mind without filters. Enter Wally Nash, a struggling actor who becomes Bixby’s assistant, tasked with smoothing over the feathers ruffled by Bixby’s bluntness. In reality, Nash isn’t great at that job, but he plays a Robin to Bixby’s Batman. And yes, Bixby is super-rich like Batman, complete with gadgets and a fleet of cars.
Nash is a method actor who dives into roles with imaginative backstories, adding humor and charm to the narrative. Bixby solves multiple cases in this book, and what makes it stand out like all Goldberg novels is the attention to real-world details. The design aspects are explained clearly without feeling like a textbook (unlike some overly technical novels). Another plus: the book packs several murders into just 220 pages without unnecessary filler, melodrama, or gore. No animals or children are harmed, and there’s no dragging heartbreak subplot.
This is why I love Lee Goldberg’s writing: fast-paced, clever, and entertaining. Other authors could learn that word count and gratuitous blood don’t make a better story.
Absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for more!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Hang on to your hat! Murder by Design is a new series written by one of my favorite authors. Meet Edison Bixby. He's wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He’s also a brilliant insurance investigator who solves baffling crimes. Enter Wally Nash: a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets, when all Nash wants is his big break!
Their first case involves a woman who falls to her death at a shopping mall in front of numerous witnesses. Video evidence suggests it was an accident, but was it?? Murder by Design feels a wee bit lighter on believability, and a wee bit heavier on humor than the pervious books I've read written by Mr. Goldberg ... not that that's a bad thing! This book has wonderful new characters, and Bixby's mansion makes me swoon!! I truly hope this author never, ever, stops writing.
BIG thanks to #ThomasAndMercer, for providing this book for consideration and review via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Murder by Design has an expected publication date of May 26, 2026.
#LeeGoldberg #Mystery #Suspense
Their first case involves a woman who falls to her death at a shopping mall in front of numerous witnesses. Video evidence suggests it was an accident, but was it?? Murder by Design feels a wee bit lighter on believability, and a wee bit heavier on humor than the pervious books I've read written by Mr. Goldberg ... not that that's a bad thing! This book has wonderful new characters, and Bixby's mansion makes me swoon!! I truly hope this author never, ever, stops writing.
BIG thanks to #ThomasAndMercer, for providing this book for consideration and review via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Murder by Design has an expected publication date of May 26, 2026.
#LeeGoldberg #Mystery #Suspense
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Wizard of Wit proves again he is also The Master of Mystery with this wonderful whodunit. Readers worldwide will be thankful Lee Goldberg is such a prolific writer. Murder by Design is a laudable launch of a new series featuring the world's greatest rude detective (as Edison Bixby would tell you if he was writing this review) and the person acting as his trusted assistant (who fortunately happens to be an actor). The idea of architecture as a tool for murder is brilliantly conceived and executed in this book. Will Holmes and Watson, um, er, Bixby and Nash be able to solve the murders? Part of the fun is the way Bixby's mind works. The other part of the fun is the Goldberg humor we've all come to know and love. I'm trying to remember the last time I laughed out loud as many times as I did while reading Murder by Design. The crime solving part of the book is equally entertaining. The reveal of mastermind is one I didn't see coming. Read this book and you'll agree that Lee Goldberg books are the gifts that keep on giving. Now let's hope Edison Bixby 2 is right around the corner!
December 18, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the first book in a new series, "Murder By Design" by Lee Goldberg.
And they're off! Edison Bixby is possibly one of the strangest characters to come along in a long time - severely injured by a gunshot to the face which left him with a Traumatic Brain Injury, nonetheless he solves mysteries that others cannot. Using the design of the world around him, he sees connections and consequences.
As an insurance investigator, Edison is the best; as a human being, his interactions are less than optimal. He has no control over his response mechanism. Enter Wally Nash, would-be actor whose inner life is nothing short of delusional; he treats every interaction like a movie or a commercial. Wally's task is to be an intermediary between Bixby and anyone he interacts with; to explain what the man really meant to say, not what he did say. Quite the task.
On their first case together, Edison is convinced that an accident is actually a murder - one that someone deviously set up. And he goes to great extremes to prove his point.
Highly recommended. If you read Lee Goldberg, you'll enjoy this one. And if you don't - what are you waiting for?
And they're off! Edison Bixby is possibly one of the strangest characters to come along in a long time - severely injured by a gunshot to the face which left him with a Traumatic Brain Injury, nonetheless he solves mysteries that others cannot. Using the design of the world around him, he sees connections and consequences.
As an insurance investigator, Edison is the best; as a human being, his interactions are less than optimal. He has no control over his response mechanism. Enter Wally Nash, would-be actor whose inner life is nothing short of delusional; he treats every interaction like a movie or a commercial. Wally's task is to be an intermediary between Bixby and anyone he interacts with; to explain what the man really meant to say, not what he did say. Quite the task.
On their first case together, Edison is convinced that an accident is actually a murder - one that someone deviously set up. And he goes to great extremes to prove his point.
Highly recommended. If you read Lee Goldberg, you'll enjoy this one. And if you don't - what are you waiting for?
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wally is an actor who is still awaiting a good role. He takes a temp job as an assistant to Edison, a wealthy former LA cop who works as an insurance investigator. The first case is a claim against a mall where a woman fell to her death on a stairway that should have been blocked off. Was it a tragic accident, or murder? Goldberg writes two of my favorite series (Eve Ronin and Sharpe/Walker) which have tighter, less farfetched, plots (and less humor) than this new one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg is the first book with ex detective Edison Bixby and aspiring actor Wally Nash. After Edison sustains a brain injury and needs a minder for his uncensored outbursts, Wally is hired for the job while waiting for his acting to take off. The two then have to solve a case of murder or accidental death while learning to get along. This is a fun book to read and I hope there are many more to come with these two characters.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews