Final Edit

July 4, 1994
This second outing for bon-vivant publisher Nicholas Barlow, who made his debut in Casual Slaughters , is, like its predecessor, loaded with sly fun for book people (it even begins at an ABA show in Washington). The mystery here is: Who killed arrogant, overbearing imprint editor Parker Foxcroft, a man much admired for his prizewinning authors but cordially loathed by everyone at Barlow's publishing house? With a multiplicity of possible motives, from rejected authors to cuckolded husbands, there is no shortage of suspects--even Barlow himself had been wondering how to get rid of Foxcroft. As before, it is Barlow's crippled, brilliant brother, Tim, who comes up with a solution, after perusing the late but unlamented editor's computer files. It's a workable explanation, turning on a nice literary conceit, although plot details are not Carter's strongest suit. Where he shines is in the knowledgeable and witty publishing lore, and in the creation of Barlow as a man with a knack for an apt quote and an infectious love of the good things in life (and, considering how much he eats and drinks, a rather improbable allure for women). He could serve as a role model for all worthy, more straitlaced publishing folk.

July 1, 1994
He's as cosmopolitan, debonair, and erudite as the great Nero Wolfe, but unlike Wolfe, New York publisher Nicholas Barlow not only likes women, he even succumbs to an occasional romantic dalliance. In addition, Barlow's considerable girtha result of his huge appetite for pleasures of the palateis substantially less imposing than Wolfe's; he's much less curmudgeonly; and Barlowalas!has no Fritz, no Archie, and no orchids. In his latest adventure, Barlow's amateur detecting skills are tested when Parker Foxcroft, his brilliantly talented editor, is found dead. Trouble is, the killer could be any one of dozens of people, since Foxcroft was supercilious, conceited, and heartless. As Barlow delves into his malevolent editor's past, he finds that Foxcroft was more devious than even his worst enemies believed. Carter offers deft writing, an inventive plot, a vicarious taste of the heady pleasures of good food, good wine, and good living, and an inside look at the fascinating if brutal world of New York publishing. An entertaining read. ((Reviewed July 1994))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1994, American Library Association.)