Edison Bixby · #1

Murder by Design

Name: Murder by Design
Rating: 9 (1 reviews)
Author: Lee Goldberg

Lee Goldberg

Crime Fiction Mystery Thriller

9.0 / 10

1 rating

1 review

In a world carefully constructed for murder, solving crimes takes a keen mind and eye in a witty, clever, and fresh reinvention of the whodunit by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He’s also a brilliant insurance investigator who solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the man-made world around us makes them possible. Enter Wally Nash: a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets.

Their first case together looks like a simple accident. Caroline Crowley took a nasty fall down a staircase at a shopping mall in front of dozens of witnesses. Video clearly shows the deadly misstep. But Bixby is certain she was murdered by design, subtly manipulated into causing her own demise. The mall itself made the crime intentional, if not inevitable.

Now Bixby must prove his outrageous theory before a very cunning killer gets others on his hit list to murder themselves, too.

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Published: June 1, 2026

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Edison Bixby

The series

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Step into a world where the ordinary hides extraordinary danger, and solving a crime is as much about understanding people as it is about noticing the subtle details of the spaces around them. The Edison Bixby series introduces a detective unlike any other, whose mind works differently, seeing patterns and possibilities that others overlook. Each case begins with what seems like a simple accident or everyday event, but under the surface, clever engineering, hidden motives, and human error collide to reveal something far more sinister.

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Edison Bixby himself is a sharp, unconventional investigator whose intelligence is matched only by his social bluntness, and whose insights often come at the expense of stepping on toes. His partnership with a companion who keeps him grounded brings both tension and wit to investigations, making every twist of the plot as engaging as the next. The series blends procedural precision with character-driven moments, where psychological insight meets suspenseful storytelling, and the thrill of piecing together a puzzle keeps readers turning pages.

From intricately plotted whodunits to clever explorations of human behavior, the series turns mundane locations into treacherous landscapes and everyday objects into instruments of mystery. Themes of perception, consequence, and ingenuity weave together to create mysteries that are as intellectually satisfying as they are entertaining. For readers who enjoy sharp crime fiction, intricate puzzles, and compelling character dynamics, this series offers a fresh, clever approach to the modern mystery.

#1 · 2026Murder by Design

#2 · 2027The Invisible Architect

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Brian H2026-06-30

I enjoyed the book very much. While touted as mystery/thriller, it was not a true thriller. It was so easy to read, it was filled with tongue in cheek humor. The main character, Edison Bixby, is a former LA police detective with a brain injury that makes him spout uncomfortable truth whenever he opens his mouth. Certainly not at all politically correct, not sure if some of it is intentional. His sidekick is an infrequently employed character actor, Walter Nash, who tells the story, hired to keep Bixby out of trouble for his mouth. It was a strange character pairing but somehow Goldberg made it work. I look forward to the next book and plan to read his other series.

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