Murder by Design: A Thriller (Edison Bixby Book 1)

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.

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

Lee Goldberg is an ex-Navy SEAL, nuclear physicist and a professional Daniel Craig impersonator.

Okay, that's not true. But he wants this biography to be really exciting, so pay attention. If things bog down, I've been instructed to add a car chase or some explicit sex.

Here's the real story. Lee Goldberg writes books and television shows.

His mother wanted him to be a doctor, and his grandfather wanted him to go into the family furniture business. Instead, he put himself through UCLA as a freelance journalist, writing for such publications as American Film, Starlog, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times Syndicate, The Washington Post and The San Francisco Chronicle (He also wrote erotic letters to the editor for Playgirl at twenty-five-dollars-a-letter, but he doesn't tell people about that, he just likes to boast about those "tiffany" credits).

He published his first book ".357 Vigilante" (as "Ian Ludlow," so he'd be on the shelf next to Robert Ludlum) while he was still a UCLA student. The West Coast Review of Books called his debut "as stunning as the report of a .357 Magnum, a dynamic premiere effort," singling the book out as "The Best New Paperback Series" of the year. Naturally, the publisher promptly went bankrupt and he never saw a dime in royalties. (But the books are available on the Kindle as "The Jury Series")

Welcome to publishing, Lee.

His subsequent books include the non-fiction books "Successful Television Writing" and "Unsold Television Pilots" ("The Best Bathroom Reading Ever!" San Francisco Chronicle) as well as the novels "My Gun Has Bullets" ("It will make you cackle like a sitcom laugh track," Entertainment Weekly), "Dead Space" ("Outrageously entertaining," Kirkus Reviews), "Watch Me Die" ("as dark and twisted as anything Hammet or Chandler ever dreamed up," Kirkus Reviews).

"Take me now," she moaned, "you hot writer stud."

She tore off her clothes and tackled him onto the floor, unable to control her raging lust. Nothing excited her more than being around a writer with a big list of books.

Got your attention again? Good. I don't know about you, but I was starting to nod off. Where was I? Oh yes...

Goldberg broke into television with a freelance script sale to "Spenser: For Hire." Since then, his TV writing & producing credits have covered a wide variety of genres, including sci-fi (SeaQuest), cop shows (Hunter, The Glades), martial arts (Martial Law), whodunits (Diagnosis Murder, Nero Wolfe), the occult (She-Wolf of London), kid's shows (R.L. Stine's The Nightmare Room), T&A (Baywatch), comedy (Monk) and utter crap (The Highwayman). His TV work has earned him two Edgar Award nominations from the Mystery Writers of America.

“A cross between James Bond and Adrian Monk. This lighthearted whodunit goes down smooth.” —Publishers Weekly

“An absolute blast. I hope we see a lot more of Edison Bixby…one of the most original & refreshing crime fiction characters in recent memory.” —BookTrib

“Murder by Design is original and fresh, amusing and cheeky, deadly and thrilling, and completely engrossing. The kind of book that you read in one sitting, sleep be damned, because it’s so relentlessly entertaining and captivating that you cannot stop until you see how it all ends. Lee Goldberg has outdone himself, delivering a murder mystery that demands to be read and will end up being ranked at the top of any serious list extolling the best books of 2026.” —Steve Netter, Best Thriller Books

“Hilarious and thought-provoking. The mystery itself is complex, and somehow Goldberg balances the humor and drama to perfection. The second book in this series cannot come fast enough, and hopefully a TV series is in the future as well.” —FirstCLUE

“Murder by Design is the most ingenious mystery I’ve read in years, with more twists than a Wetzel’s Pretzel. Brain-injured yet supremely confident former detective Edison Bixby and likable but self-absorbed actor—is there any other kind?—Wally Nash make for an unlikely but appealing sleuthing duo. But the real magic of this mystery is the way Goldberg turns environments and objects that we take for granted into clues we never would have noticed but for his deft hand. After reading Murder by Design, you will never look at your local mall—or any building, object, et cetera—the same way again.” —Ellen Byron, Agatha and Lefty Award–winning author

“An exceptional, original, and fun read from start to finish. Lee Goldberg has an extraordinary character and narrative driven storytelling style.” —Midwest Book Review

“[Goldberg] delivers another delightful mystery that makes the most of its California setting, quick-thinking characters, and some of the cleverest dialogue you’ll ever read. Mystery readers and fans of mystery television shows will revel in the references that parody and celebrate the traits of both.” —Kings River Life Magazine

Praise for Lee Goldberg

“Lost Hills is Lee Goldberg at his best. Inspired by the real-world grit and glitz of LA County crime, this book takes no prisoners. And neither does Eve Ronin. Take a ride with her and you’ll find yourself with a heroine for the ages. And you’ll be left hoping for more.” —Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“The fourth book in Lee Goldberg’s series is his most ambitious and best realized yet…Movieland is crime writing of the highest order. Goldberg’s style touches on both Michael Connelly and Robert Crais, in whose company he now squarely belongs.” —The Providence Journal