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UNFORCED ERROR takes us into the world of re-enactors, librarians, publishing, authors, and law. Rep and Melissa Pennyworth have come to Kansas City so that Rep can work on a case involving an intriguing aspect of copyright law. His client, a genre publishing house, happens to employ their longtime friend, Linda as an editor. Since the case involves Civil War re-enacting, the abiding passion of Peter Damon, Linda's husband, Rep and Melissa plan to combine business and pleasure in Kansas City. Their hopes are dashed when Rep discovers the body of Linda's fellow editor, a man that Peter has ample cause to hate. The Pennyworths determine to help their friends by finding the real killer. After a great start, this is where the book sagged for me. Part of it has something to do with the inherent difficulty not in having non-law enforcement characters decide to solve murders on their own, but in persuading the reader of the logic of that decision. I wasn't entirely convinced in this case. The characters' habits and eccentricities grated on me after awhile; Melissa's penchant for perfect grammar and her literary allusions, not to mention the faux Anglicisms of Peter's boss, has the effect of making the characters overly affected. Bowen invokes the names of Nick and Nora Charles more than once, which makes me wonder if he was trying to imbue his own creations with some of that spirit, but I'm not sure it works well here. That said, there is a lot to like about UNFORCED ERROR. The first third of the book is fast-paced and engrossing. There's heart in it too; Linda's personal dilemma and Melissa's response to it has more emotional impact than I've come to expect in the typical mystery. Bowen also does an excellent job of bringing the world of re-enactments to life. I am not a Civil War buff by any means, but the presentation of historical facts was such that it captured and held my attention. UNFORCED ERROR is only the second novel in the series (SCREENSCAM, is the first), so that may have something to do with the unevenness here. There's enough potential in UNFORCED ERROR for a promising series, and on the whole, the book itself is engaging, highly readable, and enjoyable.
Reviewed by Michelle L. Zafron, May 2004
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