About Face: A Bill Damen Mystery

Gene therapy that can stop skin from aging is a breakthrough technology, but before it can lead to eternal youth it leads to murder. In the second book in Chronicle's exciting new Bill Damen mystery series, the filmmaker-turned-detective's investigations again draw him into the dark side of high-stakes science and finance. The players include an executive escort service with a hidden agenda, a biotech company on the verge of either fortune or collapse, and venture capitalists with shady backers. Juggling old and new girlfriends and a car that still won't start, relying on his eye for the telling detail and instinct for danger, Bill must unravel both a double helix and a double identity to solve this murder.

About the Author :
James Calder is a San Francisco Bay Area-based writer.

Review :
"Calder tells his story in witty prose that calls to mind Ross Macdonald. Reflecting on his shared past with a colleague, Damen recalls how in college they d made "a couple goofy Super-8 films about existentially perplexed sci-fi insects." And before the murder is solved, Damen mulls insightfully over the question of how deep skin is -- or should be." -Washington Post Book World"A filmmaker turns sleuth again, rushing recklessly into the cutthroat, and loopy, skincare industry. Shy scientist Rod Glaser hires Bill Damien to create an "image piece" for Algoplex, his skincare company. Rod and Mike Riley, his hearty partner, are on the verge of a merger with industry veteran Plush Biologics, a move promising big profits but not smooth sailing for the easygoing partners. Case in point: Bill's Algoplex shoot goes terribly wrong when Rod's muse, a soulful free spirit named Alissa, blows off the gig, and Rob, unable to reach her by phone, falls apart. So Bill agrees to look for her, first by breaking into her empty apartment. Alissa's trashy mother Wendy, who tries to impersonate her daughter at a high-profile Algoplex event, claims unconvincingly that Alissa is just taking a little vacation. Meanwhile, Bill learns that Alissa works for an escort service called Silicon Glamour. Though Rod sheepishly claims their relationship is strictly platonic, some incriminating pictures indicate otherwise. So does the knife Bill soon finds protruding from Rod's body. As in his debut caper (Knockout Mouse, 2002), Bill is drawn into the case by a combination of duty and empathy. There's no shortage of suspects, and Bill finds dysfunctional corporate families at both Silicon Glamour and Plush Biologics. But the mystery of absent Alissa looms over all. Calder draws sharp, entertaining suspect portraits, and Bill's amiable first-person narration never slackens its pace." -Kirkus Reviews "Bill is a likable character, there are some intriguing plot twists here, and the idea of a filmmaking amateur sleuth has appeal. Give this series a chance; it has terrific potential." -Booklist