The Con Artist - a murder mystery at the San Diego Comic-Con

I absolutely LOVED this book!  Not only goes it have a really great murder mystery, which has you bouncing from suspect to suspect as you try to figure out who did it and why; but, it is so chock-full of geekdom goodness that I couldn't help but giggle, cheer, and sign in remembrance of some of the long-gone comics and creators of yester-year.  And it is VERY obvious that the author, Fred Van Lente (whose name I don't recognize, even though it gives a list of comics he has written - of course, I don't read any of those listed, so maybe that's why I don't recognize his name....), is very familiar with comic conventions, fans, and the entire feel of a super-crazy, over-packed, twenty-four-hour-a-day convention like San Diego Comic Con (THE Comic Con).

So it's only apt that the name of the book is The Comic Con.  Not only does it immediately tell the reader the setting of the story, but it also gives a not so subtle nod to the premise of the mystery.  The protagonist, Mike Mason, is a comic book artist that has had his time in the spotlight, has garnered his fame and fortune writing the ever-so-popular "Mister Mystery" series, as well as the almost-as-popular "Gut Check" series.  Things have changed, however - a younger generation of creators have moved in; comics are more about what superstar is writing and/or drawing them than about the stories themselves; conventions have become less about the comics and more about the media and the cos-players; and Mason himself has a failed marriage behind him (his wife left him for one of Mason's co-workers!) and is basically homeless, living from hotel to hotel as he literally bounces from one convention to the next all year long.  And he makes his way to San Diego Comic Con ("SDCC") this year in order to present his mentor, Benjamin Kurtz, the creator of the "Mister Mystery" comic, with the lifetime achievement award at the Kirby Awards ceremony.

There's only one problem.  Kurtz is dead.

Now, he hasn't been murdered, mind you.  He died of natural causes.  But that one death sets off a chain reaction that forever changes Mason's life and that of those around him.  He suddenly discovers that everyone has something to hide.  People he thought he knew, he didn't.  Not really.  And the business behind Kurtz' work, and even Mason's own work, at Atlas Comics suddenly becomes a lot more dangerous that Mason ever could have dreamed possible!  Pages of Kurtz' art that were thought stolen years ago are suddenly turning up for sale at the convention.  The dealers are tight-lipped about where they got the art from, but they all have one thing in common - they are surprised Mason doesn't know.  And when his former co-worker (and his ex-wife's now ex-boyfriend) turns up dead the morning after he has an altercation with him, Mason becomes suspect number one.  He has an alibi, as he was being toted around San Diego by a pedi-cab driver - the only problem is, she seems to have disappeared, and no one knows where to find her!

With the help of an old friend, Dirtbag (not his real name, obviously), Mason begins his own investigation into what happened to Danny Lieber, if for no other reason than to clear his name.  But in order to do so, he has to evade two oversized bodyguards intent on hunting him down; the owner of Atlas Comics intent on making him a deal he can't refuse; the star-of-the-moment comic icon, Sebastian Mod, intent on collaborating with him on the latest "Mister Mystery" stories; and his own ex-wife, who seems to have reasons of her own for being at SDCC this year.  And then his ex-wife turns up dead, and wouldn't you know it - he's the one to discover the body, with no one else in sight!

Van Lente provides readers with a well-plotted murder mystery with fun, believable characters in a setting that will thoroughly thrill any comic book / sci-fi / convention fan!  So, so, SO MANY pop culture references - from calling the two police detectives investigating the murders "Sam" and "Twitch" (and any fans of Spawn will immediately recognize those names), to the appearance of the TARDIS, to the Ripley v. Alien burlesque show, the Plastic Man cartoon reference, Star Wars, Star Trek, Game of Thrones, and pretty much any other genre that you can think of - it's in there!  And not to be left out, one my other favorite fandoms gets a brief mention when Mason is actually using an old-time photocopier to copy a page out of a phone book and he says, "Kicking this Hardy Boys $#!+ old school, yo."   I mean, let's face it - for a nerd like me, books just don't get any better than this!

Obviously, the mystery eventually gets solved, but with some definite unexpected twists, and Van Lente literally brings the story full circle with the last page and the last few paragraphs.  Let's just say Lieutenant Yoo turns out to be a very important person (and when you get to that part, you will completely understand!).

I definitely hope Van Lente will eventually revisit Mike Mason and give us another mystery like this - I would thoroughly devour it!

RATING:  10 missing art portfolios out of 10 for the perfect combination of fandom, mystery, suspense, humor, and just plan good reading!