Manhattan, New York City - Present Day

You are the Center of the Universe, The Universe Hotel, Where Our World Revolves Around Yours.

Trevor Lambert is Director of Rooms at the Universe, a luxury hotel in Manhattan. It is two weeks before the holidays, and the Universe Hotel is lucky enough to be hosting a conference for VOID, Victims of Impaired Drivers Association, and the revenue it will bring to their hotel. The success of the VOID conference is tied into senior management receiving their holiday bonuses.

When the executive director of VOID, Brenda Rathberger arrives, it is the day after the annual Christmas party, and she is less than pleased to be a guest there. A strong advocate against drinking and driving, Mrs. Rathberger is also opposed to alcohol, believing the substance should be legally banned. Mr. Godfrey, the owner of the hotel, is supposed to meet with Mrs. Rathberger, only he is nowhere to be found. Trevor is forced to take Mr. Godfrey place in welcoming Mrs. Rathberger, things start off shaky, but he soon wins her over. Things go from bad to good to worse again when Trevor finds Mr. Godfrey dead in the hotel’s parking garage, and it looks as though he has been run over by a car. To make matters worse, Mrs. Rathberger is present when Trevor finds the body. It is revealed that Mr. Godfrey died after the Universe Christmas party, where most of senior management staff was drinking, and videotape from parking garage cameras shows some of them driving afterwards. They all become suspects.

MURDER AT THE UNIVERSE is the debut mystery novel of Mr. Craig, who himself is the General Manager of the Opus Hotel in Vancouver, Canada. It is Mr. Craig’s knowledge of the hotel industry that makes this book so much fun to read. MURDER AT THE UNIVERSE is about life, work, love, and our place in the universe. It is a beautiful metaphor that sustains the story throughout, making this more than a murder mystery. Readers will be drawn into the tale from the first page. Trevor’s observations are funny, intriguing, sometimes self-serving, occasionally spot on or way off the mark. The reader’s heart will break for Trevor, wanting him to get a life.

MURDER AT THE UNIVERSE is the first book in what is to be a series centered on Trevor Lambert. THE SECOND BOOK, MURDER AT THE CINEMA will be released in June 2008. MURDER AT THE UNIVERSE is a fun, sharp, and funny meditation on life and the hotel industry. The Universe Hotel and its setting are carefully and meticulously described. I defy anyone who can read it, and not want to book a room there. Was Mr. Godfrey innocently run down? I am not telling; seek out a copy of MURDER AT THE UNIVERSE to find out. I highly recommend it.

Nickole Yarbrough