About Face: A Bill Damen Mystery (Silicon Vally Mystery S.) - Tapa blanda

"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

Glamour is a spell cast over the unwary observer. No one knows this better than the principals of Silicon Glamour Associates, a very selective escort service - with a hidden agenda - whose clients are awkward, busy, and shy Silicon Valley executives. Filmmaker Bill Damen is in the process of completing an "image piece" for Rod Glaser, a classic old-style Silicon Valley engineer whose company seems poised to hit the big time. But when Rod's girlfriend Alissa fails to show up for the shoot, Bill's got a problem. Rod's got an even bigger one: He has to admit that Alissa is really a Silicon Glamour girl, and now the service is blaming him for her disappearance. Rod hires Bill to find her. Bill thinks he succeeds, only to find that Alissa's mother is trying to take her place. Thus begins a journey through the twin worlds of glamour, with all its masks, and cosmetic gene therapy, with all its risks. When Rod is murdered, Bill's quest turns personal, and deadly serious - especially when some heavies from Vegas, show up. Now Bill is forced to question his every perception and unmask every false face in order to nail Rod's killer and reveal the mystery of Alissa. In About Face, Bill delves into an all-new and fascinating world of image and reality, to uncover motives, means, and characters that could only come together in state-of-the-art Silicon Valley.