Dont Explain

When his beloved celebrity pooch sidekick, Jellyroll, is targeted by a pair of stalkers, Artie Deemer takes the canine and pool player Crystal Spivey to Maine, where they encounter religious tourists, a serial killer, and a father-son yacht team. Reprint.

Although it starts with the delightful premise of somebody stalking a celebrity dog, Murphy's third Artie Deemer mystery (Lover Man and Lush Life) slackens, ultimately done in by a casually constructed plot. Jellyroll, Artie's dog, who as "star of stage, screen, and retail packaging" earns enough to keep them both in treats, has been receiving threatening letters. To protect his pooch, Artie decides to hide out in a friend's boathouse on an island off the coast of Maine. About the time man and dog arrive in Maine, an unfortunate tourist has her head cut open with an ax?an event which initially interests Artie less than do the colorful locals, many of whom, as the story progresses, cheerfully confess to past killings. He's much more absorbed by the arrival of his lover, Crystal Spivey; a mysterious man dressed entirely in black; a boat that doesn't belong to one of the usual summer folks; and the appearance of some well-decayed remains that quickly vanish. The vanity of mediocre actors and Jellyroll's tendency to vomit offer Murphy lots of fodder for jokes, some of which are funny and many of which are sophomoric.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.