Movie World, May Digireads

Arthur Tageman stands at the bottom of the Megaworld corporate ladder. He doesn't appear to have any problems but that situation changes almost as soon as the story opens.

Receiving strange letters that consisted of the word "Probe" starts him on a quest to find who has written them. With only a postmark indicating Studio City Arthur finds men who are connected to the studio but have no apparent connection to the letters.

Arthur loves Winchell's Donut shops. And so does his friend Marsha. During his coffee break Marsha tells him that she's heard of something happening in Studio City, a bit of info that Arthur connects to the letter postmark.

Charles Searcy, Arthur's boss, uses him as a go-fer. During one errand Arthur can't make the delivery. While contacting one possible sender of the letters who lives in Studio City Arthur has his car broken into and the package stolen.

As Chapter Two closes Arthur is no closer either to finding the sender of the enigmatic letters or the meaning of "Probe."

Arthur finds himself wrapped in mystery: first there were the bizarre letters. Then there was Marsha being killed outside Winchell's. Adding to the enigma was another death: Julius the intended recipient of one of Charles' packages.

A partial solution to the mystery of the "probe" letters was solved by Maizie whose real name was Melanie. Finding that Arthur was trustworthy, Maizie revealed that she had written the letters. Arthur found out that she had two reasons for so doing: one to find out whether Arthur was trustworthy, and two to rule out the names she'd given him from her investigation.

From an interested bystander, Arthur had become an integral part of Maizie's investigation. At times he feels uncomfortable and at other times downright paranoic.

Arthur and Maizie are compatible in bed and that "reward" blunts the possibility of danger he sees Maizie react to at times.

What's in store for Arthur and Maizie now that they have joined forces? Will they find out the nature of the crimes at Megaworld? We'll have to read more to see if the answers are forthcoming.

Like most of us Arthur Tageman expected his life would be measured in coffee cups and donuts perhaps with a few ups and downs either financially or emotionally.

What he was unprepared for was having his world become a jumble of disparate threads tied to unseen problems. At first he experienced a degree of excitement at entering the world of sleuthing even if it was only a tangential relation that bound him to Maizie nee Melanie with both sexual and intellectual ties.

The bottom fell out of Arthur's world when Maizie was brutally murdered and he was the chief suspect.

All he could hope for was that his lawyer Gordon Pym discover exculpatory evidence that at first appeared to be tied to gang graffiti.

Three unlikely events added to the surreal world that Arthur now inhabited. First, his boss, Charles Searcy, changed from being under suspicion to tasking Arthur with uncovering the principals behind some kind of fraud affecting his department. The second bizarre twist came in the form of an agent wanting to sign Arthur to a contract in hopes of having his story turned into a movie. The third appeared to be a solicitation from the same people Maizie worked for.

Does Arthur's world ever get back to coffee cups and donuts? We'll have to read the last quarter of the story to find out the answer.

How much more will further disrupt Arthur's life?

Being recruited by the same agents Maizie worked with was one such disruption. The only positive aspect of getting involved with them was the hint they might be able to help with his murder charge.

All the ICE agents wanted was for Arthur to find any incriminating evidence on Megaworld's higher-ups.

Charles Searcy, Arthur's boss, gave him the user name and password to allow him to search for the possible culprit that was skimming from their department.

Charles' assignment dovetailed with the info the ICE agents wanted.

Having the gang logo scratched into his car paint added to the anger Arthur felt for Maizie's death.

And then he was shot at, but having chosen bullet resistant glass avoided becoming one of LA's shooting victims.

Because of the possibility the gang might be behind all of the violence Arthur had experienced his lawyer, Gordon Pym, suggested he move in with him temporarily.

At breakfast Arthur receives good news. And reading about it will make your day.