May 2004
 Click On Cover for Purchasing Information |
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  OVERALL 
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Now this is how a mystery should read! It has most of the elements needed for a successful detective story:
1: Lone detective
2: Victimized youth
3: Beautiful seductress
4: Betrayal
I was most impressed by the writer's ability to create what I consider a traditional mystery. The author presents the problem at the beginning, offers clues throughout the story, confronts/exposes the antogonist at the climax, and arranges the clues into a clear picture during the resolution. Many writers feel that the key to a mystery is the surprise at the end and will omit or conceal clues from the reader, making it difficult to impossible for them to solve. Those stories may satisfy the masses of brain-dead readers that enjoy being spoon-fed the plot, but I want a book that challenges me. Great Mystery books offer the clues without an explaination of their relevence to the mystery.
Take for example the obvious mysteries presented in Scooby-Doo. The meddling kids find clues while investigating but don't speculate on their meanings until they have enough to solve the case. This gives the watching kids (and some adults) enough time to figure it out. When the zombie pirates are revealed as the gang of smugglers, the viewers receive a feeling of accomplihment that draws them back for the next episode.
The same principle applies to books. This allows the reader the opportunity to sort out the clues and figure out the solution on their on. Readers usually prefer a more subtle plot but they still expect to be able to solve the mystery on their own. Only a few authors have the skill to pull off a true mystery and most of them are long dead. If this author's books continue to show this level of skill, then I believe I have found a new master of the craft.
The Locality is the most original and refreshing setting that I have read in a long time. The Ins and Outs of the society
and the constant motion of the city was creative and addictive. The characters are believable but unique. Although some
supporting characters fell into detective story stereotypes, it actually enhanced the feel of the book. It may strike some
as stuck in the detective story rut, but I felt like it was purposeful. It gave me the sense that the writer was trying to
pay homage to his Mystery predecesors while offering a hint of satire at the same time.
For all this praise, I did have a few gripes:
| Gripe #1: 1-800-Psychic | Jack Stein's ability to experience psychic visions was an interesting aspect of the story. Unfortunately, it also allows the author to offer or explain clues without having to do any real detective work. |
| Gripe #2: Pale Face | The White-Haired Man felt over-emphasised for his part in the story. |
| Gripe #3: Phallic Humor | It's just me but if the mystery has a PI, I can't take it serious unless it contains the requisite Detective-Penis Humor. |
| Gripe #4: The Librarian | I felt Alice was under-utilized. The main character obviously needed a love interest in the story and she was tentatively placed in that role. I expected her to play a role in the resolution and that they would start some type of relationship. |
| Gripe #5: Riding off into the Sunset | I was dissatisfied by the resolution of the story. Although the end presented is believable, it gave me a sense of defeatism. Jack Stein's abandonment of the Locality felt like running away. It left behind all the wonder and complications that made the book interesting. |