ISBN: 0-7887-0848-1 Order from: Recorded Books
A nice twisty plot, colorful characters and a sense of humor combine into an enjoyable if rather indulgent mystery.
Reviewed by David on November 15, 2004
Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth, Dog)
Synopsis: Stewart Hoag—Hoagy to his friends—is enjoyable a pleasant if frustrating life on his ex- and possibly future wife's farm in Connecticut. Hoag is a successful and well-paid ghost writer for celebrities, but his own books hav hit a writing block.
His peaceful if monotounous existence is suddenly complicated when his old friend and former mentor Thor Gibbs. Thor, a writer of the old, Hemingway's school of manly books, is full of energy and fight, as evidenced by his arrival on a motorcycle with his 18-year-old step-daughter, now his lover.
The notoriety of Thor's romance, with its hints of incest and underage sex are threatening to flood Hoagy's farm with yellow press. Alas, Hoagy's attempts to keep things quiet are in vain—when the first murder happens.
The police are neither efficient nor helpful, and Hoagy and his lugubrious but perceprive basset hound Lulu are forced to investigate, if only to stop the murderer from killing all of Hoagy's friends.
Full Review: The characters are colorful and suitably secretive in this twisty story. The plot is by turns humorous and serious, attempting to address some serious questions of human relations. Hoagy, his friends, acquitances and adversaries are interesting, and much of Hoagy's bleak humor works well.
One of the irritating aspects of the book is the narrator's habit of describing in some detail his dress, drink and furnishings. It makes the otherwise likable protagonist appear wealthy, fussy, and sometimes pretentious.
Overall: 6; Plot: 6; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1999, Recorded Books, 1996, Audio cassette, 7 Cassettes
ISBN: 0-7887-0848-1 Order from: Recorded Books