“…for every writer is a murderer, and every reader is a sleuth.”
This is quite unique as it is not any sort of typical murder mystery. Nor is it suspenseful. It’s written more like a thesis that attempts to explain the art of writing this genre of fiction. The tropes, the various methods of murder, the possible motives, and even how a clever whodunit should be constructed. Much discussion of other authors and their canon. It’s described as metafiction. I found it disorienting.
The shifting point of view is crazy — starts out in second person with the narrator, who seems to be the author, speaking directly to the reader with explanations, literary references (primary sources), and hints guiding our reactions to the situation and the characters. Then, to third person limited, to first person singular, and to first person plural.
The plot: there is a detective, hired by someone, who is meant to report back on any suspicious or interesting observations that he makes while attending a 4th of July celebration at this wealthy enclave where the residents have known each other all their lives. Did I mention there are a ton of characters and I found them hard to keep straight. During the weekend there are deaths. Who is the killer?
And believe me, this moves along and I’m very interested in the detective’s process and the clues and red herrings. Totally invested. And then the big reveal at the end…doesn’t come. Now I’m the kind of person who feels cheated when faced with ambiguity.
So, despite all the pretentiousness and thought provoking commentary, I was frustrated and confused by the way the narrator pulls a one up at the end. I come away thinking, what in the heck did I just read. I wanted to like it but the unconventional ending just ruined it. Sure I can guess all day but I wanted the author to do the work for me. Maybe this is brilliant work, but I’m just not clever enough to get it.
I listened to the audio book while following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. I liked the voice of the narrator, Robert Petkoff, and he did an excellent job. I did, however, find the redundancy of the question and answer interviews hard to listen to so had to fast forward thru that. It definitely enhanced my appreciation of the book.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
tags - metafiction, mystery, 1976, murder
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