The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
Unexpectedly promoted to detective when his predecessor goes missing and a supervisor is killed, agency clerk Charles Unwin struggles with inexperience and nerves during a case in which he encounters bizarre clues and is framed for murder. In a giant and rigidly Pinkerton-like bureaucratic agency, Charles Unwin is the personal clerk for legendary detective Travis Sivart. The detail-minded Unwin loves his job, but when Sivart suddenly goes missing, Unwin is unwillingly promoted to fill the vacancy. He only wants to solve one case: he wants to find Sivart so he can go back to being a clerk. In his first novel, Berry has created a wonderful and fantastic world, a vintage mystery seen through a hall of fun-house mirrors.

This first novel is both homage and a satiric look at detective fiction and is also reminiscent of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series twisted take on literature and the nature of writing, as well as the intrigue of undercover work. This clever novel both amuses and confuses as the reader discovers puzzle boxes within puzzle boxes and you wander through the characters waking and sleeping moments. Critics have compared Berry to both Kafka and Paul Auster and agree that this first effort is wildly inventive and loads of fun for both mystery and fantasy lovers alike.

Leane

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