Quick update on what I’ve been reading. I know, I know, you couldn’t care less. Most of you, anyway. But if you’re interested and aren’t planning on reading these, then feel free to read on. If you are interested and DO plan to read these – SPOILER ALERT! – stop right here. These are murder mysteries, after all. Once you find out whodunit, what’s the point, right? So, you been warned. Enough with preliminaries. Here’s my take on Anne Hillerman (The Tale Teller) and Matt Goldman (The Shallows).
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Here’s the thing about detective mysteries: If you like the main character, then the author has already won 90% of the battle. Because whatever plot twists and turns the author dreams up, there’s always gonna be a murder – or at least a spectacular heist. There’s gonna be bad guys who are gonna get caught. And in addition there’s gonna be one or several subplots. In the end it’s all gonna get woven together and tied up with a bow. Truth and justice are gonna prevail. And the main character – the sleuth – is gonna return next time to do it all over again. That’s how we get hooked. That’s how mystery writers piece together a career. Simple, see?
Anne Hillerman is the daughter of Tony Hillerman who created the Navajo detective series many of us know and love. She faithfully carries on the murder mystery tradition of her now dead dad’s series with this latest installment. Yes, she’s added a woman’s touch by bringing Detective Bernadette (“Bernie”) Manuelito to the fore. And as far as it goes, that’s all good.
Her dad already did 90% of the heavy lifting back in the day by creating Leaphorn & Chee – characters we care about. But frankly, as a Tale Teller herself, she seems to lack the gene. Don’t ask me why. Actually, “why” is probably because it’s not genetic in the first place. It’s more like a lightning strike. Tony had it. She doesn’t.
Don’t like my analysis? Go read it for yourself. Then report back here. I mean, what good is reading murder mysteries without writing a properly incisive (some might say “venomous”) review? My take anyway. Your take is up to you. What, you think I’m gonna do all the work around here? Think again.
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I had better luck reading about Nils Shapiro. He’s the detective hero of Matt Goldman’s “The Shallows”. Goldman is a relative newcomer to the mystery-genre. There are a few things you should know about this writer. One, he’s no spring chicken. For many years he wrote material for Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen Degeneres, so he’s got sterling comedy bona fides. But who knew a Jewish detective from the Twin Cities living in a converted coat factory and roaming the sky-ways of downtown Minneapolis could be both funny AND likeable (like Seinfeld, but on a mission?). Also smart and courageous (like Ellen, but on a mission?). Nils Shapiro is somebody you not only root for, but can’t wait for the next installment just to see what he’s gonna do and say while bringing the bad guys to justice. That, my friends, is murder mystery gold.
The plot twists and turns of this one are unexpected while still being – for the most part – believable. OK, the bomb blast in the downtown lawyers’ office was a little over the top. And the fish eating the eyelids off a corpse in shallow lake water in the opening scene? That was a bit gross – maybe even unnecessary – even when perpetrated on a lawyer. But other than that….
Oh, and one other thing? It’s set in the present and adroitly addresses the current partisan political climate without ever once mentioning our current POTUS by name. OK, the bad guys turn out to be a couple of buff, swastika-tattooed racist misfits. And in the course of the action, there is not just one, not just two, not just three, but FOUR murders. OK, two of the victims were lawyers, so they don’t really count…
But still!
The stand-in for “45” in this tale is an heiress to a Minnesota Mining fortune who’s running for Congress. She not only survives, but may even still get elected despite some of her staff’s involvement in the carnage. As the action winds down, November is still months away…. and one of the bad guys has escaped. Tune in next time to see what Nils Shapiro does and says. You’ll be glad you did. Or at least, _I_ will.