Review by Booklist Review
Gran takes readers on an existential journey through the Clare DeWitt universe (introduced in City of the Dead, 2011) in these nine stories. Early on, Cynthia Silverton, "the best teen detective in the world," offers a defining observation: "All things must die, and no amount of love can save them." DeWitt's protégé, Claude, realizes his deep connection to a found family and his true value as a detective while solving a heart-wrenching blackmail case. In a clever juxtaposition of the AIDS and COVID-19 epidemics, Gran captures alienation and the gritty courage of physical connection. The story of young heiress Poppy Killington-Wade infuses optimism; readers will celebrate Poppy's power moves after her beloved grandmother's poisoning. Each cleverly constructed vignette (including a choose-your-own-adventure) furthers the larger exploration of self-discovery, connection, and the dangerous allure of self-delusion. Claire DeWitt fans will delight in this thoughtfully curated collection with quirky philosophy and retro girl-sleuth vibes (think Kafka meets Nancy Drew); a fantastic recommendation for deep-thinking cult-fiction readers.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This playful story collection from Gran (the Claire DeWitt series) takes readers on a gleefully irreverent tour of classic crime tropes. "Choose Your Own Heartbreak" sees intrepid teen detective Cynthia Silverton pursuing her nemesis, criminal mastermind Hal Overton, in a brisk choose-your-own-adventure thriller. Cynthia appears again in "The Case of the Mysterious Dr. Crowley," a riff on the five-minute mysteries from 1940s radio in which she investigates the theft of a professor's space station plans. Gran's best-known character, PI Claire DeWitt, is featured in a handful of stories, most notably "The Good Smell of New York City/The Ocean-Salted Air," which links two crises in Claire's life--one at the height of the AIDS epidemic, and one at the dawn of Covid-19. The collection's excellent centerpiece is "The Mystery at Killington Manor," a nearly 100-page Golden Age--style whodunit about a 16-year-old girl who's forced to solve a country house murder. Gran's characters always feel authentic, and the author infuses even her bleakest premises with a sly wit. This is an equally good bet for Gran's longtime fans and newcomers to her work. (Feb.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A collection of nine mini-mysteries loosely inspired by the childhood gateway stories about Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew--but with existential depths. Some of the stories are fashioned like traditional "5 Minute Mysteries," in which the reader is asked to find the solution (which is conveniently included), but the solutions here have more to do with the weary weight of the world than a reader's ability to decipher physical clues. The longest entry, "The Mystery of Killington Manor or the Feeling of Seeing Clear Blue Sky After Being Lost in the Woods," offers a take on Agatha Christie and other writers of country house mysteries but, as with most of the pieces, is truly about the mystery of maturity, more about the challenge of remaining a good person when the world is spitting in your face than a true whodunit. Gran offers a feminist reading of female detectives, from the spun-sugar sweetness of Nancy Drew to seemingly fluffy old ladies like Miss Marple. The biggest standouts in the collection are the cases featuring Claire DeWitt, a character in Gran's previous novels, and Cynthia Silverton, "the best teen detective in the world" (who may or may not be two sides of the same person). At the end of "One-Minute Mystery: The Case of the Razor's Edge Between Life and Death," Claire saves someone's life, at which point the narrator breaks the fourth wall, commenting: "I trust that if you ever need to save my life, you'll know what to say, and the right words will drip from your lips like a flower's nectar to a hummingbird's tongue.…Maybe the only reason we're here is because we've already saved each other. Thank you." In these mysteries, the stakes are existential: knowing one's self, knowing how to save the people you can save, and knowing that life is worth living even in the midst of pain. Gran is both blowing up the mystery genre and tying herself to its mast--what an incredible light show. Charming, gritty explorations of the greatest mysteries of all: Who are we, and what is this life? Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
