The music of what happens

by John Straley

Paper Book, 1996

Status

Available

Series

Cecil Younger (3)

Genres

Mystery

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

New York : Bantam Books, 1996.

Description

"In the third entry to the series, Alaska P.I. Cecil Younger is fresh out of rehab, sporting a fresh head wound, with a child custody case from hell, and with the clients to match. Confrontational and obsessed, Priscilla DeAngelo is sure her ex is conspiring with a state senator to wrest her son from her, and thus, hires Cecil Younger to investigate. This is the first time Younger has to deal with lawyers in flashy suits and overused paper shredders. When she storms off to Juneau for a showdown, Younger's custody case swiftly turns into a murder. Younger is fired from the defense team, but he can't stop thinking about the case, and keeps on with the investigation alone. He's not sure what keeps him bulldogging the case--is it Priscilla's sister (his lost love)? His regard for truth as a rare commodity? Or the head injury Priscilla's ex gave him? One thing he knows: he won't let go until it's solved, even if it kills him"--… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member kerns222

Straley’s book tries to be music. One thing: it is not mystery. People die, get hit, blown up, fight, but there is only confusion, not anything truly hidden--well, one thing is pulled on the reader to end the book, but it doesn't really matter. The plot really gives Cecil, the inept but

persistent investigator, reasons to listen to everyone, watch everything, and sometimes be helpful. He also gets to travel through Alaska and describe the geography, peoples, and creatures in great detail. The writing flows when he stops to talk about nature, which he often does in the middle of the action. The descriptions of everything natural or human is in close focus. You could draw the scenes after reading them. And the people are never completely bad--alcoholic, deranged, crazed, doped out, or woman-chasing, maybe, but not evil in the Sherlock Holmes tradition. The main thing to remember is this book worships Alaska first, dwells on the characters next, and finally has a plot. But as I have said about his other books, that's fine with me.

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