"Time plays a very important role in this novel, taking on an almost supernatural nature."

Henry Wood Detective Agency

by Brian Meeks

Genre: Mystery

Book Synopsis

Henry Wood is suffering greatly from a festive night of saying goodbye to 1954. His world is one of black and white, right and wrong, but his life is about to change and there will forever be shades of grey. An average detective, with a passion for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Henry is about to be hired by a beautiful woman, to find her father and his journal. It seems simple enough, but when a second woman appears, wanting his services, to find the same journal, he suspects he might be in over his head. He’s right. They are the least of his problems. The local mafia boss, Tommy ‘The Knife’, wants the journal too. As long as it is missing, he is vulnerable, and the other bosses smell blood in the water.

Who can Henry trust? Henry has a mysterious benefactor that he has never met, but seems to have his best interest at heart. Will Henry take the help that is offered? Does he have a choice?

Mark's Rating

Mark's Review

One aspect that clearly stood out from the very first page was the time setting. There were several obvious (and probably a few not so obvious) references to the 1950s, although I didn’t feel as immersed in the decade as I could have been. Time plays a very important role in this novel, taking on an almost supernatural nature. However, it seemed like an afterthought the first few times it was referenced, though it made me curious enough to keep reading.

The novel’s main downfall in my opinion is the lack of professional polish. It read like an unedited first or second draft, though according to Mr. Meeks an editor was hired, which demonstrates the need for extreme caution when a self-published or Indie author employs a freelance editor. There were two technical flaws noteworthy enough to mention. 1. Consistent misuse of commas and 2. Frequent shifting from past tense to present tense for no apparent reason, lacking any sense of a pattern.

Usually I don’t fuss too much about showing vs. telling; as long as I’m enjoying the story, any seeming lack of balance is either not recognized or ignored. With this book although I enjoyed several aspects of the story, I found the amount of telling too imbalanced to ignore. Because of this as well as some clunky dialogue, none of the characters seemed especially real to me. Even Henry, the main character, didn’t stand out from the rest of a fairly large cast of characters.

I recommend this book only because there is a previous gem buried underneath a rough exterior. After getting to know the writer via Twitter and a phone conversation, I feel he has a lot to offer the writing community. I got a sneak peek at the second book in the series, and I am pleased to say that the quality of writing is much better. In hindsight, though, I think this book would have been much better if he had waited to publish it, allowing him time to bring the quality of his writing to a slightly higher standard.

Disclaimer: May not be appropriate for young children due to violence.