Amateur Sleuth

This is one of those binary books. As darkly funny as it’s poignant and moving. Light and cozy, except when it’s suspenseful and horrifying. In short, there’s a whole lot going on, yet Chilton, author of the delightful Swiped, succeeds in keeping it all afloat. Kirby Cornell, a failed Nepo Baby, lives in the bleak town of Crowhust in an even bleaker apartment with a gaggle of roommates. It takes a desperate message to their old group chat to get Kirby and her chums to put down the beer. But the message isn’t what’s so scary. It’s that the message comes from Esme, an ex-roommate who died a year ago. Creepy, no? The novel moves between a year ago and the present day, with plenty of Crowhurst, including the local “fayre,” in between. Because it turns out that Crowhurst was the killing ground of a terrifying serial killer who was active in the 1980s, may have never been fully identified, and who provides Kirby and chums with plenty of speculation. A fast-moving, clever thriller that uses social media to keep the narrative thriving. Teens and twenty-somethings should love this.

Yes indeed, this is certainly one hell of a way to go. When Anthony Wistern has a bit of an accident during his 60th birthday—he falls onto an expensive, large party decoration that pierces him—he ends up dead, of all things. Worse, he finds himself to be in a sort of rundown waiting room, where he is meant to stay until he can recall what or who it was that killed him. He’s reputed to be vastly wealthy—though does he actually have the funds to back up his claims of belonging to the one percent?—and all his family cares about, from his sarcastic wife Oliva to their four useless, repugnant, and adult children, is what Anthony had in the bank. Obsessively watching his family on Limbo TV, hoping for some hints as to how he died, which would allow him to get sprung, Anthony is astonished to find that no one seems to be making any sort of fuss over his demise. In fact, Olivia seems quite put out at the mess he has left behind, including both his financial problems (where did the money go?) and social issues (such as a mistress). The book is narrated by Anthony; Olivia; and a third character, the Sleuth, a young woman, an obsessive blogger, and a true-crime fanatic who is convinced Anthony was murdered and will jump over any fence to prove it. As with Mackie’s earlier book, How to Kill Your Family, this is chock full of plots both large and small, although when it comes to dark humor, this book is the clear winner.