If you know what "the Fourth Estate" refers to, BLACK AND WHITE AND DEAD ALL OVER may be the mystery for you. No doubt you've been reading about the death of traditional journalism, right? Well, John Darnton takes that idea literally in this delightful and daft novel.
When the editor of THE NEW YORK GLOBE is found dead, stabbed through the chest, reporter Jude Hurley teams up with NYPD Det. Priscilla Bollingsworth to determine whodunit. Their investigation will involve such arcane elements as albino hamsters and licorice-glazed squab over mission figs, not to mention more corpses and flying sparks.
Even though it takes place in the modern day, DEAD ALL OVER has the feel of a classic screwball mystery, where murder is on the menu, served with a side of mirth. The last thing of Darnton's I read was his rather underrated 2005 literary thriller, THE DARWIN CONSPIRACY. As you may be able to tell from the title of this new one, which recalls a joke we all learned in the first grade, this represents a complete tonal shift. But the writing is still solid, still assured. Moving quick and often without attribution, the sharp dialogue reminded me of Ben Hecht's snappy screenplays to movies like THE FRONT PAGE and HIS GIRL FRIDAY, both of which Darnton name-checks. Not bad company. —Rod Lott
Buy it at Amazon.
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• THE DARWIN CONSPIRACY by John Darnton
Related posts:
