Ride that train
Tim Durkin

Martin Amis, an English author, has decided to take a crack at the American mystery novel. Frankly I have no idea why. The American version of gumshoes and private dicks pales in comparison to the UK tradition that includes such genius Detectives as Sherlock Holmes and Morse. Thankfully despite Amis’ venture into the American novel he does not fall into American gore and bore.

Amis has created a main character that is far more interesting than the novel is. "I am a police [they don’t use man or woman. Police is sufficient], and my name is Detective Mike Hoolihan. I am a woman, also. What I am setting out here is an account of the worst case I ever handled. [Some say] there’s no such thing as worst. But for Detective Mike Hoolihan this was the worst case."

Jennifer, all-American girl and daughter to Mike’s former commanding officer, has blown her brains out. This ‘open and shut’ case blows wide open when the forensics crew reveals there are two bullets lodged in her brain and another in the wall behind her.

The structure of the book, along with Mike’s overall character, are the two key attractions to this novel. The first half of the book consists of notes Mike made to herself during the course of her investigation.

"These papers and transcripts were put together piecemeal over a period of four weeks. I apologize for any inconsistencies in the tenses (hard to avoid, when writing about the recently dead). And I guess I apologize for the outcome. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry."

An interesting device employed by Amis is the disuse of quotation marks whenever Mike is on official police business. Any interviews or peer interaction are marked by centering the dialogue on the page. It increases the intensity of the decision which, is in general, weighty enough.

One fault with Mike’s character is that she seems to be too official in her use of the police lingo. For the most part it seems forced, leaving one with the perception that it is Amis who is attempting to make sure he gets the names right. Another flaw that is definitely Amis’ fault, is creating a history of sexual abuse for Mike.

Were this book written pre-1990’s it would have no bearing on her character whatsoever and there is no need why it needs to now. She is a recovering alcoholic and this classic cop-illness should have sufficed.

For any case Mike is working on she keeps a list of seven possible reasons for the murder. In this case she exhausts almost all of them. In the most significant plot twist Mike’s mother, Miriam reveals how Mike was running the wrong path. "See, Mike, we were looking for a why. And I guess we found one. But suddenly we don’t have a who. Who was she, Mike?" The question of who this ‘to-die-for’ figure was, becomes the fuel for the remainder of the novel.

This plot twist makes the book worth reading as it shifts the expectations of how a mystery is supposed to work. While not as intriguing as other more famous British mysteries it is certianly better than the standard American fare. If you’re into mystery then this is as good as any.