Book Review: Dirt

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

Dirt     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Sean Doolittle
Class/Genre:   Mystery

Quince Bishop is an unemployed Californian, living on trust fund income, trying to overcome a malaise which is unclear to the reader as the book begins. As the final ceremonies unfold in a funeral of a close friend, the mourners are startled as a group of rag tag protesters storm the gravesite, shouting politically correct slogans about rain forest destruction. Impusively, Quince tackles one of the shouting men, and in the confusion which follows, the coffin holding the deceased is damaged, and the gravesite engulfed in turmoil.

This is not your ordinary murder mystery. Indeed, although eventually deaths do occur, the story does not focus on who done it, or even why. Quince is not a new variation on the amateur investigator. Instead, "Dirt" is a novel presenting multiple layers of greed, extortion, blackmail, and corruption. The focus of all the dirty deals is a small cemetery in Los Angeles with an impressive record of service to the less priviledged members of society. But the owner who built this record has died himself, and his son now runs things - less than enthusiastic at the prospect of continuing his father's reputation.

The various assorted bad guys eventually manage to do themselves in. As he meets the others involved in the events, some hilarious, some ominous, Quince gradually begins to come to terms with a long ago sorrow of his own.

Lots of fun, and food for thought as well!

Woodstock - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Woodstock - RAM