Book Review: Indigo

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Indigo     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Graham Joyce
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
Pocket, Jan 2000, $23.95, 272 pp.

Chicago lawyer Harvey Michaelson calls Londoner Jack Chambers with the news that the Englishman’s father Tim died. Jack has not seen his father in over twenty years and they only met a few times since Tim deserted Jack and his mother. Jack learns that he is the executor of his father’s estate. Louise Durrell, an American half-sister, will gain some of the inheritance, but the bulk goes to an unknown person Natalie Shearer.

Jack flies to Chicago to understand the specific terms of the will. The major item for Jack to deal with in order to earn a sizable fee as the executor is publishing 200,000 copies of his father’s manuscript, “Invisibility: A Manual of Light”. The book is a text on the art of vanishing by seeing the color or non-color (if one chooses to be scientific) of INDIGO. Jack meets Louise for the first time in over two decades and to his chagrin finds himself attracted to her. They travel to Italy to find Natalie, who is reported living there. Jack soon finds himself embroiled in a mystery involving two apparent disappearances linked to his father. He also begins to enjoy the effects of INDIGO and defies the taboo of falling in love with his half-sister.

INDIGO is a weird, but intoxicating thriller that will leave readers wondering how much talent does Graham Joyce possess? The story line centers on the impact of INDIGO on the individual and their relationships, most of which fail. Jack is a cleverly drawn character whose motives ring genuine. Through character discussions the inner core of Tim is revealed. Not for those who want Action with a capital "A", INDIGO is a mind-bending journey into a surrealistic world.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner