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The Manual Of Detection
 
 
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The Manual Of Detection (Hardcover)

by Jedediah Berry (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Product Description

Product Description

In an unnamed city always slick with rain, Charles Unwin toils as a clerk at a huge, imperious detective agency. All he knows about solving mysteries comes from the reports he's filed for the illustrious detective Travis Sivart. When Sivart goes missing and his supervisor turns up murdered, Unwin is suddenly promoted to detective, a rank for which he lacks both the skills and the stomach. His only guidance comes from his new assistant, who would be perfect if she weren't so sleepy, and from the pithy yet profound Manual of Detection (think The Art of War as told to Damon Runyon).

Unwin mounts his search for Sivart, but is soon framed for murder, pursued by goons and gunmen, and confounded by the infamous femme fatale Cleo Greenwood. Meanwhile, strange and troubling questions proliferate: why does the mummy at the Municipal Museum have modern- day dental work? Where have all the city's alarm clocks gone? Why is Unwin's copy of the manual missing Chapter 18?

When he discovers that Sivart's greatest cases— including the Three Deaths of Colonel Baker and the Man Who Stole November 12th—were solved incorrectly, Unwin must enter the dreams of a murdered man and face a criminal mastermind bent on total control of a slumbering city.

The Manual of Detection will draw comparison to every work of imaginative fiction that ever blew a reader's mind—from Carlos Ruiz Zafón to Jorge Luis Borges, from The Big Sleep to The Yiddish Policeman's Union. But, ultimately, it defies comparison; it is a brilliantly conceived, meticulously realized novel that will change what you think about how you think.

About the Author

Jedediah Berry’s short fiction has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Best New American Voices and Best American Fantasy. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he works as assistant editor of Small Beer Press.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Imagine the Possibilities of the Literal Being True, Mar 28 2009

The Manual of Detection takes us into a realm of imagination, fantasy, and nightmares not unlike what Franz Kafka unlocked in The Trial, as updated by talented writers such as Michael Chabon in The Yiddish Policemen's Union. It's an impressive first novel, and I look forward to reading Mr. Berry's future novels.

In the modern world, our work is often so compartmentalized that we fail to see the rest of the object we work out, much less the rest of the picture. As a result, a service designed to promote peace may appear to be nothing more than creating a deniable paper trail. Mr. Berry is clearly amused by that thought and takes us beyond the paper trail into the "real" world, a most distressing place for those who have been locked up in their watertight compartments. At the same time, he is aware that there may be a legitimate reason to keep pieces of secrets locked away in separate compartments. It's a nice balance that brings much food for thought to the reader during and after enjoying the story.

Charles Unwin (you have to love that last name) has developed an odd habit of going to the train station each morning before work. It's quite an unusual thing to do because it's out of the way and he starts work early. He's sensitive enough about it to have an alibi ready . . . even though it isn't a very good one.

Caught in the middle of his obsession, Unwin finds himself launched into a new role, as a detective, rather than as a clerk writing up a detective's notes, at the gigantic detective agency that employs him. He's told to rely on The Manual of Detection to tell him what to do. Feeling sure that some huge mistake has been made, Unwin sets out to remedy the error . . . and finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery where he's the most likely suspect. If that opening doesn't grab you, this book isn't for you.

Much like Alice in Wonderland, things are strange in this world of Unwin's. And the more time you spend in the book, the stranger it becomes. But behind the scenes, there's a simple method to the seeming madness that will bring you back into a more normal frame of perspective.

It's quite nicely done. I would liken the experience to taking a ride where you gradually spin up to such a speed that you are totally disoriented before the ride slows down and deposits you gently and safely at the exit. Afterward, you feel awe and joy in the experience. During the ride, you can feel a little overwhelmed. Ah, what fun!

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3.0 out of 5 stars Fun but flawed, Sep 8 2009
I'm a fan of both mystery stories and science fiction/fantasy. To give you some perspective on my tastes, I enjoy (among many others) Chandler, Hammett & Conan Doyle; and Asimov, Aldiss & Pratchett. The Manual of Detection has elements of both mystery & fantasy, so I expected to really enjoy it.

The novel starts in a noirish way, and the story line initially proceeds in that mode. Most people aren't what they seem, there's a femme fatale, the corpses pile up in a very satisfactory way. There's a detective (think Philip Marlowe) who is currently missing, and his amanuensis (think Dr. Watson in the wrong century) who is promoted to fill the detective's shoes. There are some fantastic elements, but the story proceeds at a fast enough pace that they don't really jar.

What is a modern novel without self-reference, so one of the key elements in the novel is a detective manual called The Manual of Detection, epigraphs from which appear at the head of each chapter in the novel. The epigraphs are both apposite and witty in their own right, so this adds greatly to the enjoyment.

However, the self-reference promotes a certain amount of distancing from the book. So when, about a third of the way through, the author called on me to believe yet another fantastic thing, I rebelled. I just couldn't accept what was written on the page, even within the context of a somewhat fantastic story. It didn't stop me continuing to read, because it is a page-turner and I did want to find out what happened in the end, but it did reduce the enjoyment I got out of it.

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