An unlikely detective—armed only with an umbrella and a singular handbook—must solve a string of crimes committed in and through people’s dreams. In an unnamed city slick with rain, Charles Unwin toils as a clerk at an imperious detective agency. His job: writing reports on cases solved by the palindromic Detective Travis Sivart. When Sivart goes missing and his supervisor is murdered, Unwin is promoted to detective, a rank for which he is woefully unprepared. His only guidance comes from his sleepy new assistant and the pithy yet profound Manual of Detection. Unwin mounts his search for Sivart but soon faces impossible questions: Why does the mummy at the Municipal Museum have modern-day dental work? Where have all the city’s alarm clocks gone? Can the man with the blond beard really read his thoughts? Meanwhile, Unwin is framed for murder, pursued by goons, and confounded by a femme fatale. His only choice: to enter the dreams of a murdered man.
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"Don't know why I didn't like this more than I did. I thought it was clever enough and well written, but it never really grabbed me the way I felt it should have given what I was reading. It was very quirky and had a good sense of humor... all of which I usually get all excited about. It felt a little too detached for some reason. I would still recommend it though." — Jason (4 out of 5 stars)
"Don't know why I didn't like this more than I did. I thought it was clever enough and well written, but it never really grabbed me the way I felt it should have given what I was reading. It was very quirky and had a good sense of humor... all of which I usually get all excited about. It felt a little too detached for some reason. I would still recommend it though."
" The Manuel of Detection was an great read with very interesting characters, heroes and villains, reminiscent of Dick Tracy with a darker image. The plot was cleverly devised with a unique setting; a gloomy city where it rains all the time. Pick up the book when you get a chance. It will keep you guessing until the end. "
" Interesting mix of things: a bit of Jasper Fford, a touch of The Matrix, some Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and all wrapped in a nice noir mystery all set in an alt universe where the phones are still dialed. Hoping for another! "
" A different type of story "
" Amazing book, set in a dystopian society, a fun mix of detective novel and surrealist fantasy. "
" The author focus on the little details and it got boring. The story took too long to get going. "
" A pleasing, good-looking book. I really enjoyed this but sometimes felt that maybe I had missed the previous book in a series (is there one?). Worthwhile and fun. "
" Kafka-esque with a bit of Philip Marlowe's detective adventures. I felt compelled to finish the book but not satisfied by it. It did not live up to my expectations. "
" Completely and utterly a detective story, but also a bit of Alice in Wonderland for grownups. And even with all that plot going on I still cared about the characters. "
" Whimsical and fun to read, but falls apart toward the end. Doesn't quite live up to the "Wes Anderson meets Kafka" cover blurb from The New Yorker. "
" Very fun read. Certain moments reminded me of Douglas Adams and Jasper Fforde. Definitely enjoyable, light, casual reading. "
" I pretty much read this because I thought the cover was amazing. I wasn't terribly impressed with the story. I do feel like I missed a lot. Also I'm not really a mystery reader so maybe that is why I didn't enjoy it too much. But the cover is AWESOME! "
" I probably would give it more like 3.5 stars. I enjoyed but not as much as I thought I would. Maybe because I've read something similar already in the Jasper Fforde, Thursday Next series. "
" Boring, vaguely Borgian mystery. This paled especially in comparison to the G.K. Chesterton I'd just read; it has none of The Man Who Was Thursday's wit. You should read that instead. "
" great, intriguing mystery novel! "
" This is a strange one. I usually enjoy stories in which reality is a moving target, and I get a kick out of the Philip Marlowe style detective stories. This one is a bit of a stretch for me. I am listening to it and find I drift quite a bit. "
" Meh. Lots of atmosphere. Attempt at a detective novel of ideas. Made me think of City and the City. But not done nearly as well and those ideas were superficial and the internal logic was sloppy "
" Quirky and atmospheric, so I should have loved it, but ... found it rather dry, and kept wishing it would be over. "
" charming and surreal. "
" Very filmic. Reminded me of "Dark City." An enjoyable, quick read. "
" Great concept piece reminiscent of Kafka with detective noir tones stewed in. Very surreal, it reads like a dystopian setting with elements of evil still lurking about. "
" fun. quick. "
" So much fantasti-mysteri-fun! Oh geez! "
" ?A steampunk mystery about a book -- The Manual of Detection. It's the story about an accidental promotion to detective. It's sort of creepy, but kind of awesome. It's a little steampunk, a little (weird) mystery and a whole lot of intrigue. "
" Audio Book. A quirky book along the lines of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" only not as stupidly pointless. This book still told a story, had a hero and bad guy and a mystery. I enjoyed it. "
" Noir meets Borges meets Inception, plus whimsy. Such a great detective novel. "
" Interesting twist on a mystery story. "
" A very enjoyable, fantastical, mysterious romp. Couldn't help but picture it all Tim Burton style. "
" A really interesting style: a "magical realism detective story" but well worth the read, I think.CH "
" The twists and turns in this book were amazing, I didn't learn much about detection though, which I think was the goal of the book? "
Jedediah Berry holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has been published in Best New American Voices 2008 (his story was described by Kirkus Reviews as a “mordant, gripping fantasy”) as well as in literary magazines and online fiction sites. By day, he is an assistant editor at Small Beer Press in Easthampton, Massachusetts.
Pete Larkin has narrated dozens of audiobook titles, won five Earphones Awards, and been a finalist in 2012 for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He has been praised for his expert ability to speak in multiple accents. He is also an on-camera host and accomplished voice-over artist for hundreds of commercials and promos for a variety of companies, corporations, and governmental agencies. He was the public address announcer for the New York Mets and has worked as a radio jockey in New York, Baltimore, and Washington, DC.
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