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inverarityA dying Girl Detective, an ex-con who just wants to be a dad, and an ageing serial killer.
Mulholland Books, 2024, 368 pages
This is a genre-savvy book with frequent call-outs to classic thrillers and horror movies, but it's not actually either. It's a mystery wrapped around a book about fucked up people trying to be family.
Mathilda is a 14-year-old "Girl Detective" who lives with her aunt and uncle after her mom was killed by a drunk driver and her dad went to prison for running the killer over. Mathilda is a precocious aficionado of true crime stories, and is determined to prove her dad is innocent. Then, in the same week, her dad is released from prison, and Mathilda is diagnosed with the big L - leukemia.
Mathilda's father, Jack, who's built like hired muscle but only ever wanted to be a musician, now just wants to be a dad again. But the ex-cop who exonerated him drags him into a complicated scheme to blackmail a retired serial killer known as the "California Bear."
At first I thought this story was following a pretty predictable course, but it takes one swerve, then another, and soon it's a story about vengeance, redemption, copycat serial killers, and the deeply fucked up nature of the "True Crime" industry, which the author says in his afterword was his original inspiration for this book.
This book was also inspired by his actual daughter, who was actually diagnosed with leukemia (and sadly, did not make it). That made Mathilda's story poignant even before I got to the afterword and found out about the author's real-life daughter; on the one hand, she's a sassy little genius who sometimes is forced to be the adult in a room full of grown men. On the other hand, she's a dying kid with more than one clock ticking on her investigation.
I picked up California Bear because I am writing a serial killer novel of my own, and this story was not exactly what I expected, but it was still pretty good, with a mystery that planted lots of red herrings before tying it all up, and a touching if (the author can be forgiven for) optimistic ending.
My complete list of book reviews.
Mulholland Books, 2024, 368 pages
NONE OF YOU ARE SAFE
“KILLER”: Jack Queen has been exonerated and freed from prison thanks to retired LAPD officer Cato Hightower. But when guilt gnaws at Jack, he admits: “I actually did it.” To which Hightower responds: “Yeah, no kidding.” You see, the ex-cop has a special job in mind for the ex-con…
THE GIRL DETECTIVE: Fifteen-year-old Matilda Finnerty has been handed a potential death sentence in the form of a leukemia diagnosis. But that’s not going to stop her from tackling the most important mystery of her life: Is her father guilty of murder?
GENE JEANIE: Jeanie Hightower mends family trees for a living, but the genealogist is unable to repair her own marriage. And her soon-to-be ex may have entangled her in a scheme that has drawn the bloody wrath of…
THE BEAR: A prolific serial killer who disappeared forty years ago, who is only now emerging from hibernation when the conditions are just right. And this time, the California Bear is not content to hunt in the shadows…
From two-time Edgar nominee Duane Swierczynski, California Bear is clever, moving, and surprising as it takes aim at the true crime industry, Hollywood, justice, and the killers inside us all.
This is a genre-savvy book with frequent call-outs to classic thrillers and horror movies, but it's not actually either. It's a mystery wrapped around a book about fucked up people trying to be family.
Mathilda is a 14-year-old "Girl Detective" who lives with her aunt and uncle after her mom was killed by a drunk driver and her dad went to prison for running the killer over. Mathilda is a precocious aficionado of true crime stories, and is determined to prove her dad is innocent. Then, in the same week, her dad is released from prison, and Mathilda is diagnosed with the big L - leukemia.
Mathilda's father, Jack, who's built like hired muscle but only ever wanted to be a musician, now just wants to be a dad again. But the ex-cop who exonerated him drags him into a complicated scheme to blackmail a retired serial killer known as the "California Bear."
At first I thought this story was following a pretty predictable course, but it takes one swerve, then another, and soon it's a story about vengeance, redemption, copycat serial killers, and the deeply fucked up nature of the "True Crime" industry, which the author says in his afterword was his original inspiration for this book.
This book was also inspired by his actual daughter, who was actually diagnosed with leukemia (and sadly, did not make it). That made Mathilda's story poignant even before I got to the afterword and found out about the author's real-life daughter; on the one hand, she's a sassy little genius who sometimes is forced to be the adult in a room full of grown men. On the other hand, she's a dying kid with more than one clock ticking on her investigation.
I picked up California Bear because I am writing a serial killer novel of my own, and this story was not exactly what I expected, but it was still pretty good, with a mystery that planted lots of red herrings before tying it all up, and a touching if (the author can be forgiven for) optimistic ending.
My complete list of book reviews.
