Crime & Mystery
Geek Tragedy gets away with a premise that could easily be a bit smug. It isn’t. Mervyn Stone “does not look like a special man” is exactly the sort of setup that makes me suspicious, but Nev Fountain keeps it sharp and oddly funny instead of overexplaining the joke.
That’s probably why it sticks. You can sell me on a murder mystery with a strange central idea, but I need tone to do some work too. This one does.
That’s probably why it sticks. You can sell me on a murder mystery with a strange central idea, but I need tone to do some work too. This one does.
A premise like that lives or dies on whether the book trusts the reader, really. If it leans too hard on the “look how clever this is” angle, I’m out. But a mystery with a dry edge and some actual discipline about tone is usually more interesting than one trying to out-twist itself every five pages. That’s the bit I’d want from this one.