Debut Showcase: The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry

The Manual of Detection (US - Canada - UK)
By Jedediah Berry (Website - Facebook - Twitter - Writertopia - Goodreads)
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: The Penguin Press (February 19, 2009)
Excerpt

Publisher's Blurb:

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.

Mulluane's Take:
Mystery and Suspense. Well, granted I got my reading start with Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden but once I discovered fantasy, I never looked back. Instead I will point you to this review Fantasy Book Critic.

Tia's Take:
According to Robert's review, this novel is a mix of noir crime fiction and fantasy. My two favorite genres, blended into one! Plus, the protagonist is a reluctant detective! It's almost irresistible. Unfortunately, I'm overbooked on review copies right now, so this is one I'll have to keep in mind.