Wishy washy Charlie Brown.

Oh, dear, this is a hard one to review, or perhaps not. Like my feelings towards the book itself, on this I find myself conflicted.

The opening passages to Brownstone immediately repulsed me so it was a very pleasant surprise when chapter one started with Jack, a small time reporter in Montreal, trying to prepare an article and recollecting on how he had first met his partner of five years, Kalvin, although they were currently seperated (Jack needed space!). The early part of the book is slow paced, building Jack's character and family background but speeds up as it progresses. The story, too, is initially very intriguing, sometimes sinister: there is the expectation of something not just outlandish and terrifying for Jack but for the whole of humanity.



And I suppose, in a way, it is but the splicing together of the various motivations towards the end became so ridiculous that it was actually funny: I was enjoying the book but not, I fear, in the way intended by the author. I could clearly visualise Brownstone as a comedic farce, in the same vein as the Peter Seller's film series, The Pink Panther. Jack himself, constantly making wrong decisions and mentally commenting on his journalistic training, was forever tugging, chewing or otherwise fiddling with his goatee, obviously his comfort blanket, as well as breaking items of technology. And his poor partner, Kalvin, might be the great love of his life but was never telephoned, just a single text sent after a guilt trip and another to tell him, at the conclusion, to join him in New York.



The other characters are straightforward cartoon stereotypes: the distant father, the adoring indulgent uncle (both, of course wealthy and prominent professionals), the Southern belle mother, the arch villain in the mysterious secret society, the gentle nurse, the loner detective with his gentle appearance but tenacious determination (but no mention of a shabby raincoat, sadly), the chatty New York taxi driver, and ineffectual priests. All great additions to the comedy cast. Narrator Tom Lennon did a great job supplying numerous voices, which, for this reader, added to the hilarity, as well as giving a clear, well cadenced reading of the rest of the text.



So my difficulty is what exactly do I review - the thriller which I believe it is supposed to be or my enjoyment of Brownstone as the comedy I saw in my mind? My thanks to the rights holder who, at my request, freely gifted me a copy via Audiobook Boom. I look forward to the next book - I'm sure it will also be very entertaining.