Husbands and Lap Dogs Breathe Their Last

by David Steven Rappoport

Series:Cummings Flynn Wanamaker Mystery (1)

Description

Amateur sleuth Cummings Flynn Wanamaker attends the monthly meeting of a steampunk occult group in Chicago, where a speaker combusts--perhaps spontaneously. Meanwhile, a body is discovered in a boat in rural Maine. To solve the connected crimes in this funny and eccentric mystery, Cummings navigates quirky clues and characters, including an ethereal gay romance novelist, a broken-down recluse who once wrote Cold War thrillers, assorted occultists with assumed names, a museum devoted to show more ephemera, a pagan reliquary and fetid feta cheese. show less

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Literate, encyclopedic and a double-dollop of fun! Husbands and Lap Dogs Breathe Their Last, the debut novel by Chicago writer David Steven Rappoport is a wonderful romp of a mystery from steampunk occult Chicago to back country Maine. Our amateur sleuth, Cummings Flynn Wanamaker, works to solve a double murder featuring spontaneous combustion, greek pastries and orgone boxes.

Channeling Pynchon and Dickens in naming a lineup of colorful characters (retired spy novelist Deuteronomy Smelt comes to mind), Rappoport sends his engaging sleuth in and out of a web of misinformation and missed clues to ferret out the tangled truth. Cozy meets noir, with a few laughs and a lot of wit.

I truly hope there are more Wannamaker mysteries to come, show more because this one went down like chocolate and raspberries, leaving me wanting more. show less