Duplicate Keys

Odd Jane Smiley book. Picked the book up on the premise that nearly every author tries their hand at mystery and was curious what Smiley would bring to he genre. After finishing, I wouldn't really characterize it as a mystery. Similar in tone to Woody Allen's "Manhattan Murder Mystery", except with he 30 set instead of the 50 set and no where near as well done. Definitely inferior Smiley, had to be early in her career. The book is most successful of a character examination of Midwest transplants in Manhattan and unfulfillment of their romantic relationships. It's funny in that Smiley treats her 31 yr old characters as middle aged and failed instead of continuing to find their way. Not a bad Smiley just a lesser.

Oooh -- Jane Smiley does mystery. I liked it. While admittedly not as powerful as A Thousand Acres, I thought it was still well-done

Alice Ellis is a refugee from the Midwest living in Manhattan. Still recovering from a painful divorce, Alice depends on the companionship and camaraderie of a circle of tightly knit friends. At the center of this circle is a struggling rock band trying to navigate New York City's erratic music scene, and an apartment/practice space with approximately fifty key-holders. One day, Alice enters the apartment and finds two of the band members shot dead.

As the double murder sends shock waves throughout all their lives, this group of friends begins to unravel, and dangerous secrets begin to be revealed one by one. When Alice begins to notice things amiss in her own apartment, she realizes that she's not the only person with a key, and that show more she might not get a chance to change the locks before something happens to her.

I enjoyed this book and was hooked in to trying to discover who the murderer was. I found that although the plot was slightly dated for being written in 1984, it was still a great story that showed off what a talent Jane Smiley is an author. I give this book an A! and have placed several more books by Jane Smiley on my Wish List. show less

This 1980 thriller about young people on Manhattan's Upper West Side captures the mood and flavor of the times very well -- how odd to think that a librarian could swing a six room apartment with no visible strain. It's also an interesting psychological study of different varieties of love, intimacy, and the reaction to both. But the mystery gets weighed down by all the relationship stuff, and doesn't remain mysterious for long enough. OK read, particularly for those who remember the time and place, but not too thrilling as a thriller.

Sub-par Smiley. Perhaps if you just read it as so-called beach or airport book, it works. But based on A Thousand Acres, Good Faith and Moo, I expect Jane Smiley (like Dickens or Zola or ...) to dig into a environment and its common characters and report back. It makes the story, so to speak, resonate all the more truthfully.

In this novel, though, I didn't for a second believe that she knew anything about this kind of loose group of friends or rock bands. She never lived close to them, never knew any people like these paper characters.

Can't blame her for trying her hand at a murder mystery, tho.

This novel is about how a group of friends react to the murders of two of their own. While there is the mystery of who done it, the story was much more about how friendships and relationships are affected by the tragedy. I had a hard time getting into the story. I did not like any of the characters and I could not relate to them or their issues. While it is well written, it moved much to slowly for me and I found my self getting bored and wanting to take a break from it. The author does a good job of character development, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Set in Manhattan. "Friends" - like murder mystery, with a girl hero for a change, opens on Alice's discovery of murder of two of six friends from Minnesota who had moved together to NYC and who still hang out together. The murder investigation plods along like a silent partner in the background of the story of Alice, her oscillating lust interests: the guy across the street and the widow of murder victim #1. Interesting for its description of the emotions of a "normal" person involved in a murder. Lots of reminiscence of the two dead dudes interweaved with inexplicable food lusts, eighties angst, Minnesotan descriptive interludes, NYC platitudes: Zabars, Fairway, BBG, and some nasty post-murder action. Self-absorbed yuppies show more self-analyzing can retain only so much interest, but writing, action and timing were good enough to keep me to the end. show less