A Little Local Affair

A Little Local Affair by John Barber

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I selected this book largely at random and didn't expect much so I was pleasantly surprised. The author writes well, maintains a good pace and provides an interesting mystery. Having said that, the mystery is just a plot device. In fact the author is having fun with small town life and the various eccentricities therein. Everyone knows a great deal about everyone else although what is known isn't necessarily correct.

For whatever reason, this authors named the majority of his characters after musicians. Perhaps it was done as a tribute but personally I wasn't impressed. It didn't ruin the story but it didn't add anything either. In addition, this book was described as being 'black humor' but although the characters were quaint, and some of the scenes provided a smile, there wasn't a great deal of humor to be found - black or otherwise. It was still an interesting mystery.

If there is any fault to be found it lies with the sheer number of characters introduced in a short span of time leading to confusion. I found that I was probably two-thirds the book before I became sufficiently familiar with the cast to know who was who and even there there were a number of bit players who were introduced almost to the end of the story. In general I think it is better to introduce the cast gradually so the reader builds up familiarity before moving on. Alternatively,the author might have included a 'cast of characters' list at the beginning to which the reader could flip now and then to refresh his memory.

Still, outside of these few things I thought this was a good book and I'd recommend it to anyone who was looking for a little light reading. Don't expect high drama or uproarious humor but it was enjoyable all the same.





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