Once more into the fray with Claire DeWitt
One of the Christmas gifts I was most pleased to unwrap was Sara Gran's recent book, Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway. A sequel to the fabulous Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead, this one picks up with our heroine (described as "a cool blend of Nancy Drew and Sid Vicious" by Alafair Burke) back home in San Francisco and facing a personal meltdown as an old flame is found murdered in his home. She has to solve this case - she has to - but none of the clues are coming easy and the emotional impact of this death is enough to kill her.
Welcome to the world of a seriously drug addicted detective who is still wrapped up in the disappearance of a childhood friend, the death of her mentor, and the crushing concern that maybe she won't save the world even though it is pretty much her calling. (This is especially hard for her as she is a world class cynic.) Welcome to Claire DeWitt whom I unabashedly adore.
How do I explain the depth of this character and the stories Gran creates around her? There is not only the active murder investigation of her friend, but also a mystery surrounding some dead miniature ponies, a collection of girl detective comic books from the past that have an enduring connection to Claire's life and the long unsolved disappearance of that childhood friend that continues to haunt her and provides a powerful subplot that returns in this title. Basically, you never know what each page will present, not because the mysteries themselves are outlandish (they could be found in any Spenser for Hire mystery), but because they all come at once and Claire approaches and solves them in such an unorthodox way and because Gran manages to walk the finest of lines between straight-up hardboiled detecting and something more surreal. It's not paranormal, but it's definitely different; and it keeps readers on their toes.
As a lifelong mystery lover (got my start with Trixie Belden!), I can't get enough of Claire DeWitt. Gran makes me think about a lot of different things; she has something very good going on here and if you don't mind your characters flirting with some serious self-destructive tendencies, (Liz Hand mystery fans will love these books), then Claire's world is one you. I'm waiting now on book #3 and looking forward to wherever this author takes me next.
