Welcome, reader, to the third book review on Write Before Dawn. This installment highlights a lesser-known work by an author who I devoured in my teenage years, so it holds a particular nostalgia for me. As always, if you have a book you are interested in seeing reviewed in this space, feel free to contact me.
The Basics:
Title: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Author: Douglas Adams
Genre: Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction
Publisher: Pocket Books, 1987
Spoiler-Free Summary:
An everyman computer programmer just cannot catch a break. Between his demanding boss, relationship problems, and legal issues, he has a rough weekend. Just when he thinks things could not get any worse, he is sucked into a madcap magical investigation of the paranormal world hidden in his very neighborhood.
Why this book might be for you:
Dirk Gently is a parody of the hard-boiled detective novel in which the plot takes a back seat to a whirlwind tour of increasingly quirky personalities who simultaneously unravel and deepen the mystery. Paradox and perplexity are the words of the hour, and the reader is best advised to just buckle up and enjoy the ride without asking too many questions
Fans of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (also by Adams) or the works of Terry Pratchett (of Discworld fame) will enjoy this immensely. Mr. Adam’s humor has a high-quality improv-night feel in the spirit of shows like Saturday Night Live, Who’s Line Is it Anyway, and Monty Python’s Flying Circus. You never know what is coming next, and that’s the point. For all that, once the big reveal comes, the reader is still able to look back and see the breadcrumbs of solvability.
Why this book might not be for you:
If you either do not enjoy the theater of the absurd or are not sufficiently familiar with the gumshoe detective genre to see the fun Dirk pokes, this may not be the book for you. If you like hard sci-fi with well-explained technology and grounded in science, this is not the book for you.
Where can you find more?
The late Douglas Adams passed away in 2001. Sadly, his web site does not look terribly updated at the time of this writing. You can find his books on Goodreads or Amazon.
JC Murray Books 