Meta-More-phasis

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A novel by
A. J. Finn

It must be winter, I’m reading San Francisco-based murder mysteries again.

It must be 2026, I’m reading yet another mystery with ‘meta’ content.

Nicky Hunter, a thirty-something mystery fan, has been exchanging letters with Sebastian Trapp, her favorite author, for several years. She’s definitely a fan-girl but her letters are written with enough flair that Sebastian invites her to his San Francisco mansion to help him with his memoirs.

Sebastian lives with his second wife, Diana, his daughter from an earlier marriage, Madeline, and an underachieving nephew, Freddy, who helps out by running errands and assisting Sebastian’s thrice-weekly dialysis sessions. Sebastian has been given three month to live, and would like to set the record straight. His first wife, Hope, and his teen-aged son, Cole, both disappeared on New Year’s eve twenty years ago. They were never found and a cult group (Trapper’s Keepers) has since grown, feasting on a diet of conspiracy theories, speculation and amateur sleuthing. There is also a dog. When Nicky arrives she is ensconced in the mansion’s attic: Cole’s old room. Various hi-jinks ensue as plots twists (including a masked ball!) flesh out the story.

This book, despite its modern trappings, is an old school murder mystery with numerous references to classic mystery authors (the dog’s name is Watson) written in a clear and non-fussy stye. Characters are properly introduced and developed, the mansion is properly explored, and the San Francisco locales are vividly portrayed. This novel isn’t quite as delicious as my description makes it appear but it is tasty enough.

Recommended.