One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
I read the first two Detective Clair DeWitt books a few years ago. I bought this used copy of the third book, The Infinite Blacktop by Sara Gran, to catch up on the series.
Clare DeWitt, the worlds greatest detective, wakes up from a car accident, bruised, bloody, and pissed off. She realizes one thing right away - that was no accident. Determined to find out why someone tried to kill her, she sets out on what could possibly be her most important job yet.
DeWitt is a detective in the vain of Dirk Gently, a believer in the interconnectedness of all things and a follower of her own instinct and intuition, someone who goes where life takes her. Clare’s meaner and tougher than most, and Gran’s books have a distinctly noir vibe. There’s lots of blood, guts, violence and graphic language in these books which I had forgotten when I started reading this third installment. I had also forgotten that Clare’s story has as much to do with her past as with her present and that almost all of it involves a mysterious and elusive book that led her to become a detective. In this book her past and present finally catch up with each other and we follow her as she realizes this. I really like that this book was as much about the existential dilemma of whether to try or give up as much as it was about the main mystery. DeWitt struggles with the ever present feeling of “why bother, why not just die” vs the idea that there are people and things worth trying for. Although this book does explain it’s own backstory and could be read as a stand alone, I think it would be better to read it in it’s place in the series. I would recommend the series to anyone who like modern noir, those who like strong and tough female leads, and people who might be interested in mysteries that deal with the weird and existential.
What kind of mysteries do you enjoy?