The Boy Detective Fails

by Joe Meno

Are you a fan of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys? Did you ever wonder what happened when they finally grew up? If so, this novel is for you.

Billy Argo was a wildly successful boy detective. Assisted by his sister, Caroline, and his best friend, Fenton, Billy solved all sorts of cases in town, which seem quite reminiscent of, well, Scooby Doo. Anyhow, there is one mystery that Billy can't seem to solve: why did his sister kill herself? This event and his struggle to understand it lead to a 10-year stint in a mental hospital.

When Billy emerges from his coma of drugs and enters the real world again, he doesn't quite know how to act. And he has no purpose, unless he is sleuthing.

I loved this book. It's got puzzles, secret messages with a secret decoder ring, and all sorts of references to our favorite child detectives.

By the way, the author teaches creative writing at Columbia College. And one of my co-workers is one of his students!

12/23/06