Review: Enjoyable slacker comedy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 15, 2013
Murder and Other Distractions is a an enjoyable slacker comedy set in LA.There are two murders, a police investigation and several beatings in the book, but it's not really a crime novel. It's an opportunity for the author to offer amusing observations on everything from the poor quality of taco restaurants in LA to the absurdity of making a living by writing 'content' for the internet. After reading this, I'll take a more cynical view of those 'top ten' lists that appear online everywhere.Murder and Other Distractions is a well-written story with an amusing odd couple relationship between the cop who is investigating the murder and Ethan, the main character who is also the main suspect in the murder. There's no need to worry too much about the murder. The 'other distractions' of the title are what make the book such fun to read. There were lines in it that made me laugh, and a sprinkling of introspection to make me stop and think.Though the main character is a twenty-something male who likes to smoke dope and is preoccupied by sex and how to get it, he doesn't get much of it. When I read the opening of the book, I wondered whether I might have to navigate through endless descriptions of the mechanics of sex told from the male point of view. However, once the first page is out of the way, that's pretty much it. There's crude language and there are some drug references. There are also funny lines and some clever philosophising. Recommended.