Review: Clever Premise, Satisfying Mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 16, 2014
Henry Bins is so unique that he has a medical condition named after him. This uniqueness is a curse he's learned to live with at least for one hour every day between three and four in the morning; he's sound asleep the other 23 hours of every day. He's managed to cope with his situation by planning each minute of his shortened day to make the most of his time, but that planning gets thrown out the window when he hears a woman's scream from a house across the street and sees a man rush out to a waiting car.I don't know how rooted in reality the type of sleeping condition from which the main character suffers might be, but it sets up a very unusual mystery story. As a witness who only has one hour a day to find and follow clues, Henry turns out to be a tenacious detective who uses his intelligence and his bank account to help him solve the case with the occasional help of a local police detective who doesn't seem to mind his odd hour of wakefulness.I'm a pushover for a cat or dog in a story, and this one has both, with the cat taking the lead supporting role.Fun and unique characters, a well-crafted mystery, and pets. What more do you need?Recommended.