Review: Men in Black meets Fringe
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2013
First off, this story starts with the best opening line I've read in years. (You'll just have to read it.) The main character, Nick, is portrayed as meticulously as he goes about his job of cleaning paranormal crime and disaster scenes for the secret branch of the Smithsonian. Yep. Throw in a Warehouse 13 vibe to go along with the Men in Black. Nick has unusual qualities that enable him to go about such an odd job with gusto and professionalism. But those same odd qualities limit him in more "normal" aspects of life. All of this combines to create a fun character.The only strike I give this book is for an overly busy plot. I tend to prefer things to be a bit more linear toward their resolution. I kept searching for the sort of "focus" within the paranormal that the story would maintain as its baseline for where I should suspend my disbelief. But I never found one. Within the universe of Men and Black they deal with Aliens. X-files deals with fringe phenomena. Buffy deals with vampires. Well... Nick deals with everything. This book has it all. For some that may mean additional layers of fun. For me it felt like a distraction.Anywho, there certainly is a world of monsters out there of which Nick and his ilk are endeavoring to hide from the simple-minded public. And overall this is certainly an enjoyable read.