Review: Good things come in small debuts
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 8, 2012
Imagine:  you're in between headline acts at The Mystery Saloon--full-length novels by known names--when something astonishing happens.  An unknown author takes the stage and belts out a very short, beautiful song:  8 bars, 8 bars, bridge, 8 bars.  No wailing sax solo, no flights on the drums.  A lovely but simple arrangement and a voice that you cannot forget.  Then she's gone.Rebecca Scarberry has pulled off something a little like that in Messages From Henry, a short but not slight tale that can be read in one sitting but which demands a second.  Young adults and adults alike will enjoy the story of a homing pigeon whose owner has been kidnapped. The readers' pleasure will work on three levels:  1) Henry's limits as a pigeon are respected and carefully rendered.  He never suddenly breaks into song or taps out warnings in Morse code--when extremely frustrated, he may screech or peck at the hands of a neighbor he loves.  His courage and cleverness are both conveyed--while at the same time he must tell what he's able to tell in his fashion.  2)  Tammy, the narrator, has a distinctive and likable voice--the hardest thing for any new writer to nail, as any agent will tell you.  Given the brevity of this tale, she has no time to ramble, but her tone remains uniquely hers and we'd like to hear more of it.  3)  The mystery is a good one.  Though performed in the short form, the beats are all there and the pacing's just right.I'm glad this book wasn't padded for length.  And I'm pleased as punch that I dropped by The Mystery Saloon to catch this short, knockout debut.