The Shroud of the Thwacker
The book debut from theGet a LifeandCabin Boystar is billed as a parody, but this murder mystery wrapped in laughter is simply straight-up enjoyable. Jack the Jolly Thwacker is leaving dead bodies all over 1882 New York City. Chris Elliott, a modern-day researcher, is tracking the serial killer through time. Elliott's wry humor fastens on the burgeoning, Boss Tweedified city, giving it a hilarious and vividly imagined set of anachronistic technologies and accoutrements (New York's Mayor Teddy Roosevelt, who has mysteriously disappeared, has a navel piercing). The narrative leaps back and forth in time, as 1882 police chief Caleb Spencer chases the Thwacker through the streets, and Elliott, convinced the killer is from the 21st century, chases him through time. Elliott's ability to time travel is facilitated by Yoko Ono (don't ask) and a willing suspension of disbelief, but the results are very amusing (if often infantile in the style ofThere's Something About Mary), with asides on every page that bring in everyone and everything from Typhoid Mary to Skyy Vodka. IfShroudfeels like an extended, Americanized Monty Python skit, it's also a rousing good yarn.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.