Category: Chris McDonald Page 2 of 3

The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello by Chris McDonald Series: The Stonebridge Mysteries, #1 Kindle Edition, 94 pg. Red Dog Press, 2021 Read: January 9, 2021 Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

The Would-Be Sherlock

Adam Whyte is a late bloomer, or at least he expects to be.

He remembered reading that Susan Boyle had been 47 when she auditioned on whatever talent show she’d gone on, and the guy who founded McDonald’s didn’t do it until he was 59. Some people simply came into their own a little later in life – like a fine wine.

He’s still a couple of decades away from those ages, and if he can’t apply himself a bit better, he’s going to be living with his mother until then. Just like he has since he dropped out of college and began holding a series of dead-end jobs.

From a young age, he loved playing detective and even started university to study Psychology with an eye to joining the police. Now, he binges the Mark Gatiss/Steven Moffat Sherlock. When he discovers a dead body at the hotel he’s staying at for a wedding, he decides to take it upon himself to solve the crime he’s convinced was committed (even if no one else thinks there’d been any crime), dragging his friend Colin along.

His Watson

His friend Colin, on the other hand, has his life together. He works at an assisted care facility and likes it. He has an easier time talking to people—and getting them to talk to him.

Early on, Colin realizes that Adam’s cast him as a Watson-figure and wonders why he was the sidekick (he could handle the sight of blood, for starters, unlike his friend), but it takes almost no time for him to realize why he is. I appreciated both his ambition and quick understanding about his own nature.

Interestingly, for a Watson, Colin’s not the narrator, nor the exclusive point-of-view character. I’m sure I’ve seen this before, but since reading this book, I haven’t been able to think of another example.*

* Reader, you’re invited to make me feel foolish by listing a few examples in the comments.

Their First Case

After a night of heavy, heavy drinking, most of the wedding gifts are stumbling around and trying to recover. But the best man doesn’t make an appearance, and Adam is sent to get him. Sadly, Adam discovers his body and notifies the police. Once they arrive, Adam is dismayed at the small number who show up and even more dismayed at the cursory look they give the victim and his room. It’s a busy weekend, so it will be some time before paramedics are able to come and get the body.

Adam and Colin don’t believe the police’s conclusion—Danny had too much to drink and choked on his own vomit. They instinctively know that Danny didn’t die from overindulging—he’d drank them under the table without trying too often to believe that. With nothing else to do for the rest of the day, they decide to look into things themselves.

It ends up being good that the body hasn’t been removed yet, they’re able to sneak back into the room, and Colin’s able to give their friend’s body a closer look. Then they start asking a few of the guests and the groom some questions. People indulge them and answer—mostly for their own amusement it seems. The pair start to uncover some actual evidence, which leads them to more and quickly, a theory emerges for Adam.

Then he just has to come up with a way to prove his theory—hopefully in a way worthy of Cumberbatch.

So, what did I think about The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello?

This is a quick and enjoyable read. It’s a clever little mystery—most (maybe all) of the clues are there for the reader to pick up and put together with (or before) Adam. For me, at least, this is what I want in this kind of story—a little bit of fair play so that I can match wits with the sleuth (amateur or not).

The language is a little rougher than I’m used to seeing in this kind of story, and the protagonists aren’t the norm either. Honestly, they’d both be a better fit for a harder-boiled, more noir-ish fare. I’m not criticizing this, I’m trying to describe it.

Nor am I complaining—McDonald makes this work. Maybe it’s the contrast between what I’m used to seeing in “cozy” mystery and what he gives, maybe it’s just the strange charm that the boorish Adam displays that does it. I’m not sure I can describe why it works, I’m just enjoying the fact that it does. Also, the language and protagonists are what make this novella/series what I suggest in the headline—something for people who aren’t drawn to the aesthetic of a cozy, but like the way they work.

The one thing that I’d be tempted to grumble about is the length of the novella and the resulting lack of depth to the story. But both of those are by design, so I’ll hold my tongue. And really, if my gripe is that I didn’t get enough of something that I liked, it really just says that I’m a glutton.

I don’t know when the second Stonebridge Mystery will be available, but I’ll be waiting for it when it is. Spend a few minutes with this unlikely crime-fighting duo and you’ll likely be waiting with me.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

My thanks to Red Dog Press for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novella) provided.