Trouble in Mind by Michael Wiley
Genre: Crime, Noir
Publisher: Severn House
Publication Date: January 7, 2020
Blurb:
Introducing maverick Chicago private investigator Sam Kelson in the first of a hardhitting new crime noir series.
Sam Kelson is a PI like no other. As a consequence of being shot in the head while working undercover as a Chicago cop, he suffers from disinhibition: he cannot keep silent or tell lies when questioned. But truth be told – and Kelson always tells the truth – he still feels compelled to investigate and, despite the odds, he’s good at his job.
Hired by Trina Felbanks to investigate her pharmacist brother, whom she suspects is dealing drugs, Kelson arrives at Felbanks’ home to make a shocking discovery. Arrested on suspicion of murder, he makes an even more startling discovery concerning his client’s identity. Kelson would appear to have been set up … but by whom, and why?
As events spiral out of control and the body count rises, Kelson realizes he’s made a dangerously powerful enemy. Will he survive long enough to discover who has targeted him – and what it is they want? (from Goodreads)
My thoughts
Trouble in Mind captured my attention from the first sentence and never let go.
In the first chapter, we meet Sam Kelson, pre-injury, as he and the commander of the narcotics division discuss an undercover job. The dialogue’s snappy and effective. It develops the plot, foreshadows Kelson’s later affliction, and shows these characters doing what they do: planning to take down a drug dealer and his supplier. And in Kelson’s case, it also involves a bit of straight-talking, mouthy bluntness.
Then Kelson’s shot in the left frontal lobe. His close friend Tosellini saves his life, but Kelson develops autotopagnosia.
For those of you who (like me) aren’t neurological experts, autotopagnosia is “loss of the power to recognize or orient a bodily part due to a brain lesion” (from Merriam Webster). Translation: Kelson looks in a mirror and his own face surprises him.
He also has disinhibition. He propositions the pizza delivery girl, says whatever is on his mind, and generally lacks any impulse control.
And he always tells the truth . . . as he sees it.
He also cannot shut up. At. All. Literally.
In other words, he’s an introvert’s nightmare.
This makes him an unusual private investigator. He can’t promise his clients that he’ll keep anything confidential. If asked, he’ll always tell the truth. (When was the last time you met a completely truthful character in a crime novel?)
This is the premise that drew me to this novel. Whenever there’s a premise that’s unusual, I always fear that the promise of the blurb won’t be fulfilled by the reality of the book.
Wiley wowed me.
Kelson’s neurological issue is not a gimmick. Wiley uses it to develop a deep, intriguing central character caught in circumstances he doesn’t understand. Despite his frequent inappropriate sexual overtures to pizza delivery girls, clients, shrinks, etc., Sam Kelson won me over.
I love that he talks to everyone. And everything. Minus a human audience, he shares his thoughts with the phone, the computer, the two kittens his daughter sweet-talks him into adopting, and even his empty office. It’s always the complete blunt truth as he sees it and is simultaneously abrasive and endearing. (Though I’m glad I don’t live with him!)
But he’s not the only terrific character in this book. From the other police officers to Trina Felbanks to Rodman to Kelson’s ex-wife and young daughter, Wiley creates a cast of well-developed, interesting, realistic people.
The story has plenty of twists, the dialogue’s sad-funny snappy, and there’s terrific use of language. But it was the people who kept me reading.
I devoured the novel in two days and enjoyed every minute of it. When I read the last page, I didn’t want to leave Kelson and his friends. Thankfully, it looks like Michael Wiley has future plans in store for Sam Kelson. More, please!
Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for a copy of Trouble in Mind in exchange for an honest review.