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The Manual of Detection

by Jedediah Berry

The Manual of Detection Cover

ISBN13: 9780143116516
ISBN10: 0143116517
Condition: Standard
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Review-A-Day

"Looking at the stacks of mystery titles in the airport, a friend of mine said, 'I think they've solved 'em all.' I couldn’t help but think that he was right, in some visceral way; no matter how convoluted the crime, no matter how unlikely the twist, few readers will be genuinely surprised by the mystery's solution. Mystery writers, understanding this, seem to adopt one of three approaches. First: rely on the pleasure of formula and familiarity, presenting a heroic detective doggedly searching for the novel's final page. Second: displace the genre's conventions, placing the sleuth in unusual settings or situations. Third: treat the genre as literature of exhaustion, the detective's drive for truth being no match for the problem of existence. In his debut novel, The Manual of Detection, Jedediah Berry deftly samples all three of these approaches to a charming, if slightly cartoonish, effect." Nick Bredie, Rain Taxi (read the entire Rain Taxi review)

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Reminiscent of imaginative fiction from Jorge Luis Borges to Jasper Fforde yet dazzlingly original, The Manual of Detection marks the debut of a prodigious young talent.

Charles Unwin toils as a clerk at a huge, imperious detective agency located in an unnamed city always slick with rain. When Travis Sivart, the agency's most illustrious detective, is murdered, Unwin is suddenly promoted and must embark on an utterly bizarre quest for the missing investigator that leads him into the darkest corners of his soaking, somnolent city. What ensues is a noir fantasy of exquisite craftsmanship, as taut as it is mind-blowing, that draws readers into a dream world that will change what they think about how they think.

Review:

"Set in an unnamed city, Berry's ambitious debut reverberates with echoes of Kafka and Paul Auster. Charles Unwin, a clerk who's toiled for years for the Pinkerton-like Agency, has meticulously catalogued the legendary cases of sleuth Travis Sivart. When Sivart disappears, Unwin, who's inexplicably promoted to the rank of detective, goes in search of him. While exploring the upper reaches of the Agency's labyrinthine headquarters, the paper pusher stumbles on a corpse. Aided by a narcoleptic assistant, he enters a surreal landscape where all the alarm clocks have been stolen. In the course of his inquiries, Unwin is shattered to realize that some of Sivart's greatest triumphs were empty ones, that his hero didn't always come up with the correct solution. Even if the intriguing conceit doesn't fully work, this cerebral novel, with its sly winks at traditional whodunits and inspired portrait of the bureaucratic and paranoid Agency, will appeal to mystery readers and nongenre fans alike." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"This debut novel weaves the kind of mannered fantasy that might result if Wes Anderson were to adapt Kafka." The New Yorker

Synopsis:

In this tightly plotted debut novel, an unlikely detective, armed only with an umbrella and a singular handbook, must untangle a string of crimes committed in and through people's dreams.
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About the Author

Jedediah Berry’s short fiction has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Best New American Voices and Best American Fantasy. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he works as assistant editor of Small Beer Press.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
Denise Wilkerson, January 1, 2012 (view all comments by Denise Wilkerson)
I was drawn to this book because of the cover; I just had a feeling it would be good. When I started reading it, I fell in love. I love the imagination Jedediah Berry puts into this story and I started searching for his other (shorter) works directly after finishing this book. This book is unlike any other I have read but I can't say much about it or the style of it withoutt giving it away. Pick it up, try it, you'll like it.
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janellen, January 1, 2011 (view all comments by janellen)
Jedediah Berry is a writer to watch. His Manual of Detection is both a literary detective story and soul searching for self. At the same time, it's like reading a written description of venturing through the movie, "Brazil." A bit futuristic, a bit fantastic, but altogether a story of a man trying to solve a mystery within a government entity. Well written, it seems to be an underground book among those under 30, but needs the attention of all age groups.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780143116516
Author:
Berry, Jedediah
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Mystery-A to Z
Copyright:
2010
Edition Description:
Mass Market
Publication Date:
20100131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
from 12
Language:
English
Pages:
288
Dimensions:
8.42x5.40x.61 in. .53 lbs.
Age Level:
18-17
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Related Subjects


Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Mystery » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Mystery » A to Z

The Manual of Detection Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$7.50 In Stock
Product details 288 pages Penguin Books - English 9780143116516 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Set in an unnamed city, Berry's ambitious debut reverberates with echoes of Kafka and Paul Auster. Charles Unwin, a clerk who's toiled for years for the Pinkerton-like Agency, has meticulously catalogued the legendary cases of sleuth Travis Sivart. When Sivart disappears, Unwin, who's inexplicably promoted to the rank of detective, goes in search of him. While exploring the upper reaches of the Agency's labyrinthine headquarters, the paper pusher stumbles on a corpse. Aided by a narcoleptic assistant, he enters a surreal landscape where all the alarm clocks have been stolen. In the course of his inquiries, Unwin is shattered to realize that some of Sivart's greatest triumphs were empty ones, that his hero didn't always come up with the correct solution. Even if the intriguing conceit doesn't fully work, this cerebral novel, with its sly winks at traditional whodunits and inspired portrait of the bureaucratic and paranoid Agency, will appeal to mystery readers and nongenre fans alike." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review A Day" by , "Looking at the stacks of mystery titles in the airport, a friend of mine said, 'I think they've solved 'em all.' I couldn’t help but think that he was right, in some visceral way; no matter how convoluted the crime, no matter how unlikely the twist, few readers will be genuinely surprised by the mystery's solution. Mystery writers, understanding this, seem to adopt one of three approaches. First: rely on the pleasure of formula and familiarity, presenting a heroic detective doggedly searching for the novel's final page. Second: displace the genre's conventions, placing the sleuth in unusual settings or situations. Third: treat the genre as literature of exhaustion, the detective's drive for truth being no match for the problem of existence. In his debut novel, The Manual of Detection, Jedediah Berry deftly samples all three of these approaches to a charming, if slightly cartoonish, effect." (read the entire Rain Taxi review)
"Review" by , "This debut novel weaves the kind of mannered fantasy that might result if Wes Anderson were to adapt Kafka."
"Synopsis" by , In this tightly plotted debut novel, an unlikely detective, armed only with an umbrella and a singular handbook, must untangle a string of crimes committed in and through people's dreams.
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