DIAL M FOR MUTANTS!

A dissolute tabloid reporter partners with a photographer to prove the existence of a homicidal monster in this SF novel.

Thorne’s tale revels in its pop-culture inspirations, including the tropes of film noir. This is evident in the opening chapter, as Buck Vincent, a jaded scribe for TheMidnight Extratabloid who writes most of his articles “at the bar,” comes under fire from his publisher, Janet Lane. In a clever reversal of the classic entrance of the femme fatale to the grizzled private eye’s office, Thorne has his washed-up antihero shamble into his boss’s office, where she gives him one final chance to redeem himself—by partnering with photographer Betty Roy to produce “quality” tabloid material. Buck and Betty visit Mrs. Vivet, who claims she saw a hellhound; the pair are skeptical because the woman also offers them a tray of full of pictures of cookies that “took ages” to bake. Later, as Buck and Betty watch Mrs. Vivet’s corpse being taken from her home—ramping up a mystery—a fellow Midnight Extrareporter dressed as Elvis entertains some of the policemen. Overall, Thorne does an admirable job combining elements of multiple genres, and as the previous summary indicates, the novel also offers an abundance of humor. Like characters in a buddy-cop film, Buck and Betty engage in sharp-witted banter almost immediately after meeting. Before they get a lead on an alleged sighting of the aforementioned hellhound, for instance, they walk past framed covers of old editions of the paper; Betty notes, “I don’t see you on any recent ones.” Buck replies, “It’s been a rough year.” Betty: “The last one was from like a decade ago.” Buck: “Well then it’s been a rough decade.”

A genre-blending novel of absurdist comedy.