Girls

Girls is a Harpur & Iles mystery, Harpur and Iles being the two main police characters in Bill James' series of mystery novels. While I have read none of his other books, I had little difficulty following Girls as a standalone book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as such. For such a dark premise and subject matter (and, yes, plenty of appropriately adult language to go with it), this is an incredibly quirky, witty, bizarre, bewildering, fascinating, and utterly delightful book. The story is told from various characters' points of view, and centers upon the search for a kid who might be in a great deal of danger--one Scott Grant, the boyfriend of Hazel, Harpur's older daughter. Everyone seems to be after him for one reason or another---to protect him, to get revenge on him for something he might or might not have done, to eliminate him as a rival. Despite the fact that it's the men's minds and eyes we see through, it's the girls who drive the action. Harpur's two high school-aged daughters lecture him on the sociological implications of his policework, while his university student girlfriend gives him advice on whether or not to break into Scott's home. A dead Albanian kingpin's girl kicks off several key events, as do other prostitutes at various times. Nearly every major figure has at least one daughter who seems to figure into things; even those that don't come on-screen have clearly shaped their fathers' ambitions and plans for the future. The most beautiful and brilliant thing about the book, however, is all of the wonderful dialogue. People talk at, past, through, and around each other in the most amazing and baffling ways--whether due to brilliance, stupidity, malice, stubbornness, or snark. And in the end, while the mystery is great, it takes a back seat to the amazing and daft characters that populate this book. Note that while there's plenty of adult subject matter and language, this is not a particularly graphic book in terms of sex or violence.