The Pig Did It

If you like the comedic dialogue, mystery and surprise of "Arsenic and Old Lace" and exotic settings of Dame Agatha, you'll book a front row-seat for this one. Joseph Caldwell sets his vulnerable American protagonist on the rugged Irish coast and draws us into his tale with skill and charm. The mist and mysticism of coastal Ireland seep into Caldwell's instinctive description and fine ear for colloquial repartee. Here are memorable characters that flash with panache from a squealing snooping pig and lovelorn hero Aaron to his novelist Aunt who writes happy endings onto tragic classic novels. Trawling through Aunt Kitty's lively and deadly suitors that ebb and flow through a school of red herring, we catch the depth of Caldwell's wisdom -- love is a mystery that makes unsuspecting victims of us all. As for the next book of the Trilogy, I'm hooked.

After another failed love, thirty-two years old creative writing teacher Aaron McCloud escapes New York to spend time with his Aunt Kitty in County Kerry, Ireland. Kitty like her nephew is a writer, but instead of instructing others she earns a lucrative living rewriting the classics. Aaron figures that the great English authors like Shakespeare and Dickens are turning in their grave. Although he feels like a failure with his female relationships, Aaron finds a lost pig that adopts him; wherever Aaron goes the pig is sure to follow him. When the pig digging in the back yard uncovers a human skeleton, Kitty says he is the missing Declan Tovey. She believes the pig's owner, Lolly McKeever is behind the death and burial, but she won't admit even owning the pig. Although he learns Lolly had a motive for Declan's death, Aaron is attracted to her while also wonders if his aunt, who butchers the language, might be a modern day Lady Macbeth. The western Irish countryside is rarely this much macabre fun as found in THE PIG DID IT, a terrific character study. Joseph Caldwell satirizes manners using the pig and the corpse to force everyone to wrestle in the mud, dirt and sea. The whodunit is cleverly designed not as much as a murder mystery, but more to allow readers to look deep into the souls of the prime trio especially the visiting American, who must choose between desire and blood. Harriet Klausner

The last books that caused me to laugh so hard were the Wilt farces by Tom Sharpe, over 20 years ago. The only way to describe this book is laugh out loud funny. There is no word in the English Dictionary yet, but there should be one, with all the written communication nowadays -- I suggest Louf, for "laugh out loud funny."

This is 250 pages of pure delight--a farce, a romance, and a literary satire all rolled into one package of amusement. It's a departure for an author whose novels have often illuminated the darker side of human experience, yet I'm betting you'll find this comedy of grave matters to be laugh-provoking and oddly uplifting.

PIG DID IT is such an unusual book that is entirely re-freshing and entertaining. Please read it and your time will be filled with joy.