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shanaqui 's review for:
Rocket to the Morgue
by Anthony Boucher
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rocket to the Morgue is the first book by Anthony Boucher that I've read, though there's a previous book in this series that I think provides a bit more context for some of the characters. It's mostly readable as a standalone, though, and makes fascinating use of Boucher's involvement in SF/F pulps: some of the characters are pretty clearly very closely related to people like Heinlein and L. Ron Hubbard, and there's a lively knowledge of how the market worked in those days that shapes the mystery and the characters.
That does add a large amount of the interest, though, and I wonder how it feels for those who have absolutely no interest in the genre, or no interest in that era of the genre (which I'm sure means more to my mother than it does to me).
I did enjoy some of the characters, though; the detective's relationship with his wife and children are a surprisingly tender touch, from the start right through the story. It's especially rare in a mystery novel, where often the wife and children are just waiting at home at the end of the day -- but here the detective gets involved with bathing, changing and feeding the baby. It was rather sweet, and seemed to be written by an experienced father.
The mystery itself is a locked room mystery, but the explanation wasn't too contrived and it all hung together well enough for me. I'm not wildly enthusiastic, but I would be curious to read the first book and any follow-ups, or at least give a couple of them a try.
That does add a large amount of the interest, though, and I wonder how it feels for those who have absolutely no interest in the genre, or no interest in that era of the genre (which I'm sure means more to my mother than it does to me).
I did enjoy some of the characters, though; the detective's relationship with his wife and children are a surprisingly tender touch, from the start right through the story. It's especially rare in a mystery novel, where often the wife and children are just waiting at home at the end of the day -- but here the detective gets involved with bathing, changing and feeding the baby. It was rather sweet, and seemed to be written by an experienced father.
The mystery itself is a locked room mystery, but the explanation wasn't too contrived and it all hung together well enough for me. I'm not wildly enthusiastic, but I would be curious to read the first book and any follow-ups, or at least give a couple of them a try.