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A review by bookishbethie
You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin
4.0
I sooo, sooo dig this book. I love old school, pulp, detective novels and movies, and this book is definitely a modern take on that style and genre. The main character, Dalton, fancies himself a detective, and takes a case where he has to solve the mystery of who killed Wesley Payne, a student at Salt River High, which is basically the scariest sounding high school I've ever heard of--everyone is part of a clique that not only has a specific angle, but also a racket, and is comprised of smooth-talkin', cold, business-only kind of teenagers. The girls fall into two categories: kick ass femme fatales and doe-eyed blondes with a secret, and the guys are all just crooked--not one of them is genuine and nice. (Okay, well maybe two of them are.)
The main character, Dalton, is a weird mix between Jason Schwartzman' s character on Bored to Death and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character in Brick. He has good instincts, but he relies on fictional detective novels to guide him in his investigation. However, the kid has cajones and the ability to make himself believe that he's confident and tough. As he learns, this will get him pretty far.
The most striking thing about the book is the language. It evokes the prose in old school pulp fiction novels, full of sass, gumption, and cheekily subtle turns of phrase. And for those of you who aren't as familiar with the vocab, never fear! There's a glossary in the back.
But language isn't the only throwback in this novel. The book follows the typical pulp fiction story arc, full of melancholia, disappointments, twists, turns, surprises, and double-crossings. It's a fun read that ends very differently than you think it will and keeps you guessing and surprised the entire time.
The main character, Dalton, is a weird mix between Jason Schwartzman' s character on Bored to Death and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character in Brick. He has good instincts, but he relies on fictional detective novels to guide him in his investigation. However, the kid has cajones and the ability to make himself believe that he's confident and tough. As he learns, this will get him pretty far.
The most striking thing about the book is the language. It evokes the prose in old school pulp fiction novels, full of sass, gumption, and cheekily subtle turns of phrase. And for those of you who aren't as familiar with the vocab, never fear! There's a glossary in the back.
But language isn't the only throwback in this novel. The book follows the typical pulp fiction story arc, full of melancholia, disappointments, twists, turns, surprises, and double-crossings. It's a fun read that ends very differently than you think it will and keeps you guessing and surprised the entire time.