The Boy Detective Fails. Joe Meno
"Dear Reader,
The story thus far, as you may have forgotten: Even as a young boy, Billy Argo showed an uncanny talent for solving puzzles of almost every configuration, arrangement, and design.
That is all."
Billy Argo, his sister Caroline, and best friend fenton become Gothom City, New Jersey's best crime solving team, after Billy receives a Junior detective kit for his birthday. The three best friends solve all manner of crime, most of them in record time.
Soon after leaving for collage, Caroline commits suicide. Billy unable to cope with the loss of his sister is committed to a mental hospital. After a decade spent in the hospital, Billy is released. Now if he can only solve the one case he has never solved.
On his journey Billy encounters many strange characters and people from his past that are only too happy to see his failure.
Some of my favorite lines:
"Do you see my bunny's head over there? the girl shouts?
"So, are you going to find its head or not?" the girl asks.
"No. it doesn't look like it"
"No?" the girl asks.
"No, I don't think it's very likely."
"You're not a very good detective are you?"
"No I am afraid I am not."
"Why is a mystery so terrifying to us as adults? Is it because our worlds have become worlds of routine and safety and order the older we've grown? Is it because we have learned the answer to everything and that answer is that there is never a secret passageway, a hidden treasure, or a note written in code to save us from our darkest moments? Why are we struggling so hard against believing there is a world we don't know? Is it more frightening to accept our lives as they are than it is to entertain a fantasy of hope?"
"Part of being an adult is dealing with the terror of being an adult and not knowing what might happen next."
Whenever I find myself in a reading slump, I pull out this book. The story itself is great, but its in the way that it is told that makes this book so special. Billy Argo is a sympathetic character that you can't help but root for.If you ever wondered what could of happened after encyclopedia Brown grew up, then this is the book for you.
Billy Argo, his sister Caroline, and best friend fenton become Gothom City, New Jersey's best crime solving team, after Billy receives a Junior detective kit for his birthday. The three best friends solve all manner of crime, most of them in record time.
Soon after leaving for collage, Caroline commits suicide. Billy unable to cope with the loss of his sister is committed to a mental hospital. After a decade spent in the hospital, Billy is released. Now if he can only solve the one case he has never solved.
On his journey Billy encounters many strange characters and people from his past that are only too happy to see his failure.
Some of my favorite lines:
"Do you see my bunny's head over there? the girl shouts?
"So, are you going to find its head or not?" the girl asks.
"No. it doesn't look like it"
"No?" the girl asks.
"No, I don't think it's very likely."
"You're not a very good detective are you?"
"No I am afraid I am not."
"Why is a mystery so terrifying to us as adults? Is it because our worlds have become worlds of routine and safety and order the older we've grown? Is it because we have learned the answer to everything and that answer is that there is never a secret passageway, a hidden treasure, or a note written in code to save us from our darkest moments? Why are we struggling so hard against believing there is a world we don't know? Is it more frightening to accept our lives as they are than it is to entertain a fantasy of hope?"
"Part of being an adult is dealing with the terror of being an adult and not knowing what might happen next."
Whenever I find myself in a reading slump, I pull out this book. The story itself is great, but its in the way that it is told that makes this book so special. Billy Argo is a sympathetic character that you can't help but root for.If you ever wondered what could of happened after encyclopedia Brown grew up, then this is the book for you.
