cover image The Thrift Shop Murders

The Thrift Shop Murders

Stanford Pritchard. Springside Book, $15.95 paper (266p) ISBN 978-1-4943-3644-8

In Pritchard's uneven metaphysical whodunit, brokerage firm manager Selwyn McCandless finds his life crumbling when millionaire Fairfield Dixon is murdered at an elegant dinner party. Soon after the killing, Selwyn%E2%80%94and all the other partygoers%E2%80%94receives an enigmatic letter and poem stating that clues leading to portions of Dixon's vast fortune are hidden at local thrift shops. Meanwhile, Selwyn's son, Marvin, a day laborer working to build a museum for the dead man's art collection, becomes a suspect. Despite an intriguing concept, the plot is convoluted at times, lacking tension or focus, and hindered by relentless inner monologues, meandering pace, and a contrived climax.