Don't Think Twice

The elements of a potentially strong mystery--a character with a troubled past, a puzzling murder and shady business dealings--are present in Johnson's debut, but the novel, although beautifully written, fails to generate sufficient suspense. Paul, who lives in Minnesota near the Chippewa reservation where he grew up, is struggling to keep the resort he owns from going under. His marriage to Gwen is also on the brink of collapse, owing to the death of their son, and Paul, full of pride and anger, is a walking time bomb. After his friend Al is found dead, apparently a suicide, Paul begins to suspect that the shooting death was no accident and starts to scrutinize it in an investigation that parallels his personal struggles. As he unravels the complex circumstances of Al's death, Paul commences to put his own life back together. He spends much of the novel in an angry, narcissistic haze, however; and since the story is narrated from his point of view, the other characters, including his wife, seem remote. This may have been Johnson's intent, but even so, narrative force is sacrificed to Paul's self-absorbed behavior. Many details--how Paul is keeping the resort financially afloat, for example--are missing from the story, and too many important plot elements are simply handed to Paul (in one scene, a woman, unprompted, unravels much of the mystery for him). The solution, then, is unrelated to his efforts. Johnson offers a memorably deep-hued portrait of a desperate character on the brink of self-destruction, but those looking for a pulsating mystery won't find one here. (June)