Clamour of Crows

Merritt (A Thousand Hounds and other photography books) makes his fiction debut with a low-key legal thriller full of wordplay and literary references. When narrator Jonathan Tucker is asked by his former employer, a big law firm, to investigate the enigmatic death of its biggest client, Ben Baum, Tuck teams up with his beloved dog, Nip, and two young firm associates to uncover the truth. How did Baum die? Will there be a Baum male heir? Will Baum’s ex-wife succeed in getting his final will thrown out in favor of an earlier one that favors her? The action consists mostly of flights to Europe. Much of the time, the characters—including Tuck; Baum’s daughter, Dorothy; and Baum’s lifelong assistant, Terry—talk at length about renowned children’s literature. Their collective knowledge proves useful when Baum’s letter of last wishes turns up, replete with allusions to Alice, Oz, and hobbits that provide essential clues to just about everything. Readers should be prepared for several ostensible endings, two of which are quite preposterous. [em](June) [/em]