Motherless Brooklyn

Rating:
Summary: An Original and Highly Entertaining Detective Story
Review: Never have I met such a unique character in a mystery novel. Lionel Essrog has Tourette's. A Brooklyn orphan from St. Vincent's Home for Boys, Lionel grows up emulating small-time mobster Frank Minna. Now in his 30s, Lionel works for Minna's limo service and detective agency along with other orphans, the self-proclaimed Minna Men. When Minna turns up dead, Lionel is determined to find the killer. This story involves all the kinds of enigmatic characters one would expect from a classic detective novel: two elderly mobsters, a Buddhist, a Giant, and Minna's widow. Nevertheless, it's the way the story is told that makes the book so intriguing. Author Jonathan Lethem's writing style is so fluid and crisp. You can't help but get caught up in the story. The first chapter begins with the circumstances surrounding Minna's death. The next chapter delves back into Lionel's past and explains why Minna's death means so much to him. The latter chapters trace Lionel's investigation and his journey to find out who he is without Frank Minna. This was truly a treat!