What Smiled at Him

Description

“Characters speak like prophets,” (Kirkus) in this early 21st century road trip, murder mystery and love triangle. “Watching them ignore their better instincts—especially concerning women . . . makes the characters more endearing . . .” One night far from home, childhood friends Lynn and Marv reunite with Caroline, the beautiful and mercurial object of their desires.

When Caroline is arrested for the murder of her husband and child, Marv and Lynn find themselves entangled in a mystery. The question that pursues the two friends through their searches for love, stabs at success and self-destructive lapses is: Will they bother to solve it?

Praise for What Smiled at Him

“The novel has an angry edge to it, recalling the spirit of the Beats. Many of the peripheral characters speak like prophets . . . Marv and Lynn are just as self-aware as their supporting cast, and their abundance of wisdom sometimes stretches believability; it’s tempered, however, by the flaw of their continually self-destructive behavior. Watching them ignore their better instincts . . . makes the characters more endearing.” —Kirkus Reviews

“What Smiled at Him manages to be somber, colorful, and often guffaw-out-loud funny. It reads fast but is loaded with trenchant observations on modern relationships, growing up, and happiness that will give the reader pause.” —Kevin Kosar, author of Whiskey: A Global History