Review of The Knickknack Case: A Tony Flaner Mystery by Johnny Worthen

My first foray into the Tony Flaner mystery series.

This is a good place to start with the work of Johnny Worthen. I will be reading the other mysteries in this series. I find the voice and the sarcastic narrator irresistible.

The mystery itself is nothing to write home about. Essentially wild goose chase. But the main character makes it all worth while. He is a down-and-out P. I. with too much clutter – in his mind, in his house, and in his life. When he manages to go digging for evidence he is always prepared with self-deprecating commentary. His interactions with the other characters are witty to the max. The fun side trip to the casino was entertaining, though it most of the occurrences are red herrings.

But you don’t need a strong plot in this type of light-hearted mystery. It was impossible to put down for the sheer fact that I wanted to spend time with the characters. The author makes use of much dramatic irony to cast a satirical light on American consumerism, the not uncommon phenomenon of hoarding and the sort of flying by the seat of our pants attitude a lot of us maintain for the greater part of our lives.

I look forward to reading everything Worthen writes now.
This novella is also available for free by signing up for an infrequent newsletter on the author’s website.