My Darling Detective

By: Howard Norman

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Jacob Rigolet - a soon-to-be former assistant to a wealthy art collector - looks up from his seat at an auction to see his mother, the former head librarian at the Halifax Free Library, walking almost casually up the aisle. Before a stunned audience, she flings an open jar of black ink at master photographer Robert Capa's Death on a Leipzig Balcony. What's more, Jacob's police detective fiancée, Martha Crauchet, is assigned to the ensuing interrogation.

In My Darling Detective, Howard Norman delivers a fond nod to classic noir, as Jacob's understanding of the man he has always assumed to be his father unravels against the darker truth of Robert Emil, a Halifax police officer suspected but never convicted of murdering two Jewish residents during the shocking upswing of anti-Semitism in 1945. The denouement, involving a dire shootout and an emergency delivery - the second Rigolet to be born in the Halifax Free Library - is Norman at his provocative, uncannily moving best.

©2017 Howard Norman (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Wrong pronunciation of Dalhousie University.

Reader did a great job but should have checked on proper pronunciation of Dalhousie University.
It's pronounced "Dal-HOW-Sie. NOT Dal-Who-Sie.
Very annoying as he repeats the incorrect pronunciation constantly.
Otherwise, loved listening to his reading.

A Different Venue and Story

I chose for the Nova Scotia location as will be traveling there soon. And being a former librarian and art appreciator really liked the setting of libraries and the 70s vibe ( including tv and music of the time- fun !) with a historical WWll references. Lots of unusual elements for the mystery.

Delightful

This book is an example of why I used to read a book a week and now listen to 2 or more. Delightful.

Emil

Loved the book but was disappointed in lack of specificity regarding the death of former detective Emil.

For Driving to the Beach

This novel was a good listen for a summer drive to the beach. Whimsical characters, amusing dialog, a little suspense. The plot didn’t make much sense, but I learned something about fine arts auctions, library science, radio mysteries, Halifax and the photography of Robert Capa.

Bronson Pinchot is often a strong narrator, but here I felt like he was disengaged. His voice took on some excitement and character when the plot grew suspenseful, but too often he spoke in a dry monotone, perhaps impersonating a 1940s detective.