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Maybe I was in a bad mood when I read Manhattan Is My Beat, but for some reason I was just not impressed at all by this offering from the author of The Bone Collector. It just seemed to me that this is a novel filled with unlikable characters and some pretty silly plot twists and surprises. Maybe author Jeffrey Deaver just had not had enough time to polish his skills yet. (This 1988 book has recently been republished.) Whatever the reason, I just never had that "I can't put this down" feeling that is the key element of any successful mystery story.

The novel does have potential, for its premise is solid. The heroine of the story is Rune (both first and last name), a dyed hair, leopard skin-wearing video clerk. Rune gets wrapped up in a mystery involving the murder of her friend Robert Kelly, a customer who repeatedly rented a 1947 movie called Manhattan Is My Beat. Rune becomes convinced that the film about a real-life bank heist holds the key to the identity of Kelly's murderer.

Rune, who is a big fan of fairy tales and Lord of the Rings-style adventures, views her amateur investigation as some magic quest. While this is supposed to endear us to Rune, I personally found her immaturity unattractive, and I could not help but identify with the more down-to-earth characters who become increasingly annoyed by her antics. Perhaps this represents a problem on my own part, but it nevertheless took a great deal away from the book in my opinion.

I would be willing to accept Rune's character flaws if there was not the additional problem of the stupid plot twists. Deaver's cop-out ending seems straight out of a Choose Your Own Adventure book. My advice? If you are a big fan of Jeffrey Deaver, give Manhattan Is My Beat a read and form your own opinion. If nothing else it is relatively short and an easy read. Otherwise, pass on this book and give one of Deaver's more mature efforts a try.

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(Submitted 4/17/00 by Notre Dame law student Julio.)