After too many years of Sturm und Drang (uncomfortably much of it in the actual, real world), I'm on a quest in 2021 to make reading fun again. And like a stroke of manifesting magic straight from an old VHS recording of an Oprah book interview, D.R. Lowrey's Nigel series dropped into my reading list; as the ancient proverb says, when the student is ready, the humorist appears.
Defective for Hire is the charming debut of a humor-detective series following the journey of Nigel Blandwater-Cummings, a retired 56-year-old Englishman living in Texas, into a post-retirement vocation as a detective (or Defective, as his mis-printed business cards would have it). While navigating the challenges of his wife's eternally growing To-Do list (she secretly worries retirement will be the death of him), the need to keep his own budding detective work secret from her (she is an actual private detective), or dodging rich and homicidal octogenarians while solving a pet disappearance (which quickly leads to questions of murder and disappearances). There's even a condescending butler with a Mid-Atlantic accent to round out a vivid cast of characters.
For me, the true strength of this book is (a) it's just pure fun (see above) (b) the prose (c) Nigel's well-rounded, likeable character (d) did I mention *the prose*? The author is still working out a few mechanics, but my god, the prose frequently sparkles in a manner almost eerily redolent of P.G. Wodehouse (and this is no casual comparison for a longtime lover of the Master!) I frequently found myself chuckling out loud at various bons mot, dry humor, and genuinely witty wordplay. A few samples:
"Nigel, being dead, afforded Annie the opportunity to answer the phone."
"Annie's ancestors were Texas pioneers: tough, independent, and hygienic when possible."
"He made the sign of the cross. He wasn't Catholic, but God might be."
The story hinges on Nigel's move to the country with his wife, who is trying to set up a private detective agency after retiring from a metropolitan department. The true-to-life details of small town life lend color to Nigel's misadventures, as he conducts his own secret pet detective investigations, dodges sketchy butlers, palavers with loony local heiresses, gets stuck in kitchen doggie doors, has a WWE match with a giant snake, and tries not to have a heart attack when confronted with stunning local beauty Number 46 (or her beloved tarantula).
There are innumerable good chuckles as the story carries along and develops complexities. It did feel in a couple of sections as if the author was figuring out a question of general flow or a plot mechanic, but these cosmetic elements are universal to debuts and did not detract overmuch from a truly enjoyable romp. It is quite clear that this is going to be an excellent series with each entrant even more enjoyable than the last, especially since the author sensibly leans into his remarkable talents in simply telling a good story filled with vivid characters with great wit. This is especially true when carried by a character as witty, relatable, and downright loveable as Nigel, of whom we can only hope there will be much more in future.
Honorable mention for the very believable, functionally dysfunctional, and genuinely touching relationship between Nigel and his wife. "She could not possibly know what she meant to him. Before he met her, he was a shallow, self-centered creep who cared about no one. Now he was a shallow, self-centered creep who cared deeply for his wife. What a difference she had made."
Strongly recommended to lovers of good humor (particularly British humor), to readers of good books, and to anyone who is tired of the world's darkness and who needs to climb into their brain to live in a bright space with good company for a while.
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