Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency By Douglas Adams

Dirk is not your average detective.  His case to find a missing cat leads to the unraveling of greater mysteries.  His methods are unorthodox to the point that you would find it hard to believe that he is a detective.  He does not ask the usual questions and as a direct consequence he gets different answers. 

I think that it’s almost impossible for me to describe what happens without giving things away.  There is such a roundabout way of detecting that it’s difficult to be succinct and not spoil the plot.   The book is like all of Adams’ work random to the point of humor.  The random bits sync up and allow for a big reveal, but the journey is roundabout and complicated and the answers turn out to be somewhat simple. 

If you enjoy unconventional plotting, a mystery with an unpredictable end, or want to laugh while reading, then this is a book you will enjoy. 

Dirk believes in the interconnectedness of things.  He is tasked by his old school friend Richard to help him figure out how his employer and sister’s boyfriend, Gordon Way was killed.  He seems to be involved and needs help.  

After this I can’t go into detail without revealing the solution to the mystery.  It’s not really dark or gritty like a crime noir, but retains the humor of Adams with his unique perspective on the world.  You wouldn’t expect a missing cat to be the key to understanding a murder, but that is just the kind of writer Adams is. He turns the mundane into the extraordinary which always catches you by surprise.  

This still remains in the genre of science fiction but if I told you why it might ruin the entire plot, so I won’t.