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A review by wart
White Rabbit by K.A. Laity
5.0
You can read this and other reviews at Things I Find While Shelving
[I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley. This fact has no bearing on my review.]
We are what haunts us as much as we are what we eat and breathe. (94%)
James Draygo was once a detective, but a case gone bad resulted in a downward spiral that led him to substance abuse and a career as a charlatan medium. Except that Draygo has a bit of a secret: he actually can communicate with the dead. He just doesn’t like to. He buries his abilities in various drugs - most particularly something called Fairy Dust. When he’s in with a client and she is murdered right in front of him - while his eyes are closed - and he’s left holding the gun (an easy patsy, it would appear), Draygo finds himself dragged into cahoots with a persistent journalist named Saunders who wants to dig up the dirt on the money behind the murder. Reluctantly, Draygo helps Saunders in her inquiries - mostly because a lot of them have to do with the dead. And as Draygo’s the only one who can see them and hear them…
The mystery in question is that of the White Rabbit. From mind-control-esque drugs to disappearing souls to the mastermind’s attempts to halt their investigations, Draygo, his assistant Jinx, and Saunders dig down into dirty little secrets and an afterlife that no one believes in. And all the while Draygo’s past is there, haunting him along with everyone else. Throughout the book, there’s the constant question of if Draygo will lose it entirely or finally get his shit together.
The writing in this book is snappy and witty. Both dialogue and narration. At first, I felt like it was maybe trying a little too hard…but as I kept reading I grew more and more engrossed and found it holding my attention and realized that it worked. And there are some great, sort of…philosophical things that crop up - as there is wont to do when the dead are involved, I suppose.
Some of my favorite quotes, for your reading pleasure:
You can refuse to accept the sun will rise each morning, too. But it doesn’t change anything. (17%)
I see too much. And it’s all real. (20%)
Too much truth slices you to ribbons. (72%)
It doesn’t do to offer the truth too nakedly. People will take advantage. Hide it in a story, dress it up with baubles, but never hand it over for nothing. No one will thank you for it anyway. (73%)
The world has an appetite for pain. (91%)
Overall, an intriguing, captivating mystery with interesting characters and a lot to think about.
[I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley. This fact has no bearing on my review.]
We are what haunts us as much as we are what we eat and breathe. (94%)
James Draygo was once a detective, but a case gone bad resulted in a downward spiral that led him to substance abuse and a career as a charlatan medium. Except that Draygo has a bit of a secret: he actually can communicate with the dead. He just doesn’t like to. He buries his abilities in various drugs - most particularly something called Fairy Dust. When he’s in with a client and she is murdered right in front of him - while his eyes are closed - and he’s left holding the gun (an easy patsy, it would appear), Draygo finds himself dragged into cahoots with a persistent journalist named Saunders who wants to dig up the dirt on the money behind the murder. Reluctantly, Draygo helps Saunders in her inquiries - mostly because a lot of them have to do with the dead. And as Draygo’s the only one who can see them and hear them…
The mystery in question is that of the White Rabbit. From mind-control-esque drugs to disappearing souls to the mastermind’s attempts to halt their investigations, Draygo, his assistant Jinx, and Saunders dig down into dirty little secrets and an afterlife that no one believes in. And all the while Draygo’s past is there, haunting him along with everyone else. Throughout the book, there’s the constant question of if Draygo will lose it entirely or finally get his shit together.
The writing in this book is snappy and witty. Both dialogue and narration. At first, I felt like it was maybe trying a little too hard…but as I kept reading I grew more and more engrossed and found it holding my attention and realized that it worked. And there are some great, sort of…philosophical things that crop up - as there is wont to do when the dead are involved, I suppose.
Some of my favorite quotes, for your reading pleasure:
You can refuse to accept the sun will rise each morning, too. But it doesn’t change anything. (17%)
I see too much. And it’s all real. (20%)
Too much truth slices you to ribbons. (72%)
It doesn’t do to offer the truth too nakedly. People will take advantage. Hide it in a story, dress it up with baubles, but never hand it over for nothing. No one will thank you for it anyway. (73%)
The world has an appetite for pain. (91%)
Overall, an intriguing, captivating mystery with interesting characters and a lot to think about.