Mister Manners

Disclaimer: This is the first book in the Strange Files series that I have read, and so I went into it knowing nothing of Alexander Strange and what kinds of mysteries he deals with.

I was drawn to this book for its premise promising strange and quirky mysteries, and honestly had no expectations diving into it because I didn't know what to expect that was strange and quirky. So in this book, Alexander Strange, a news reporter with his own column investigating various strangenesses, working alongside a private investigator and a police detective, is drawn to the curious case of a man dubbed Mister Manners who has taken it upon himself to punish the people of Florida for having bad manners through strange acts... such as dumping horse manure on the front door of an insouciant man?

Strange is indeed the word to describe this, but a good kind of strange, a bizarre kind that would have you smiling bemusedly. I enjoyed the interspersing of Strange's column articles with the chapters, and there's some political satire as well. There's a whole host of interesting characters, some of whom are seemingly larger-than-life figures, some are mysterious, and others are, well, strange. Throughout the book, Strange tries to uncover the man behind Mister Manners and what his motivations are, while contending with a strangely large bufo toad and an elusive microchip...

It was enjoyable enough, though some things that fell short for me were the whole cat-and-mouse game involving the microchip (it felt too long and dragged-out) as well as the motivations behind Mister Manners' actions, which left me with a slight frown on my forehead because I didn't fully think it was a really good one. Other than those minor gripes, it was a fun enough book, with several different plotlines running alongside one another sure to keep you entertained.