The Rook

Starred review from October 31, 2011
At the start of Australian author O’Malley’s impressive debut, a supernatural detective thriller distinguished by its adept use of humor, an unknown woman reads a letter that opens “Dear You” and closes “Sincerely, Me.” The letter informs the woman that she now inhabits the body of Myfanwy Alice Thomas. A second letter from Thomas gives her body’s new mental occupant a choice—either flee London to take up a new, carefree life of affluence, or pretend that she is in fact Thomas in order to identify the person responsible for her memory loss. If the situation isn’t confusing enough, the “new” Thomas finds herself in the middle of a park in a heavy rain; scattered on the ground are motionless bodies wearing latex gloves. After making the more interesting choice, she learns that Thomas is a “Rook,” one of the leaders of a super-secret government organization that protects an unknowing public from a wide variety of paranormal threats. While the “old” Thomas has left detailed explanations about people and things for her successor, the “new” Thomas still must struggle to mask her complete ignorance about some of her major responsibilities. Dry wit, surprising reversals of fortune, and a clever if offbeat plot make this a winner. Dr. Who fans will find a lot to like.

With little apparent effort, narrator Susan Duerden navigates the bizarre world of Myfanwy (Rook) Thomas, a head administrator at a London-based paranormal investigation agency. We meet her after an enemy's attack has rendered her with amnesia, a situation that drops quite the assignment in Duerden's lap. She has to characterize the confused, amnesiac Rook, along with the prior non-amnesiac version of the character (seen in flashbacks) and a variety of colorful beings with strange abilities, one of whom was responsible for her memory issues. Daniel O'Malley's ambitious and often funny novel adds strong female characters to the mix. All are ably served by Duerden's wide-ranging, confident performance. J.P.M. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine