The Secret History of Twin Peaks

Starred review from November 21, 2016
Devotees of the cult TV series Twin Peaks, due for a revival in 2017 on Showtime, will welcome this inventive jigsaw puzzle of a book from one of the show’s creators. The tantalizing revelations concern events preceding the prequel movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and those following the show’s last episode. Frost’s impressive effort demands close attention. He provides information in the form of a 2016 FBI case file, classified “three levels above top secret,” assigned to an unnamed agent after a dossier was recovered from a “crime scene that is still under active investigation.” The file consists of an eclectic collection of documents, including facsimiles of purported excerpts from the writings of explorers Lewis and Clark, a newspaper account of an unusual 1927 camping trip, and censored government materials pertaining to UFOs. These documents may be related to special agent Dale Cooper’s legendary inquiry into the murder of 18-year-old Laura Palmer. This cryptic volume captures the show’s trademark quirky noir flavor as it raises new questions that Twin Peaks fans are sure to feast on.

December 1, 2016
An exquisitely curated gift to superfans of the TV cult classic Twin Peaks.Novelist and acclaimed television producer Frost (Rogue, 2015, etc.) offers readers the most elaborate fan fiction ever in this obsessive relational artifact from the show. The novel takes the form of a dossier, complete with a memo from the deputy director of the FBI to an unnamed special agent. The dossier is reported to have been recovered from an active crime scene. And it is incredibly dense, superweird, and bound to be satisfying to those who remember the show warmly. There are numerous layers of content here, but it's presented through three perspectives. The first is a running commentary from a character (named later in the book) who identifies himself as "The Archivist." Alongside this commentary are annotations from an active FBI analyst, who pops up to explain things from time to time. Finally, there is the content of the dossier itself, which is a sprawling subterranean history of Twin Peaks from the first explorations of Lewis and Clark to the fate of Agent Dale Cooper. In between, Frost treats readers to a mass conspiracy theory that makes Welcome to Night Vale look like a school for rational thought. Seriously--UFOs, Bigfoot, the Freemasons, President Richard Nixon, and L. Ron Hubbard all make substantial appearances. Believe it or not, there is a running plot through the narrative, and Frost delivers on his revelations before a cliffhanger ending that offers a bridge to the upcoming revival of the show on Showtime next year. That said, there are certainly treats for more casual viewers, including a medical report on the Log Lady, the menu from the Double R Diner, and nods to various characters from the show. Like The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer (1990) and The Autobiography of F.B.I. Special Agent Dale Cooper (1991), this ambitious project will be less-than-essential for newbies but better than a damn good cup of coffee to members of the cult.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.