Richard
Wren’s Casey’s Slip is a decent
enough murder mystery. When Casey, hired
to deliver a boat to an Oakland marina, docks one evening in what may be the
wrong slip, he embroils both himself and Smitty, a stranger living on a boat at
the marina, in a murder mystery. Come the
following morning, there’s a dead body on the delivered boat and Casey and
Smitty find themselves accused of murder and Smitty’s none too happy about.
It’s
decent enough, but far from great. This
is Mr. Wren’s first novel and I think he shows a lot of promise, but while Casey’s Slip won’t bore you to death,
it’s not an engrossing page turner.
Still,
if you’ve got a few hours to kill, you won’t feel like you’ve wasted your time
reading it.
It’s
got a few interesting characters, leading off with Smitty, the somewhat-retired
leader of the Oakland area Devils motorcycle gang, a thinly veiled reference to
the Hell’s Angels. Smitty is the most fully formed character in the book,
although occasionally - especially early on- something of a stereotype. Oddly,
despite being the book’s narrator and main character, Casey is not quite as
filled out as a character. Maybe this is by design. Maybe Mr. Wren intended
that Casey would take a back seat to Smitty.
Regardless,
Smitty will be the character you’re most interested in.
While
the story tries, it drops the ball on creating any real atmosphere and tension.
Casey and Smitty are facing being charged with murder; at least if a police sergeant
named Horning has his way. Arrested shortly after the discovery of the body,
they are jailed, but eventually released when the district attorney’s office
decides there isn’t enough evidence to charge them with murder—at least not
yet.
Smitty
immediately sets out to prove his innocence and find the real killer, dragging
a bewildered and reluctant Casey along. Smitty brings the Devils in for help,
and forces Casey to be a part of his investigation. What they find goes beyond
the murder of the man on the boat; blackmail and dirty politics are involved. Smitty’s
plans stir up more and more trouble for the two of them, the Devils, and Josie,
Smitty’s daughter.
Despite
all that’s going on, and the increasing danger they are putting themselves in
trying to prove their innocence, you never feel Casey and Smitty are in any
real danger. Even when Casey is shot, in an embarrassing part of his anatomy,
the shooting seems to be more an attempt at humor than a means of building
atmosphere and tension. You just never
feel Casey or Smitty are in danger of being convicted, much less killed, as the
story progresses.
Don’t
get me wrong, even though you’ll probably figure out where it’s ultimately
going to lead somewhere around pages 80-100, the twists and turns as they
unravel the mystery make it a worthwhile, if uncomplicated, read. It’s
ultimately a breezy, enjoyable time killer.
If
you like your murder mysteries to be complicated and maybe even require an
explanation at the end to help you figure it all out, this probably isn’t for
you. But if you enjoy a fast-moving tale that doesn’t give you a tired head
trying to figure it out, you’ll enjoy Casey’s Slip.
