Strange Horizons, September 15, 2014

Posted byJamie Lackey
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Strange Horizons, September 15, 2014

“The Great Detective” by Sarah Brooks

Reviewed by Jamie Lackey

In “The Great Detective” by Sarah Brooks, an alien grants Mayumi’s grandmother’s wish and transforms her into the Great Detective. She spends her time solving tiny mysteries and trying to nudge Mayumi out of the rut that her life has fallen into. But Mayumi is happy enough with her quiet existence until she loses her grandmother, and the title of Great Detective falls to her. It’s a quiet, subtle story that is beautifully told. My only complaint is that the speculative element felt mostly superfluous, and the alien seemed more like a spirit when it appeared.

Jamie Lackey lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their cat. Her Kickstarter-funded short story collection, One Revolution, is available on Amazon.com. Find her online at www.jamielackey.com.