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THE CASE OF THE UNINVITED GUEST does satisfy many of the requirements most cozy readers¼ desire: the characters are individuals, normal amateur detective cliches do not appear and the resolution to the crime is not psychologically damaging for either the characters or the reader. I include John Darnell in the rank of amateur detectives because he is a paranormal detective (i.e. he debunks alleged paranormal events); hence, he is not a detective occupied with solving traditional crimes. In addition, Darnell¼s criminal investigations are forced upon him; he does not actively seek them. The setting of this book is Paris, where John Darnell arrives in order to remove the ghost that is haunting the 9th floor of Le Grand Hotel. The ghost appears to be Eric Thorndyke, who was murdered during a party to celebrate the end of WWI. This ghost has been frightening guests into leaving the hotel. Once Darnell arrives at the hotel, he meets Ernest Hemingway fresh from the hospital (still with his crutches). Penny, Darnell¼s wife, socializes with the female suspects while Darnell takes care of business. Hemingway follows Darnell around in hopes of gaining enough information for a news article about the situation. As more individuals are murdered the risk increases that the murderer might not be caught. The use of a paranormal detective is original in the genre of mysteries. This use reflects both the time period the book occurs in as well as the opinions modern readers have about the past. Many authors in the early 1900s did work to debunk psychics and other elements of paranormal events. By including this historical element into his work, McCarver adds some weight and credibility to the topic. Unfortunately one could only wish that he researched his topic more in-depth. His characters exchange pounds rather than francs regardless of the fact the murder occurs in Paris. Also his descriptions of Hemingway portray him more as a slightly cynical yet polite young man, rather than the embittered, yet talented, alcoholic that he was. Any author that uses a character based upon a real person has a responsibility to maintain an accurate representation of that character; McCarver does not accept such responsibility. Also by including references to Hemingway¼s future works, the atmosphere surrounding this character is more „cutesy¾ than realistic. Sam McCarver¼s fifth book in the John Darnell series is weak. These flaws are reminiscent of a first book rather than a fifth. The book is composed primarily of dialogue and lacks the depth that is expected in any good work. All of the characters within THE CASE OF THE UNINVITED GUEST are stereotypes, not strong individual characters. As previously mentioned he does not have the ability as a writer to provide the complexity of Hemingway¼s character. Also, all of his other characters fit into cookie cutter roles. There is the teenage movie star searching for love in Paris and her mother who is attempting to control her life as well as live through her daughter. Penny is the traditional wife; Cynthia is the jilted wife etc. McCarver also does not have the ability to transition from information that is purely background to the dialogue that is the focus of the story. His attempts to explain Paris, both during the war and after, seem more like a history lesson. These history lessons are awkward and do not flow with the rest of the dialogue. THE CASE OF THE UNINVITED GUEST has a lot of potential; yet, the book does not live up to expectations. This book is non-confrontational and would satisfy a reader searching for escapism and light entertainment. That said, the book would appeal to a younger, inexperienced reader who would be able to overlook the flaws contained within the text.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, August 2002
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