Eye of the Cricket (A Lew Griffin Novel) [Paperback]

James Sallis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 1998 | Series: A Lew Griffin Novel

This new Lew Griffin novel which follows on from 'Long Legged Fly', 'Moth' and 'Black Hornet', finds the detective searching for his lost son...and himself in the process. When a derelict appears in a New Orleans hospital claiming to be Lewis Griffin it starts the beginning of a quest that will take Griffin into his own past while he tries to deal in the present with a search for three missing young men. Powerful and intriguing, literate and satisfying, 'Eye of the Cricket' finds Sallis at his very best.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

His fourth book in the Lew Griffin series proves once again that James Sallis is one of the most death-defying writers working in the mystery genre. Readers who have the persistence to untangle a twisted time line and go with the peculiar flow of Sallis's unique prose will find many rewards. Griffin, a New Orleans-based, 50-ish African American novelist, teacher, and occasional detective, dots his twisting tale with dozens of references to the act of writing, plus verbal samplings of everyone from James Joyce to Emily Dickinson. Griffin is obsessed with searches for missing children: a 15-year-old boy named Delany who has dropped into a dangerous world of drugs; the somewhat older son of Griffin's best friend, who also seems determined to destroy himself; and David, Griffin's own, long-gone son. Looking for a connection to David, Griffin abandons his hard-won sobriety and sets out on a drunken quest through some of New Orleans's seediest sectors. There's not much mystery in this long section, but it leads to an ending that will have you on the edge of your seat. Previous books in the Griffin series available in paperback include Black Hornet and Moth. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Series protagonist Lewis Griffin (see Black Hornet, LJ 9/1/94), fiftyish writer, part-time college instructor, and sometimes sleuth in New Orleans, searches for a client's missing son. He also hunts for a briefly hospitalized man who claims to be Lewis (though without the writer's block). Neighbors, meanwhile, ask him to look out for the teenagers who have been terrorizing the area. After stumbling across several murder victims, Lewis wonders about his own long-lost son as well. The author's quiet skill shines forth in the vibrant surroundings, literate prose, and skillful and diverse characterizations. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: No Exit Press; 1st ed edition (April 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1874061777
• ISBN-13: 978-1874061779
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Started on a whole new mystery series and a fine writer., June 30, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Cheney, WA US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eye of the Cricket (Lew Griffin Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Am a regular reader of mysteries. How I'd missed Sallis I don't know. I am pleased to "discover" him and his wonderful characters. He has a fine feel for my favorite city to visit: New Orleans, and gives a sound psychological sense to his characters. Even the minor characters stand out as people I would be interested to know. I took several quotes from the book and introduced them to a class I was teaching on Human Identity. The words just fit right into the context of the class. Now I've read Black Hornet and am waiting for more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Social commentary posing as noir mystery, April 30, 2008

By 

Chris Greenwood "Tree" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eye of the Cricket (Paperback)

Eye of the Cricket is the 4th Lew Griffin novel and begins similarly to the others with Lew attempting to locate a missing person. Although Lew has no real vested interest in finding the brother of one of his students, Lew naturally takes on this role even if it interferes with his job as a college professor. The irony is that Lew's own son is missing, and he has no clues where to look until a bum appears at a local hospital with one of Lew's books that he'd given to his son years ago.

As with the other Lew Griffin novels, the focus is not on the mystery but more on the inner struggle that Lew goes through, having dealt with the loss of so many loved ones and trying to reconcile. This book is really more of a social commentary, and the noir feeling to it beautifully highlights the struggles that Lew and all of us have to deal with. Lew just allows himself to sink to lower depths than most people would ever consider, giving him a different and well-rounded perspective.

The writing here is outstanding. Occasionally I'd have to pause in my reading just to bask in the perfection. For lack of a better word, it's just so poetic. The words and tone are spot-on, and many scenes are so wonderfully illustrated that I found myself smiling with satisfaction after reading them. Sallis doesn't waste any words yet still conveys the emotions and impressions of his characters so well. These novels leave such an impact that I'm always left wanting to read the next one.

2.0 out of 5 stars Threadbare plot, but some nice writing, February 9, 2012

By 

Cary Watson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eye of the Cricket (Paperback)

This is the first I've heard of James Sallis, although it turns out the film Drive was based on his novel of the same name. And he's written a sequel called, naturally enough, Driven. I'm guessing the third in the series will be called Driving. Anyway, Cricket is one of seven novels Sallis has written featuring private detective Lew Griffin. Griffin is black, a resident of New Orleans, and in this novel a part-time university prof teaching modern literature and French. Reading between the lines it would seem that Griffin was once more of a full-time private dectective.

Cricket presents the problem of the crime writer who doesn't appear to be all that interested in writing about crime. In this novel Griffin investigates a couple of missing persons cases in a laidback sort of way that involves a lot of eating and drinking in colourful New Orleans eateries while asking questions of obligingly talkative friends and acquaintances. In this way we get an engaging tour of the city, but there isn't really any detection going on. And the final 40 or so pages have Griffin living on the street in order to find his son who disappeared in New York several years previously. The missing son portion the story is poorly developed and makes for a limp, saccharine finale.

Sallis isn't the first crime writer to lose interest in crime. Michael Dibdin's series of mysteries featuring Comissario Aurelio Zen eventually became mood pieces with a bit of crime on the side. American mystery writer K.C. Constantine hit the wall after nine books about Mario Balzic, the Chief of Police of Rocksburg, PA. He rejuvenated himself by retiring Balzic and writing about his replacement, but before that happened his last two Balzic novels were nothing more than extended rants about life in America under Ronald Reagan.

Sallis' focus in this novel is on Griffin coping with middle age and dealing with the demons of his past. Sallis is a good writer, sometimes a fine writer with a Faulknerian way with words, but his ability to craft prose can't disguise the fact that he isn't really interested in telling a story. Another sign that Sallis is more interested in creating a literary novel is that he has Griffin quoting and referencing famous authors at a furious clip. That kind of thing is never a good idea; it always seems to be a substitute for storytelling. I can't recommend this book, but I'm curious to see if Sallis is a more disciplined writer in Drive and the earlier Griffin novels.

Read more of my reviews at JettisonCocoon dot com.