The Man of Maybe Half-A-Dozen Faces: A Novel [Hardcover]

Ray Vukcevich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2000

Two dead, strangled with printer cables, and a beautiful woman in need of help: how can Skylight Howells resist this case?

Skylight confers with Dennis, Dieter, and Brian Dobson's other personalities before taking the case. Once they do, we're in for one of the wildest mysteries to come down the pipe in years -- a deadly combination of Neal Stephenson and Richard Brautigan. Mix yourself a veggie shake and enjoy this one!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For his debut, Vukcevich employs a clever gimmick: Skylight Howells, a private investigator based in Eugene, Ore., is either a master of disguise or a sufferer of multiple personality. While investigating local police chief Frank Wallace on suspicion of cheating on his wife, Howells is hired by the alluring Prudence Deerfield to search for her missing brother, Pablo. Pablo's partner in the computer-manual business, Gerald Moffitt, has been found murdered, strangled with "a standard IEEE-1284 compliant parallel interface cable," and Prudence fears her brother may be the next victim. Howells enters the world of cyberspace in quest of a killer whose victims are all authors of frustratingly difficult computer manuals. Whether this is intended as satire, only Vukcevich knows. In any case, his uneven tale is at its best when it leaves technotalk behind and focuses on detection. Howells, meanwhile, is an odd lead character who will appeal to some readers but alienate others, a loner who consults an Internet therapist, tap-dances in local bars for fun, and has a kit full of disguises, including Lulu, a gal with a diet problem, and Dieter, a Mexican-food chef. A few red herrings, such as a Russian connection, don't amount to much. In the end the murderer, whom Howells unmasks through the use of tap-dancing therapy, proves an unimaginative choice. Despite some entertaining bits, this is, overall, a less than scintillating first novel. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Brian Dobson, the multiple-personality gent of the title, uses his plural personae and a closetful of disguises to advance his private investigations: Skylight (detective), Dieter (Mexican chef), Dennis (computer nerd), Lulu (female operative), and others. The cases at hand concern the "off-stage" serial murders of bad computer documentation writers and whether a certain police detective is cheating on his wife. Brian's personalities usually work solo, but they are wont to have dead-pan brainstorming sessions to develop theories. Can a certified member of society's lunatic fringe become some kind of hero, comic or otherwise? Not here.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 245 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312246528
• ISBN-13: 978-0312246525
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,758,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ray Vukcevich lives in Oregon, has a daytime job at the University of Oregon, and published a novel last year, The Man With Maybe Half-a-Dozen Faces. His short stories are something not to be missed and have recently appeared on Scifiction, The Infinite Matriz, Strange Horizons, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery for Monty Python fans, January 13, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Man of Maybe Half-A-Dozen Faces: A Novel (Hardcover)

Private Investigator Skylight Howells hangs his hat in Eugene, Oregon. Many sleuths call Oregon their home, but none have the various personalities like Sky has. In fact Sky is only one of Brian Dobson's personas. These include Dennis the math nerd, Dieter the chef, Scarface with the hideous visage, Lulu the one who goes where others cannot, and Tag the common man.

Perhaps Mr. Dobson suffers from multiple personality disorder or maybe he is just an eccentric actor who buries himself in his role. However, whatever the cause, it does not matter since each of the personalities work towards the same common goal of solving a case, whether it is finding out whether a spouse is cheating or tracking down a murder.

This novel is one of the most unusual tales ever written. The personas constantly switch roles and the narration changes from first person to third and back again. This makes for a wild ride for the reader trying to absorb everything as the protagonist(s?) keeps the story line moving. The scene where all the personas meet in cyberspace is humorous in a Mad Magazine sort of way. Fans of Monty Python or Mel Brooks (the early works) will enjoy this eccentric mystery.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good-natured and absorbing read, June 3, 2000

By 

Susan R. Matthews (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Man of Maybe Half-A-Dozen Faces: A Novel (Hardcover)

On the face of it (or the dust jacket) this might easily have turned into a "gimmick" book, what with tap-dancing twelve-step programs, multiple personalities, and eboards providing real-time commentary on events as they unfold. Vukcevich avoids that trap, however.

The technical underpinnings of his novel are flawless, and each and every potential "gimmick" fully supports its piece of the plot mechanics. Nothing is thrown away here, nothing is wasted, and it all comes together in the end without straining credulity or over-burdening one's suspension of disbelief.

I haven't had so much fun with a novel since I read Daniel Pinkwater's books about the Snark-out Boys.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Juicer Noir, April 11, 2000

By 

Greg Henrikson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man of Maybe Half-A-Dozen Faces: A Novel (Hardcover)

A good, funny mystery. Without spoiling anything, I can say Vukcevich gives the reader compulsive tap dancing, juicer-pushing Russians, some original virtual reality, and a neon "TOFU" sign flashing outside the detective's office. He does a great job with the detective's multiple personalities (which could not have been easy). The novel isn't too "technical" at all, nor is its appeal limited to the computer geek set. My only complaint is with a few of the secondary characters, who seemed a little two-dimensional and wavering. I expect this will improve with future novels (which I eagerly await). I also wish Vukcevich had pushed the boundaries a bit more. The novel toys with surreal comedy in some wonderful moments, but always comes back down to standard mystery themes. Overall, a very promising first novel well worth the price. Vukcevich is an author to watch, if not a name to pronounce.