Mystery [Paperback]

Peter Straub (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 1993

A dark, haunting, multi-layered story of detection and suspense from the acclaimed author of Koko, The Talisman and Mr X. First published in 1990 and now reissued in a new cover style. On the tiny Caribbean island of Mill Walk, the rich play tennis, polo and golf, trying to ignore the distasteful realities of life. So when Tom Pasmore, the grandson of a powerful establishment figure, develops a passion for detective work -- particularly murder cases -- his reputation undergoes a subtle darkening. One murder in particular fascinates Tom -- the 1925 killing of Jeanine Thielman at Eagle Lake, a resort patronized only by the cream of the island's upper crust community. But when he starts investigating the case, Tom arouses much more than mere disapproval. On the edge of a web of corruption, deceit and violence, he is in danger of uncovering the darkest secrets of the people who own and run Mill Walk.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a meaty tribute to mystery sub-genres, Straub ( Ghost Story ) serves up a coming-of-age tale, a country-manor murder mystery and a twisted knot of governmental corruption and cover-up. Ten-year-old Tom Pasmore, a rich resident of the Caribbean island of Mill Walk, is hit by a car and, in a near-death experience, sees visions of himself in the future. During his long recuperation, Tom reads mystery stories brought to him by Lamont von Heilitz, an eccentric neighbor, once a famous detective. Action resumes when Tom, now aged 17 and possessed of sharpened deductive skills, gives the police an anonymous tip to help them solve the murder of a government official's sister. Tom's tip backfires, motivating him to join Lamont in trying to solve a murder that took place 20 years earlier in the Wisconsin resort town where Mill Walk's privileged citizens spend their summers. That layered, complex case reveals a long history of corruption, leads to more murders, to realization of the meaning of Tom's early visions and his discovery of his true identity. While evocative of place and time (the early '60s) and peopled with memorable characters, the story tries to fit into too many subgenres to succeed completely at any one. $200,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'Superb! immensely readable, genuinely intriguing.' Washington Post 'Tour-de-force whodunnit from a writer of majestic talent. Straub has made the difficult transition from horror to mainstream dark fiction with an effortless ease of which most other writers can barely dream.' Northern Echo 'A satisfyingly complex thriller.' Time Out

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Grafton Books Harpercollins; paperback / softback edition (June 28, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0586209581
• ISBN-13: 978-0586209585
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,556,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the richest and most haunting stories ever written, February 22, 2001

By 

"chadwriter" (Washington, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystery (Paperback)

The "hook" with Peter Straub's novel was that a popular horror author has written a book titled "mystery". Had the author changed genres? This was what I wondered in High School when I first picked up the book. I had read Ghost Story (excellent) by Mr. Straub and was intrigued that he would write a book titled "mystery" with no apparent supernatural creatrues or doings found in the pages. But what authors like Peter Straub remind us of is that horror and fear and dread are all psychological in essence and that you can be scared and affected by a book that has no ghosts or no monsters. "Mystery" stands as a perfect novel in my eyes. While Ghost Story may be Straub's best "horror" novel, and one of the best ever I might add, this novel achieves greatness amongst ANY class of fiction. The characters are wonderful. Straub not only makes you love them, namely Tom Pasmore the antagonist and his mentor Lamont Von Heilitz, but he makes you be there WITH them. You long to learn the mysteries of the past. You long to learn the ways of a sleuth. I was right alongside Tom Pasmore in this story. I felt for him, I grieved with him, and I detected with him. Simple as that. The plot sounds simple but is so much more complex. Tom Pasmore, a young boy who is nearly killed in the beginning of the novel, takes up the art of mystery solving. He is fueled by a wonderful, reclusive neighbor who was once a "detective" himself. Tom then applies his knowledge to try and find a killer in the present and ultimately in the past. Mystery is about a young man's journey into adulthood and the hard truths about life. It is about realizing that secrets and untold truths swirl around us every day and that sometimes finding them out can be satisfying and other times dreadful. I left this story with a sadness in my heart. I simply didn;t want to leave the story. Mystery has suspense. Mystery has heartache. Mystery has, of course, a mystery. But what Mystery has most of is heart. It is simply one of the richest and most haunting stories you will ever read. One final note in case you didn't know. Mystery is the middle book of a trilogy that beings with Koko and ends with The Throat. You don't have to read Koko to read Mystery, and vice versa. But you DO have to read them both before reading The Throat. One more thing... The Throat is almost as good as Mystery. Almost.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully layered, complex, great read!, August 22, 2005

By 

Planet Lemlak "lemlak99" (kensington, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystery (Paperback)

This is such an unusual book, and completely addictive after I got the hang of his style. It started off a trifle slowly for me, but became so enjoyable in the character development and story that I went to bed earlier and earlier to read more before drifting off.

Art imitating life, things happened that he didn't neatly tie up and explain within two pages, either for the characters or for us. It's mouth-watering as you move among the richly described socio-economic strata, becoming aware of the depths and shallows of the characters and locales - nothing really single-dimension. True to life, his characters may be strong in some suit, but weak in others. I really enjoyed that Straub doesn't "tell us". He lets us tag along and observe, making our own judgements, as his main character experiences his love, pain, confusion, longings.

Don't think from my description that it's purely an emotional discovery type of book. Plenty of action that's valid (as opposed to gratuitous action scenes), some explained, some not till later.

WHOPPING GREAT READ. Take your time with it and savor it, as you'll be sad to put it down for the last time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a good wine ..., March 11, 2008

By 

Patrick (Orrtanna, PA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mystery (Hardcover)

In my childhood -- when summers lasted forever -- I enjoyed reading some books annually at our isolated northern cottage. Now retired, I still do.

Straub's "Mystery" is a good read. It might not rank up there with the so-called "classics" I studied in universities, but I still re-read it because it's a fascinating story about the mysteries in dying, loving, hating, growing up, and living in multiple worlds. It focuses on hope. Definitely not a fantasy or ghost story.

The AUDIO version, unfortunately, left out a lot of the "meat" that makes the book a good read, and is not worth listening to more than once.