The Radon File [Paperback]

Denise Vitola (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ace (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441006701
• ISBN-13: 978-0441006700
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,762,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Combination of Science Fiction and Mystery, March 19, 2000

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Radon File (Paperback)

I usually do not like dystopian novels. Current headlines are bad enough without looking into a future where the US has become enmeshed in an economic and ecological nightmare. I do like mystery novels though. I've always been fond of the theory that mysteries are popular in times of stress because they demonstate the triumph of order over chaos when the culprit is identified and the rule of law takes over. Which may explain why I like these novels.

Detective Ty Merrick due to an encounter with a defective heater's fumes, has become a modern lycanthrope. She has what she describes as "stretches" where she changes mentally and physically. Her partner LaRue collects Soviet Communism and drives an antique East German Trabrant with a spring necked plastic statue of Lenin that with each bump bobs its head and squeaks "comrade, comrade." They struggle to maintain order in a world where there are constant shortages, all officials are corrupt and most of the populations manages to bridge the gap between what is provided by the state and what they need to survive by scavaging while they rely on supersition and magic to try to gain some control of their environment.

Which leads back to the theory about mysteries. By continuing to do their job in the midst of intolerable conditions, Ty and LaRue show some order does exist, there is some hope when they suceed in solving a crime that order can be restored at least to some small part of the world.

the books, by the way, should be read sequentially to appreciate the evolving nature of Ty's lycanthropy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Combination of Science Fiction and Mystery, March 19, 2000

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Radon File (Paperback)

I usually do not like dystopian novels. Current headlines are bad enough without looking into a future where the US has become enmeshed in an economic and ecological nightmare. I do, however. like mystery novels. I've always been fond of the theory that mysteries are popular in times of stress because they demonstate the triumph of order over chaos when the culprit is identified and the rule of law restored. Which may explain why I like these novels so much.

Detective Ty Merrick due to an encounter with a defective heater, has become a modern lycanthrope. She has what she describes as "stretches" where she changes mentally and physically. This is not covered by her medical plan.

Her partner, LaRue, collects Soviet Communism and drives an antique East German Trabrant with a spring necked plastic statue of Lenin that with each bump bobs its head and squeaks "comrade, comrade." He also believes fervently in the effectiveness of magic spells to help control the external world.

Together, They struggle to maintain order in a world of constant shortages, where all officials are corrupt and most of the population manages to bridge the gap between what is provided by the state and what they need to survive by scavaging.

Which leads back to the theory about mysteries. By continuing to do their job in the midst of intolerable conditions, Ty and LaRue show that order can triumph over chaos, that there is some hope of resolution of the larger problems, and (in their loyalty to one another) that there is some interest other than self interest.

The books could best be considered police procedurals set in hell. They should, by the way, should be read sequentially to appreciate the evolving nature of Ty's lycanthropy.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Skip it., July 30, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Radon File (Paperback)

I was completely unimpressed by this book. The characters are undeveloped and do not gain any depth in the course of the novel. The plot is confused, and ineffective. Many of the events did not follow logically, and there was little basis for much of the plot.