Dear Mr. M, and The Black Dahlia (A Crime Graphic Novel)

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Title: Dear Mr. M
Author: Herman Koch
Publication Date: September 6, 2016
Genre: Psychological Suspense
Recommended If You Like: a book within a book, a (fictional) true crime, musings, psychology, the mind of a writer

The Book:

M is an author who got success writing about a real-life mysterious (and unsolved) disappearance of a teacher. Struggling to write anything else that popular, M is now being carefully watched by his neighbor, who seems to have something he is dying to contribute.

What I Liked:

This is such an interesting concept. There are multiple unreliable narrators, including M himself, and readers are never sure who to trust (if anyone). And I love a good book within a book, especially if it's a mystery/crime story.

The ending packed a powerful punch too. I definitely didn't see it coming.

Anything I Didn't Like?

The book seemed to drag on sometimes. Koch seems to love to muse, and his musings can be meandering and quite long.

So...?

I have to admit, I almost didn't finish this book two or three times in the beginning, but something about it just kept me drawn in. Koch certainly knows how to build suspense, and that suspense keeps you hooked. You have to know what is going to happen.

This is a recently released graphic novel, and a really well-done one. I read it in one day, not wanting to put it down.

If you have read James Ellroy's novel, you will be familiar with the storyline, as this graphic novel is adapted from that novel. The Black Dahlia is narrated by a cop, who has his life turned upside down when he and his partner are brought in to help investigate the Black Dahlia murder. 

Ellroy takes the true crime of the Black Dahlia, and puts his own spin on it. Where he takes it can sometimes go a bit off the rails, but he makes it work, and the graphic novel keeps that spirit. The artistry of the illustrations is really excellent, and makes you feel like you are right in the noir.

I would definitely recommend this graphic novel.