Additional Attendee
Paul, a part-time actor and full-time narcissist, just knows that his wife is having an affair with the dog trainer who lives upstairs in their luxury apartment building. But when he tries to catch them in the act, he finds the neighbor's corpse instead. And now he can't find his wife anywhere.
With only the building's alluring front desk person to help him, Paul must find the killer before the cops pin the murder on him. Soon, he discovers that his fellow over-privileged tenants aren't as bland as their jobs in digital marketing suggest, and he is drawn into a hidden world of greed, lust, and misused animal narcotics. But Paul's biggest obstacle to solving this mystery lies within himself. Can he stop lying, navel-gazing, and indulging in his own depression long enough to do some actual detective work? Or is the pool on the roof too damn enticing?
While serving up a who-done-it in the vein of Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorne and Horowitz series, Additional Attendee maintains the momentum and contains the grit of an Elmore Leonard novel. Along the way, it offers up a healthy dose of existential comedy in the tradition of Gary Shteyngart and Sam Lipsyte.
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"Harper's debut delivers a compelling mix of mystery and dark comedy... Harper's writing is crisp, witty, and conversational... The crime is layered and engaging, but not overly complex, and despite the wit the suspense is consistent as Harper deftly blends mystery, satire, and Brooklyn character study, all with impeccable scenecraft. Harper stages surprises, revelations, gags, and bursts of self-discovery with equal aplomb. Even readers steeped in the genre will find the ending a dazzling surprise with real emotional resonance." BookLife (Editor's Pick)
"[A] wryly told mystery . . . Harper does a deft job of producing red herrings that will misdirect even the savviest of armchair sleuths . . . A diverting whodunit with an unconventional sleuth!" Kirkus Reviews
"A smart, snarky, and satisfying high-rise mystery. Neurotic narration and a twisting plot make this first installment of the Paul Whatshisname Mystery series a refreshingly original and entertaining thriller." Self-Publishing Review, ★★★★1/2
"If you like mysteries, if you like characters that are humorously self-deprecating, if you ever wondered about life in a condo microcosm, then this is the book for you. It's a who-done-it, missing-spouse, on-the-lamb, murder-in-the-building kind of read. I highly recommend it." Reedsy
