Author Mark Shaiken delivers a character-driven battle between history and finance in Automatic Stay, the second installment of his 3J Mystery series, a nuanced legal thriller that is also a love letter to Kansas City, celebrating the diversity of history, architecture, music, and culture that makes the city shine.
In an attempt to revitalize the music scene of Kansas City, the wealthy Rapinoes boldly invested in jazz clubs and the money kept rolling in, until Covid crippled the country and shuttered stages – a setup for an incredibly timely mystery. Their ambitious businesses and venues took a major hit, but they found little mercy from their capitalistic lender.
Philip Dewey initially appears to be a money-driven monster epitomizing the nightmare side of the American dream, making it easy for readers to identify the villain of this story. However, getting a peek at the traumatic conditions that shaped him creates a surprising level of complexity in this thoughtful thriller about success, struggle, and unfairly tipped scales. His craven greed is a bit too much for him to achieve redemption in the novel, but his abusive past serves as a reminder for readers that “villains” are rarely simple, and often deeply damaged themselves.
3J, on the other hand, is a tireless defender of her bankruptcy clients and a music-driven maven, making her a uniquely colorful protagonist to follow. She is confident, funny, curious, and kind, particularly when it comes to those who need her help. Aided by the loyal Pascale, a KC history buff and a wicked guitar player who works alongside 3J on her cases, they dig into a tangled mess of debts, loans, collateral, and hidden motives. Pascale’s three-dimensionality as a grieving widower seeking his next chapter in life makes him an intriguing and emotionally engaging foil.
Torn from events of recent memory, namely the pandemic and the webs of financial devastation it left across the world, this novel taps into our contemporary fears and ongoing challenges, including malicious social media campaigns on the newest battlefields of modern life. There is a slight political bent to some of the writing, generally defending the little guy being crushed by corporate greed, but this doesn’t dominate or overshadow the impartial focus on legalese. The prose occasionally gets too technical with legal jargon and Chapter 11 bankruptcy details, but that’s the delicate line of engagement this series must maneuver; it isn’t always the most glamorous corner of the legal world.
From a technical standpoint, the writing is strong, with a whip-smart narrative voice, splashes of humor and lightness, as well as the flexibility to be dark, descriptive, and visceral, though some passages could do with a trim. There are some grammatical errors and too-informal prose, along with a tendency towards over-exposition, but the rich detail in setting and character delivers an immersive read.
Overall, this stylish and cutting-edge mystery blurs genre lines and patiently unfurls its gripping plot, firmly establishing this series as an original stand-out in the genre.
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