Review by Sharon Brunner
Adam Dompierre’s Paint An Inch Thick revealed a madcap mystery in which the main character, Eddie London, encountered murder, greed, dark secrets and mind-boggling acts of deception. The story takes place in California during the 1980s. Other characters, who made multiple appearances throughout the book were Janie from the bar called the Silver Rabbit, Curly, an art thief, Tony, Eddie’s friend and partner in crime, Crosley, the corrupt leader of the Manticore Company and Hannah, a receptionist for the Manticore Company. The purpose of the aforementioned company was rather ambiguous. The hopes and dreams promoted by the company could go awry. London discovered disturbing revelations during his investigation as a Private Investigator when he delved into aforementioned company’s business operations.
The themes that appeared throughout the book were unrealistic expectations; fear and manipulation; greed; and dedication. Crosley placed expectations on London as soon as he was hired while he was unclear what the mission of the company entailed. London met an art thief and felt the rational behind the Manticore company was greed. Hannah and other employees of the Manticort Company felt fear and intimidation when Crosley coerced them to follow his orders. Both Hannah and London demonstrated dedication when they took steps to find missing people and put their lives in danger. A wife took her life in her own hands when she tried to see her husband. London felt remorse because he could not return her husband to her.
I liked how Dompierre portrayed London in his new role of working for Manticort. How he slipped into the organization to see what it was about and ended up getting a job even though he was dressed in casual attire. London became suspicious of the company but afraid to rock the boat at first. Hannah, Crosley’s receptionist, stepped up to help London and at the same time someone she cared about was rescued. The twist at the end of the book created a lot of questions about who one of the characters actually were and what role they played. This book brought back a lot of memories for me. Back in 2005 we, meaning my spouse and I, were convinced to join a company by family members that ended up being a pyramid scheme. The company promoted the same things such as hope and happiness. They provided inspirational compact discs that we had to pay for that cheered us on while we sold their products. The company was called “The Team.” I am not sure if it is still functioning. I questioned some of the strange practices.
The book that came to mind was one I recently read that was Peril at End House by Agatha Christie. One of the main characters even had Hercule Poirot baffled. She pretended to be a person whose life was in danger to cover up her plot to take over a rich man’s fortune. The plot of the book involved greed, deception and manipulation. Dompierre had one of his main characters pretend to be a Manticort employee and some of the themes involved greed and manipulation. A television show that came to mind was “Monk” played by Tony Shalhoub. He was placed in roles in which he had to pretend to be someone else such as the episode when he had to pose as a crime syndicate boss and when he played the role of a store clerk. His character had more difficulty portraying the high-ranking criminal like London who did not want to pull in any of his friends into the company he did not trust so he paid them and warned them to be careful. Some of my fondest memories were when I filled roles in plays pretending to be someone else but none of my roles involved criminal behavior.
I recommend Paint An Inch Thick for its suspense, because of its surprise ending, likeable and realistic characters and its enduring plot to save individuals from harmful situations. Dompierre’s characters such as Hannah and London were placed in roles that placed them in danger. Both had the same thing in mind which was to save people from potentially unsafe situations. London was awkward at first in his new role as a Private Investigator but did not let that stop him from carrying out his commitments. Janie, a barmaid, ended up being one of London’s friends. Why she worked in that violent dive bar was beyond my comprehension. Some of the main characters were placed in multiple threatening circumstances. Warren Hyde sent a letter at the end of the book which made him sound like he was Curly, someone who became London’s confidant. However, Curly may have been murdered which brought up a lot of questions. Dompierre brought to life in this book a lot of intrigue, an unorthodox investigation and a dangerous cult.
Title: Paint An InchThick
Author: Adam Dompierre
