The Smiling Affair [Hardcover]

I came to it wondering if it was going to be too "generic" for my tastes but was more than pleasantly surprised. "The Smiling Affair" does contain a strong plot and the scenes that show its hero, Jay Richards, pursue both the truth behind the ghost he's investigating and the nature of his ex-lover's disappearance are gripping, as good as those in any detective novel you're likely to read.

But what sets this novel apart from your standard "pot-boiler" is the slick quality of the writing and the character of Jay Richards himself. Jay is a wonderfully ironic personality, standing at a distance from everything going on in his life, exisiting in splendid and ironic isolation as he explores the mysteries which he finds himself involved in. Meanwhile, the writing is funny, lyrical, stylish and sexy.

If I had one reservation, it's that I'd like to have read even more about Jay's experiences in Ibiza. But this feels like nit-picking. There's no doubt that this is an entertaining read, but also a thought-provoking one too.

And then you relaize you're hooked, desperate to find out how it's all going to end up and unprepared to put the novel down...

One of the discussion forums I visit - palimpest.org - posted this review from "Time Out" magazine which probably puts it all into words better than I can:

THE SMILING AFFAIR - by JEREMY SHELDON
(Time Out review by Henry Archer, July 2005)

"Part detective story, part supernatural thriller, Jeremy Sheldon's first novel boasts some extremely skilful story-telling. You almost feel guilty for sitting back and letting the pages flutter past of an afternoon. However, "The Smiling Affair" is so absorbing that the guilt, and indeed the afternoon, are quickly forgotten. Jay Richards is a paranormal investigator - a sort of cross bewteen Jonathan Creek and Mike Hammer. Ghost-hunting, pot-smoking and bill-dodging, he scrapes his living from San Francisco's terminally stupid and lamentably lonely. But among the faulty plumbing and heavy-footed stalkers, he encounters the odd genuinely inexplicable case.

"Take Zelda Smiling, the twin sister of an ex-lover. She approaches Jay becasue the sister, Helena, has apparently run away with the neighbour, leaving her husband and a group of guests under duress at her family mansion. When ghosts start scaring the housekeeper and ancient portraits move in the night, Jay arrives with his EMF scanner and Geiger counter to investigate. And it's extremely good fun. As the story twists, the concentrated drive of the narrative is astounding - not many words are wasted, each efficient chapter thrusting hard to the point. This does mean, however, that the novels lacks resonance. Jay's relationship with Helena Smiling is recalled in scattered first-person chapters which do little to elucidate the nature of their love. The set-up, too, is naggingly formulaic in places. But such criticisms are neutralized by the force of the storytelling. "The Smiling Affair" might be light, but it's thoroughly entertaining."