The Awful Truth About the Herbert Quarry Affair

The author of The Awful Truth About the Herbert Quarry Affair is apparently Marco Ocram (Marco spelled backwards, get it?). The story tells how Marco writes a mystery in which he is both the novelist and the lead character. Got it? If not, don’t worry. Sit back and enjoy the hilarious ride.

Marco’s literary mentor is the Herbert Quarry of the title. He advises Marco to throw away all literary conventions, eschew any thought of a plot, and simply write whatever pops into his head. The result is riotously funny literary mayhem, with Marco constantly worrying about the quality of his prose and wondering what will “pop into his head” next to move the improbable plot forward. Is there a mystery in all of this?

Indeed, there is. Hebert was found kneeling in a pool of blood and surrounded by the cut-up pieces of fifteen-year-old Lola Kellogg. Convinced Herbert was framed, Marco, the would-be novelist, makes up a series of suspects––a scorned woman, a possibly corrupt police officer, a billionaire industrialist, a world-famous professor of psychology, and so on. Marco, as the story’s protagonist, pursues each in a madcap romp that ends in a chaotic conclusion. This truly original book must be read to be believed.