Edited Out: A Mysterious Detective Mystery

Duffy Madison is a fictional detective. Or at least he was, until he showed up on the doorstep of writer Rachel Goldman. Rachel finds herself stymied in her efforts to write his fictional adventures while there’s a real Duffy Madison running around. But as she’s drawn into a missing person case that might be tied to Duffy’s identity, she can’t help but wonder…can she trust him? And if she can, will this new case bring answers, more questions, or a sinister end to them both?

The Mysterious Detective Mysteries center around a very intriguing idea — a writer being confronted by her creation — and seeing Rachel and other characters pal around with their own Sherlock Holmes-type is a hoot. It’s a nice literary-infused take on the K-PAX idea, and Copperman is clearly having fun with it.

Unfortunately, nobody in the book is exactly likable, from the investigators to the suspects to Duffy himself, and it’s hard to find someone to root for amid all the snapping and backbiting.

Edited Out thrives on its existential mysteries, and if the characters can settle into their roles a bit, I suspect Copperman will find this series has plenty of legs.