Krapp's Last Cassette

by: Anne Argula

Published by: Ballantine Books

Reviewed by Patty Inglish, MS

Krapp’s Last Cassette, a mystery with a catchy name, contains a tightly woven psychological drama bound in ritualized child abuse, satanic murders, and the mental anatomies of several characters. The included transcripts of telephone calls captured on cassette recordings from the victims are chilling in their gentle manipulative undercurrents. (These events actually occur in 21st Century America and the public needs to be aware of them.)

The protagonist of the book, a female Baby Boomer that uses only the one name of “Quinn,” is not likable in the first two or three chapters. The character is enmeshed with experiencing menopausal symptoms and using sexually explicit profanity in order to seem somehow young and cutting edge. It all serves to make her seem pathetic and inept. Her more subtle observations are those with the most impact and importance. We see as she becomes engaged with a case, that she drops the language affectation and digs in to find precious metal. The last two-thirds of the book are therefore much better than the beginning.

A Hollywood screenwriter hires Quinn to prove the existence of a young boy suffering AIDS, TB, broken bones, sexual mutilation, and a vast list of other ailments and conditions that would confuse genius Gregory “House, MD” on the TV. The writer is ready to release an HBO movie about the boy, while a “Vanity Fair” reporter seeks to prove the boy doesn’t exist. The ensuing complex interactions of characters and the multiplicity of puzzle threads are quite compelling, making this book a fast read as pages fly.

One peripheral drawback to this story and its series is the use of a trio of stereotypically drunken Native Americans who Quinn calls “Indians,” that live on the street between her apartment building and her office building across the way. All of this is rather concrete minded and one wonders just how much of this woman is non-thinking conformist and what percentage is savvy private eye.

Krapp’s Last Cassette is a good escapist read for adults, particularly Baby Boomers and their seniors that enjoy a bit of the profane.

Armchair Interviews says: Good characters and a good read.