Long in the Tooth

by: David Turrill

Published by: The Toby Press

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart

It's not often that I run across what I consider a suspense novel packed with literary references and allusions, so I was thrilled when I read page one of David Turrill's fourth novel, Long in the Tooth. And the thrills just kept coming!

It's Tin Balune's thirtieth birthday and his life is a shambles. His mother died in an auto accident when Tin and his brother Satchel were teenagers. Then Tin stole his Satchel's girlfriend, although he didn't plan on it--and married her. Satchel murdered Tin's wife and has been on the lam ever since. Their father couldn't take it anymore and committed suicide. Tin hired a private detective to find Satchel, but Satch always seems a week or two ahead. The boys, now men, haven't spoken or seen each other in years.

Tin feels like a loser and plans to take his life by drilling a hole in a rowboat and drowning in Michigan's Loon Lake. Luckily, before he has the chance, his friend Jim Beam knocks him out and he's semi-rescued by the teenage Moira Sweeney, whose father lives in the neighboring cabin. The twist of events allows Tin to learn that Satchel wants to makeup, but that's only the beginning of a novel that twists and turns like a loose leaf in a tornado.

When I read the back cover, I thought there would be a lot of baseball references. There are some but nothing so obscure that sports-challenged readers won't understand. If I get it, anybody can. I also thought that the "Satchel" would be a fictional version of the great baseball player Satchel Paige, especially since Turrill's Satchel is also a baseball phenom, but it's not. The elder Mr. Balune had an affinity for baseball and named his sons after two of the greatest players. Tin's given name is Tinker (as in Tinker to Evers to Chance).

Some would call Long in the Tooth's structure inconsistent. The sports and literary motifs provide interesting juxtapositions throughout the storyline. The first half is written in a more literary style while the second half is written in the predictable thriller mode, with an added dollop of the romance genre for fun.

Armchair Interviews says: Love, murder, intrigue--and good writing--all in the same book.