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Punk Planet Books: The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno 2006 Paperback ex-library
US $2.75
ApproximatelyS$ 3.58
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Condition:
“Ex-library--stamps, stickers, and plastic on the cover; the book has a bend to it, and some where at ”... Read moreabout condition
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Shipping:
US $4.47 (approx S$ 5.82) USPS Media MailTM.
Located in: Bigfork, Montana, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Mon, 17 Nov and Thu, 20 Nov to 94104
Returns:
60 days return. Seller pays for return shipping.
Coverage:
Read item description or contact seller for details. See all detailsSee all details on coverage
(Not eligible for eBay purchase protection programmes)
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:235981987842
Item specifics
- Condition
- Acceptable
- Seller Notes
- Country of Origin
- United States
- Modification Description
- Ex-library--stamps, stickers, and plastic on the cover.
- Signed
- No
- Ex Libris
- No
- Title
- The Boy Detective Fails
- Narrative Type
- Fiction
- Age Level
- Adults
- Inscribed
- No
- Modified Item
- Yes
- Vintage
- No
- Type
- Novel
- Era
- 2000s
- Special Attributes
- 1st Edition, Ex-Library
- Personalized
- No
- Features
- Ex-Library
- ISBN
- 9781933354101
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Akashic Books
ISBN-10
1933354100
ISBN-13
9781933354101
eBay Product ID (ePID)
57164786
Product Key Features
Book Title
Boy Detective Fails
Number of Pages
320 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2006
Topic
Psychological, Literary, Mystery & Detective / General
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Fiction
Book Series
Punk Planet Bks.
Format
Perfect
Dimensions
Item Height
1 in
Item Weight
9.9 Oz
Item Length
7.6 in
Item Width
5.4 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
TitleLeading
The
Dewey Edition
22
Reviews
A radiantly creative masterpiece . . . Meno's imaginative genius spins heartache into hope within this fanciful growing-up tale that glows like no other., The search for truth, love, and redemption is surprising and absorbing. Swaddled in melancholy and gentle humor, it builds in power as the clues pile up., This is postmodern fiction with a head and a heart, addressing such depressing issues as suicide, death, loneliness, failure, anomie, and guilt with compassion, humor, and even whimsy. Meno's best work yet; highly recommended., At the bottom of this Pandora's box of mirthful absurdity, there's heartbreak and longing, eerie beauty and hope., Mood is everything here, and Meno tunes it like a master . . . a full-tilt collision of wish-fulfillment and unrequited desires that's thrilling, yet almost unbearably sad.
Series Volume Number
0
Dewey Decimal
813.54
Synopsis
In the twilight of a mysterious childhood full of wonder, Billy Argo, boy detective, is brokenhearted to find that his younger sister and crime-solving partner, Caroline, has committed suicide. Ten years later, Billy, age thirty, returns from an extended stay at St. Vitus' Hospital for the Mentally Ill to discover the world full of unimagi-nable strangeness: office buildings vanish without reason, small animals turn up without their heads, and cruel villains ride city buses to complete their evil schemes. Lost within this unwelcoming place, Billy finds the companionship of two lonely, extraordinary children, Effie and Gus Mumford--one a science fair genius, the other a charming, silent bully. With a nearly forgotten bravery, Billy treads from the unendurable boredom of a telemarketing job, stumbles into the awkward beauty of a desperate pickpocket named Penny Maple, and confronts the nearly impossible solution to the mystery of his sister's death. Along a path laden with hidden clues and codes that dare the reader to help Billy decipher the mysteries he encounters, the boy detective may learn the greatest secret of all: the necessity of the unknown. Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2006 *STARRED REVIEW* "What happens when a Hardy Boy grows up? Mood is everything here, and Meno tunes it like a master, even though such a task initially appears impossible. Billy Argo, resident boy detective of his small New Jersey burg, seems to have inherited the aura of brains, fearlessness and rigid moral compass that always served the likes of Encyclopedia Brown in such good stead. Billy solves crimes and foils villains without breaking a sweat, aided by younger sister Caroline and heavyset friend Fenton. Their successes are trumpeted in newspaper headlines straight out of kids' adventure books ('Boy Detective Solves Fatal Orphanage Arson'), prompting suspicions that what the author has in mind is a long and ironic riff on children's fiction. But the book takes a dark turn as the years pass. Billy continues solving crimes and generally being a prodigy ('College Now For Boy Detective'), but Caroline slips into depression and ultimately commits suicide. Her brother winds up in an asylum as a result, not re-entering the world until he's 30. This is the point at which Meno, a tricky postmodernist who likes to embed separate story capsules on blank pages and leave nonsense words in the margins, might be expected to throw the curtain back, showing that our hero was crazy all along, no crimes were solved and his whole life was a lie. Instead, the author gives Billy a gallery of rogues to combat and even sends him to investigate the Convocation of Evil at a local hotel ('Featured Panel: To Wear a Mask?'). Meno sets himself a complicated task, marooning his straight-arrow, pulp-fiction protagonist in a world uglier than the Bobbsey Twins ever faced but refusing to go for satire. Instead, the author takes his compulsive investigator at face value. A full-tilt collision of wish-fulfillment and unrequited desires that's thrilling, yet almost unbearably sad." BOOKLIST, July 2006 *STARRED REVIEW* Comedic, imaginative, empathic, and romantic, Meno, whose diverse works of fiction include Hairstyles of the Damned (2004) and Bluebirds Used to Croon in the Choir (2005), is particularly attuned to the intensity of childhood and its lifelong resonance. In this cartoony and dreamlike novel, Billy Argo of Gotham, New Jersey, receives a True-Life Junior Detective Kit for his tenth birthday, and in no time, the gifted boy detective becomes front-page news as he thwarts comic-book villains with the help of his younger sister, Caroline. But Caroline commits suicide,, Following the best seller Hairstyles of the Damned (more than 100,000 copies sold) with a spectacular coming-of-age-30 tale, Joe Meno proves once again why he's the hottest indie author in America. Also check out Office Girl, Demons in the Spring, How the Hula Girl Sings, and Tender as Hellfire., Child prodigy Billy Argo confronts his sister's suicide and his own psychological trauma, while trying to reconcile his fame as a boy detective with the process of aging and the loss of his innocence., "A delicate blend of whimsy and edginess. Meno packs his novel with delightful subtext." -- Entertainment Weekly "Comedic, imaginative, empathic, atmospheric, archetypal, and surpassingly sweet, Meno's finely calibrated fantasy investigates the precincts of grief, our longing to combat chaos with reason, and the menace and magic concealed within everyday life." -- Booklist , Starred Review In the twilight of a mysterious childhood full of wonder, Billy Argo, boy detective, is brokenhearted to find that his younger sister and crime-solving partner, Caroline, has committed suicide. Ten years later, Billy, age thirty, returns from an extended stay at St. Vitus' Hospital for the Mentally Ill to discover the world full of unimaginable strangeness: office buildings vanish without reason, small animals turn up without their heads, and cruel villains ride city buses to complete their evil schemes. Lost within this unwelcoming place, Billy finds the companionship of two lonely, extraordinary children, Effie and Gus Mumford--one a science fair genius, the other a charming, silent bully. With a nearly forgotten bravery, Billy treads from the unendurable boredom of a telemarketing job, stumbles into the awkward beauty of a desperate pickpocket named Penny Maple, and confronts the nearly impossible solution to the mystery of his sister's death. Along a path laden with hidden clues and codes that dare the reader to help Billy decipher the mysteries he encounters, the boy detective may learn the greatest secret of all: the necessity of the unknown., In the twilight of a mysterious childhood full of wonder, Billy Argo, boy detective, is broken-hearted to find that his younger sister and crime-solving partner, Caroline, has committed suicide. Ten years later, Billy, age 30, returns from an extended stay at St Vitus' Hospital for the mentally ill to discover the world full of unimaginable strangeness. Billy finds the companionship of two lonely, extraordinary children and, with a nearly forgotten bravery, he falls in love and confronts the nearly impossible solution to the mystery of his sister's death.
LC Classification Number
PS3563.E53
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- e***r (92)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseThis is a great purchase. Just as described. The detail is so intricate can’t wait to use it. P and F Tradables gave me a great price and shipping was low. Packaged well with plenty of bubble wrap. Shipped quickly very happyVintage 1990s Avon Farmyard Friends Copper Mold: Sheep Tin Lined Hanging (#235824341667)
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Seller feedback (4,261)
- s***a (13)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseSeller’s communication was helpful and timely. Item shipped quickly and arrived as described. Item was made of stoneware and packaged very safely to prevent breakage.Pottery Barn Mason Stoneware Mug Smooth Microwave & Dishwasher Safe Matte White (#335929355120)
- e***r (92)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseThis is a great purchase. Just as described. The detail is so intricate can’t wait to use it. P and F Tradables gave me a great price and shipping was low. Packaged well with plenty of bubble wrap. Shipped quickly very happyVintage 1990s Avon Farmyard Friends Copper Mold: Sheep Tin Lined Hanging (#235824341667)
- i***b (575)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseQuick shipping, accurate description, well packed, good price.