As a merchant of books, I am always a little depressed to see what the summer readers are buying. I always thought of the summer as a time to dig into the tomes that you normally don't have the hours to devote to; "I could toss off a John Grisham novel in a day or so, but since I have a vacation, why not take a stab at War and Peace?"Nevertheless, I sometimes fall prey to an easy read, myself, and Fitzhugh's Radio Activity leaped upon me. This is a book I picked up for free from a cardboard box that a Stratford bookstore pulaces out front after hours. I tend to be less discerning with what I read when a book costs nothing, but I still try to pick something that sounds vaguely appealing. As I have mentioned before, I am generally not a fan of genre fiction, as it tends to be, by and large, poorly written. This mystery, however, is not at all illiterate, and I found it quite easy to engage with the story and its characters, and to finish reading it within a day.
The protagonist is a D.J. for a classic rock radio station-- an unlikely candidate to play detective, but an interesting character because he spends some time discussing music like the players in a Nick Hornby novel in between his crime-solving exploits.
I am eager to delve into a novel that is a little bit more dense, but whole heartedly enjoyed this humorous escapade as a poolside distraction.
