RUSSIAN NONSENSICAL

A cast of scrappy characters indulges in criminal, political, and romantic antics in Webster’s mystery novel.

From its sardonic opening line (“Clem Dudas learned the hard way that any of God’s glorious days can explode into a shit storm”) to its heartwarming conclusion, the pace of this irreverent novel never slows down. Clem is about to lead his snake-handling fundamentalist Christian group’s revival meeting, but his wife Arlene has disappeared, along with a male parishioner and—worst of all—his two favorite rattlers, Maynard and Dobie. Meanwhile, Bud Randolph is returning from his sister’s wedding to Los Angeles, where he works with his best friend, Stan, and Stan’s fiancé, Mel, in a small private investigation firm. (Bud and Stan’s detecting prowess and conflicting political views were first depicted in Webster’s 2022 novel, American Nonsensical.) Elsewhere, in a small town in Russia, a woman named Sveta hates Putin and yearns for a better life, and somewhere in the United States, an unnamed man is trapped in the trunk of a car with a couple of poisonous snakes. Between his sister’s joy, his partners’ lovey-dovey routine, and the 2020 presidential election, Bud feels angry and lonely. These seemingly unrelated threads begin to come together when Bud responds to a magazine ad headlined “BEAUTIFUL RUSSIAN WOMEN WANT TO MEET YOU,” Clem hires the firm to locate his beloved Maynard and Dobie, and a seemingly simple surveillance job unexpectedly lands Stan in hot water with the feds. Toss in a generous helping of domestic and international political shenanigans and the suspense ratchets up even more. Webster keeps the story lively by bouncing around the distinct points of view of Clem, Bud, Stan, Mel, and Sveta (plus, in a couple of chapters, the man in the trunk). Seeing each of the characters chase their dreams from both their own and each other’s perspective rounds out their warm, humorous, and plucky personalities. The intertwining threads of their wild personal and professional adventures add up to madcap fun.

A detective story that’s quirky, snarky, fun, and romantic.