Death Comes for the Deconstructionist: A Novel
Ebook
Overview
Jon Mote--grad school dropout and serial failure--has been hired to investigate the murder of his erstwhile mentor, Richard Pratt, a star in the firmament of literary theory. Feeling unequal to the task, Mote skitters on the edge of madness, trying to stifle the increasingly threatening voices in his head. His only source of hope is the dogged love of his developmentally disabled sister, Judy, who serves as cheerleader, critic, and moral compass. Death Comes for the Deconstructionist follows Mote and his sister through the streets and neighborhoods of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota--from crime scenes to the halls of academe. Mote's investigation uncovers a series of suspects--including the victim's wife, mistress, and intellectual rivals. Along the way he stumbles onto Pratt's terrible secret, one that prompts the discovery of an equally dark mystery from his own past. These revelations hasten Mote's descent into darkness, putting both him and Judy at grave risk. Death Comes for the Deconstructionist is a tragicomic mystery, a detective story that is at once suspenseful, provocative, and emotionally resonant. It asks not only "whodunit" but whether truth is ultimately something we create rather than discover.
"Daniel Taylor blends a passion for theology, civil rights, and
the saving grace of story in a mystery involving an unlikely pair
of underdog investigators--the psychologically broken Jon Mote and
his ever hopeful, developmentally challenged older sister, Judy.
Known primarily for his nonfiction books, Taylor displays the
natural skills of a crime writer in his debut novel set in the
world of academia. His plot begins conventionally, but eventually
evolves into something much deeper. Death Comes for the
Deconstructionist is a fascinating exploration of what is
ultimately good and true, a perfect choice for Slant's first
offering in the detective genre."
--Naomi Hirahara, Edgar Award-winning author of the Mas Arai and
Officer Ellie Rush mysteries
"This whodunit from Dan Taylor is a cause for celebration. His Jon
Mote rivals Harry Bosch, and Taylor's ventures into literature,
religion, and notions of progress shine, challenge, and stun. With
his remarkable sidekick, Judy, Jon Mote, "an expert on things he
wished he didn't know," is not simply looking into a puzzling
death. He is exploring his own odds of finding transformative life.
Great books are those that force readers to reexamine the very
ground on which they stand. Death Comes for the
Deconstructionist is such a book--a luminous
performance."
--Dale Brown, Director of Buechner Institute
"In Death Comes for the Deconstructionist, Daniel Taylor has
written not only a highly engaging murder mystery but also a
metaphysical page-turner--a strange and wonderful cross between
Walker Percy and G. K. Chesterton. His oddly reluctant Sherlock
Holmes is accompanied by the most unusual and heartwarming Watson
in my reading experience."
--Paul J. Willis, author of The Alpine Tales
"Jon Mote--by his own admission a clueless detective--is asked to
solve the murder of a renowned English professor. Despite his
bumbling efforts he discovers truth, not only concerning the murder
but, more profoundly, concerning himself and his painful past. This
witty, tragicomic novel slices a scalpel into the heart of the
modern university and lays bare the intellectual and spiritual
bankruptcy of its reigning ideologies."
--Hugh Cook, author of Heron River
"One part academic satire, one part mystery, and one part
theological investigation, this pleasingly disorienting novel packs
a wicked punch. Like life itself, Daniel Taylor gives us a story in
which all sorts of incongruous elements are jumbled together.
(Reality is not fastidious.) But is there--could there be--a
pattern nonetheless, a great design amid all the confusion?"
--John Wilson, Editor, Books & Culture
Product Details
- Title : Death Comes for the Deconstructionist: A Novel
- Author: Taylor, Daniel
- Publisher: Slant
- Publication Date: 2015
- ISBN: 9781630877262
Daniel Taylor is the author of eleven books, including The Myth of Certainty, Letters to My Children, Tell Me A Story, Creating a Spiritual Legacy, and, most recently, The Skeptical Believer: Telling Stories to Your Inner Atheist. He speaks frequently on a variety of topics. Dr. Taylor is married and the father of four adult children. Website: www.WordTaylor.com