Romulus Ledbetter is one of the most usual protagonists that I have met in a long while. And I found myself not only intrigued by his complex character but liking him very much. Rom used to be a brilliant piano student at the Julliard School of Music. He was a wonder on the keyboard and his compositions were extraordinary, according to his peers, professors and other musicians. When his girlfriend, Sheila, got pregnant, he married her and quit school to get a job that paid enough to support his new family. Then he began to manifest unusual behavior, which grew increasingly worse. He stopped making music, left his beloved daughter and wife, and moved into a cave. That was years ago. Doctors diagnosed him as a "well compensated" paranoid, with, perhaps, some schizophrenic overtones. He is deemed "well compensated" because, although he lives in a shallow cave in New York City's Inwood Park, he is able to take care of himself. He grows his own food during the warmer months and scavenges during the winter. Of course, it helps that his daughter Lulu, a NYPD cop, keeps an eye on him. And, when he is not having "fits," his logic is just fine and his high IQ shines through. He is called "The Caveman" by all who know him or know of him. Hallucinations, visions of his ex-wife, Sheila, looking as young as she did when they were first married, keep appearing before his eyes. She scolds him and dispenses advice as needed. Lulu visits him, in reality - not another figment of his imagination - and loves her father, who is still as kind and loving to her as he was when she was a little girl. Rom is convinced that a man by the name of Cornelus Gould Stuyvesant controls the world with Y-rays from the top of the Chrysler Building. He believes that he was brought to Stuyvesant's attention because he is a "free" man! And this curdles Stuyvesant's blood! A "free man busting through to his own divinity, right?" "Ghetto kid making it at Julliard. Making a name for himself? Young composer? Hot, jumping? Getting his notes straight from God." He also believes that his mind is inhabited by moth-like angels. On an especially cold night on February 14, Rom hears the sound of footsteps outside his cave. Swaddled in various coats and blankets, he leaves his shelter and finds a frozen body. He knows that this is not just another homeless man who froze to death. The person who made the sound of footsteps probably left the body at his front door, he deduces. The frozen corpse couldn't have walked there. The dead man is handsome, and well-dressed, without a mark on his body, according to the medical examiner. His wallet ID reveals his name, Andrew Scott Gates, an unemployed model. Rom insists that he saw a man in a fancy white coat driving a fancy white car leaving the "crime scene." Rom is determined to find the murderer, even though the police, who ignore his ramblings, determine that the death was caused by accidental hypothermia. But, Romulus found Gates and his sense of justice and responsibility kicks in. Of course, he is convinced that Stuyvesant, or one of his minions, is the killer. Rom is forced to reconnect with society because of his investigation. He leaves the narrow confines of his cave and journeys into the wider world, trying to keep his fits at bay. A homeless ex-lover of Scott's tells him that the murder was perpetrated by the famous avant-garde photographer, David Leppenraub. Leppenraub, according to rumor, is into drugs and sadomasochistic behavior. Apparently, Scott was the model Leppenraub used in most of his bizarre photographs. Rom hooks up with a former fellow student and musician who knows Leppenraub, and manages to wangle an invitation to one of the photographer's parties with the understanding that he will play for his supper, so to speak. Of course, he hasn't touched a piano in years. As the story unfolds, the reader is caught up in a tale of deception, violence, mystery and a man's struggle against his madness. One of the most fascinating aspects of the novel is viewing the world through Romulus' sometimes deranged, sometimes almost normal mind. The extremely well written narrative is quirky and occasionally humorous. And the characters, especially the protagonist's, are very well developed. I really liked this most original novel and highly recommend it.
I first saw the film that was based on this book many years ago and fell in love with it. It never occurred to me to read the book, though, because thrillers aren't my usual thing. A few years ago, a friend recommended the book to me without realizing that the movie even existed. This put it on my radar, but it still took me a while to decide that I was in the mood to read it.I enjoyed the book. The author does a great job of presenting the story from the titular character's perspective without making the story too disjointed. The descriptions of the settings and characters were great, although most of the characters were a little flat; they'd have one or two interesting characteristics that made them part of the story but there wasn't much to them beyond that. A dog is presented with as much color as Rom's daughter, Matthew, or Leppenraub and, in saying so, I'm not complimenting the authors decision to give depth to the dog.The discussions of visual art and music are decent, though not terribly exciting if you are an art or music lover. If the setting of the piece among a community of artists is interesting, the book doesn't really do terribly much to play on the idea of the arts scene.That said, it is a thriller and it is an effective one. Using a mentally ill, homeless man as the protagonist made the fact that nobody believes him when he tries to get help solving the murder or protecting his own life very believable. The scheme that he uncovers, too, is reasonably believable within the arts community in which it is set. Overall, I'd say that this is a very readable, clever, and engrossing book even if it lacks any real depth.
Do You like book The Caveman's Valentine (1995)?
Another quirky, bizarre sleuth, moreso than anyone I've encountered, including in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night.Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of many best-selling mysteries: even if a good plot, they're too formulaic, often poorly written, characters one dimensional, etc., etc. (exceptions include Tony Hillerman, whose descriptions of the southwest make you want to visit NOW, and whose plots bring great understanding of the culture of the Native Americans there, and Elmore Leonard, whose characters are humorously revealed by their own words).A good mystery has to bring something beyond the plot. This one does so in the character of a paranoid schizophrenic, through whose senses we perceive the story. Wonderfully told, suspenseful til the end.
—Carl
Quirky fun murder mystery. Julliard trained man becomes homeless after battling from mental illness. He lives in a cave in a park in New York City, and one morning discovers a dead body near his lair. Wonderful descriptions of his perception vs. reality. My favorite scene details the movie he's watching on the television in his cave, only to jump to the fact that the television is defunct and inoperable. Part "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," and part "Confederacy of Dunces." A book I would not have found or read on my own, so hurray for bookclub!
—Sarah
Romulus (Rom) Ledbetter lives in a cave in Manhattan’s Inwood Park, wears a sauce pan on his head, and believes a corporate businessman named Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant is trying to kill him by sending out Y-rays through the air after him. However, Rom also fights his classification of “homeless,” has a police officer daughter with whom he’s on good terms, is a Julliard-trained pianist, and has a brilliant mind in “The Caveman’s Valentine.”tRom and his wife Sheila divorced after Rom’s mental illness became too much to live with. Rom stays in contact with his family and they come to his cave annually to throw him a birthday party. They still love him, they just cannot understand his paranoia about the imaginary Stuyvesant.tTherefore, when a frozen corpse is deposited at the entryway of Rom’s cave one night, no one believes him when he goes on about how he witnessed a car leaving the scene, and how he’s sure that famous photographer David Leppenraub is the murderer.tThe corpse, a homeless teen named Scotty, was known to be Leppenraub’s model for a series of famous photographs. Scotty’s lover, Matthew, lives in the same park as Rom and has told Rom stories that Scotty had passed on about the level of torture and sexual abuse that went on at Leppenraub’s home, that eventually led to Scotty’s death. Matthew convinced Rom that Leppenraub was behind the murder, and Rom went to his daughter Lulu and another police friend of his, Detective Jack Cork, to try to help them in their investigation.tThe problem is, what Rom believes and what is reality are often inconsistent. Rom decides to take matters into his own hands, forcing him to enter the real world he chose to leave years ago. He begs a suit from a businessman he often sees walking past and the businessman also offers Rom a shower, shave and all-around clean-up when he realizes Rom is more than just a dirty bum.tRom then goes to the Leppenraub estate under the guise of a pianist/professor who is there to perform after a charity dinner. He gets involved with Leppenraub’s sister and finds out a lot of background information before his brain fails him and he has a fit that causes a phone call to the police.tRom decides there’s enough to the story that he must investigate further, however after his fit he has given his investigation away to Leppenraub and is now being chased by people who want to murder him to shut him up.tAn interesting mystery and an unusual hero lead this strong story, a great debut novel.
—Amanda Morgan
