"The Strange Attractor" Is Quite A RompLet me open this review with a little disclaimer: I recently read one of the Johnny Fedora novels by Desmond Cory and I became an instant fan. Johnny Fedora out-Bonded 007 himself. Just reading that novel, I was hooked, eagerly awaiting the next release of one of the famed author’s novels. That happened recently when I had the chance to read the first of the John Dobie detective novels. Cory, considered the dean of Brit Grit novels, was a crackerjack author whose career spanned nearly half-a-century. His Dobie series is considered some of his best work. I heartily concur as I think you will if you have the chance to read “The Strange Attractor,” recently re-released for modern consumption in ebook format. It first appeared in 1991.Briefly, “The Strange Attractor” introduces us to a rather charmingly bewildering mathematician, John Dobie. It seems that one of his former students, a fellow he knew but couldn’t remember very well. Sammy Cantwell, it seems, had gone and had apparently committed suicide, as a result of a work issue. At a loss, Dobie just had to find out more and as he did things began to unravel around him. Suddenly, he hears from a friend’s wife Jane that she had to speak to him and nearly as suddenly she turns up dead, at first in his bed in her undies, and then, after disappearing altogether, she reappears fully clothed, only floating in the ocean. Meanwhile, his wife, sans clothing, turns up dead in the same bed Jane occupied a short time before.Are you confused, well think about the poor schnook Dobie? Away from his IBM computer and his mathematical theories he is lost and somewhat infuriating to everyone around him because he makes about as much sense, sometimes, as one of his math theories. His mind, you see, is the classical mind of a very absent-minded mathematician. And, since he would rather interact with his computer and numbers than with people, he is the perfect foil for a rather cunning nemesis who is bent on discrediting the number-cruncher and, perhaps, even getting him framed for the murders. Into this mix arrives Dr. Kate Coyle, pathologist and who is to become Dobie’s main squeeze. She meets Hobie at the inquest of Sammy Cantwell where she testifies about the apparent suicide. Little did she or the police, for that matter, realize that the apparent suicide is actually a well-concealed murder.The only one who can solve this miasma of crime is John Dobie and his trusty computer. By running syllogistic chains our mathematician cum detective is able figures out three murders even before Det. Supt. Pontin, a real plodder who is trying to pin everything on Dobie (That Man Hobie, the superintendent says), realizes everything just isn’t as it seems.Indeed, nothing is as it seems in “The Strange Attractor” – a mathematical construct that can turn a syllogistic chain on its head. It is the introductory novel of the John Dobie series, as noted, and it is a fun romp.
Professor Dobie is a mathematician, and generally considered not to be with it. The story starts with a report that one of his previous students had committed suicide. Despite the fact that Dobie cannot even recall the student, he goes to the inquest. Around here, I found the book to be a little confusing. Eventually, he cannot puzzle out why the student would have committed suicide, since he had a good job at a successful company. Or had he? A little more questioning, and it appears that the student had been fired for participating in industrial espionage. Then the bodies start to turn up, in a rather bizarre fashion, and some rather stereotyped policemen plods suspect Dobie.I found the book strangely hard to follow, particularly at the beginning, and in my opinion, it badly needs a structural edit. It is not that long, and a little more text to clarify some points would not go astray. If there are some points that are not subtle clues but are important to the story, it is important to make sure the reader will pick up on them, possibly even by subtly repeating them. However, the major repetitions are references to a "strange attractor" scattered throughout the book, but I have no idea why, or what they refer to. We see things like Lorenzian equations, but no explanation as to what they are, and my Concise Encyclopedia of Mathematics, where the conciseness reflects the time spent on an explanation, does not list them. I was misled by timing, so that when I first read it, I do not believe that the events that took place could take place within the given time. Maybe I am wrong, and maybe it could, but if so, the text was unclear. The problem for me was, Dobie frequently starts thinking about something, such as a wig, with no particular reason. Yes, it might be a clue, but if clues are to be introduced, they should be introduced naturally, and not out of the blue. All of which is a pity because the last half of the book is quite good, and the final resolution is quite exciting. A good structural edit and this might approach five stars, but for me, as it is, it was annoying for the first half.
Do You like book The Strange Attractor (2015)?
I love a good mystery; throw in a little murder and I’m hooked. In Desmond Cory’s first book in the Professor Dobie series – The Strange Attractor – he delivers just that. John Dobie is a math professor who becomes entangled in a mystery when he is drugged and tied up and then forced to witness a murder. When the murdered victim turns out to be his estranged wife, in addition to the finding of another murdered woman in his bed only hours later, he becomes a prime suspect in the opinion of the police. This was all following the apparent suicide of one of his students. Now Professor Dobie, with the help of a love interest – pathologist Kate Coyle – he must become an amateur sleuth in order to solve the murders and the seemingly unrelated suicide that he thinks foul play had a hand in.What appeals most to me about this novel is that the murders are very puzzling and the professor solves these puzzles in a very logical way. It also appealed to me that the book was not too long. I also enjoyed that there was just enough suspense that had me wanting to turn the pages but not enough that it went over my head.Any lover of true mysteries is sure to love this book as much as I did.
—Christie Davis
This was a great mystery story. I’m usually good at figuring out the story before the ending, but this one kept me guessing and intrigued! Professor Dobie to me seemed a little scatter brained, but I liked his eccentric character. I can see where being a mathematician, Dobie likes to get to the bottom of things while asking a lot questions. Murders are happening and the ones that are close to home, are seemingly bothersome to Dobie. There are a lot of twists in the story and a perfect read to all of us mystery seekers!
—Sierra
Professor Dobie is a distracted mathematician that doesn’t really connect with his students. When he hears that one of his former students has committed suicide, this unemotional man for some reason becomes intrigued by the act even though he didn’t remember him at first.A friend requests they meet at her home but the woman never arrives. Instead Dobie ends up drugged and tied up. From there the book is disconnected and improbable. It’s hard to set the time frame or era that the story is taking place in.The story is slow moving and not very detailed. It takes awhile to get going and swerves away from the geeky math talk. That’s good because the references to mathematics go mostly unexplained. It’s a short book but oddly, even though I didn’t dislike it, I found it hard to want to finish. It just kind of rambles on.I found this book mildly interesting and at least a bit more unique for the genre so I’m sure there is an audience for it. For me, it was just a little bland.
—Sheri
