From the outset, John Eidswick’s novel A HOLE IN THE HEAD (book 3 in the James Strait mystery series) feels like a tribute to the fierce beauty of the desert, merging its blistering serenity with horrors that leave the reader shaken. From there, various depravities swarm the pages, like rays of light stinging a dark room to form a checkered lightscape.  What, at first, appears to be slightly malformed dialogue quickly finds sustenance in humor and wit, achieving a state of ampleness only when Strait reverts to his true, volatile self. Hailed as a man with little regard for the law  -  or his own health, which is subjected to the erratic whims of Meniere’s disease  -  the former FBI agent walks a tightrope of likeability. His carelessness with the feelings of those around him, which includes his slow acceptance of homosexuality as something commonplace, tests the potency of his character on multiple occasions. And yet, by the end, Strait’s arc feels as fulfilling as it appears tortured.

The keenness of A HOLE IN THE HEAD is accentuated by the novel’s empathetic look at impulses and motivations, particularly in relation to Ferris’ diminutive build and stutter. His paternal relationship with Ernesto, the young boy he risks everything for, further tightens the reins of the reader’s engagement with their fates. The wish to see justice and order prevail is a heady stimulant, and one that is brilliantly nurtured by the entwining of two timelines. Undeterred by the misleading clues left on the path of both narratives, the reader tries, and fails, to outpace the main characters. The intrigue that is somehow maintained despite this maneuver is outstanding. With racial friction, familial ties, and the Mendoza Cartel dominating the story’s themes, what remains is a multilayered look at oddly universal struggles. Strait’s journey forward has all the markers of a retracing of the past. Thus, any future revelations appear ingrained in neglected misconceptions. The basis for this emotional complexity are established early on, with muddled identities taking center stage and various characters pictured pulling the wool over each other’s eyes. Combined with action that is kept at a throttling pace, and the tremor of humor that never concedes as it regulates the beat of the story, Eidswick’s work proves delectable.

In A HOLE IN THE HEAD, John Eidswick combines a hero’s journey with a chilling mystery, hatching a cautionary tale about the ruthlessness of both the desert, and the people who break up its landscape. A master of red herrings and swooshing curveballs, the author offers a look at psychological oddities that appear as disturbing as they are compelling.

~Neil Czeszejko for IndieReader