The Final Solution: A story of detection by Michael Chabon

“Is there some vital connection between Norman church architecture and the milking of beef cattle of which I am unaware?”

― Michael Chabon, The Final Solution: A Story of Detection

I read this book as part of the BookTube reading event Shorty September, which is hosted by Bert at @pastorytime2683 and Heather at @SoggyExpatBooknerd. Watch the announcement for Shorty September for more details. 

I am defining my short books to be anything less than 250 pages long. I listened to this novella, but the hardcover version has 144 pages. The story is set during World War II, which satisfies the Shorty September prompt Elizabethan Shorts: An Historical Read, which did not have to be set in Elizabethan time, but just a book set in the past.

I think the best way to describe this book is to introduce the characters.

Mr. Panicker, of Asian descent, is an Anglican vicar in a small town on the Sussex Downs. Mrs. Panicker runs a boarding house and sets a fine table despite the restrictions of rationing. Reggie Panicker is their ne'er do well son.

Mr. Shane and Mr. Parker are lodging at the Panickers, as well as Linus Steinman, a German-Jewish refugee. Linus is 10 years old and hasn't spoken since he arrived at the boarding house. 

Linus's constant companion and spokesbird is Bruno, a red-tailed African gray parrot who is in the habit of singing Austrian/German songs, quoting poetry, and rattling off German numbers in no obvious order. The residents of the Panicker's household speculate on the meaning of the numbers. 

The story begins when an unnamed old man discovers Linus and Bruno while they are walking along the railroad tracks. The old man tries to warn them of the danger of the third rail but is not sure the boy understood his broken German.

The next day there is a murder, and the parrot goes missing. This is when we meet the local policemen, Detective Inspector Bellows and Constable Quint. To get help with the mystery of the murder, they visit the old man, who once worked with Detective Inspector Bellows' grandfather.

The clues we are given lead us to believe the old man is none other than Sherlock Holmes: an 89-year-old-man who retired 30 years ago living a bachelor's life in a small cottage on the Sussex Downs keeping his bees. We learn from the policemen that the old man once did brilliant detective work, but that he was not loved by the detectives who considered him rude and condescending. They wonder if at this advanced age the old man's deductive reasoning has diminished, but he soon proves them wrong when he correctly identifies them and explains why they have come to visit him.

The old man works with the police, but he only helps them to find the parrot, because he feels an attachment to the boy. He says that he doesn’t care if they also find the murderer.

So, there are three mysteries here: who committed the murder and why, what happened to Bruno, and what is the meaning of the numbers Bruno spews out.

This was a good read. The characters have that believable but quirky nature that is typical of Chabon. The mystery is interesting and takes us to an experimental milk farm, the local jail, and to a bird broker in London. The resolution is satisfying, albeit caught up in the horror that was Europe during World War II.

However, the writing was a little uneven. Some scenes were well-developed such as the dinner scene at the lodging house and the scene where Mr. Panicker meets up with the old man. But others needed more details, including the denouement. I knew this was a short book, but having read Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, and most recently, Moonglow, I wanted this book to be as detailed. It was enjoyable nonetheless, and I think a good addition to the mystique of Sherlock Holmes.