The Manual of Detection

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In this mind-expanding debut novel, an unlikely detective, armed only with an umbrella and a singular handbook, must unravel a series of crimes occurring within people's dreams. Set in a perpetually rainy unnamed city, Charles Unwin is a humble file clerk at a formidable detective agency, where his knowledge of mysteries stems from filing reports for the renowned investigator Travis Sivart. When Sivart disappears and his supervisor is found murdered, Unwin is unexpectedly promoted to detective, despite lacking the necessary skills. His only support comes from a sleepy assistant and the insightful MANUAL OF DETECTION. As Unwin searches for Sivart, he becomes a murder suspect, pursued by goons and the enigmatic femme fatale Cleo Greenwood. Strange questions arise: Why does the mummy at the Municipal Museum have modern dental work? Where have all the city's alarm clocks gone? Why is Chapter 18 missing from his copy of the Manual? Unwin learns that Sivart's most significant cases were never solved correctly, prompting him to enter the dreams of a murdered man and confront a criminal mastermind intent on controlling the slumbering city. This brilliantly conceived novel challenges perceptions and redefines the boundaries of imaginative fiction.