Book Reviews

The Adventures of Inspector Canal: PsychoCanalytic Crime-Fighting!
Quesjac Canal, wine connoisseur and retiree from the French Secret Service, has been transplanted into contemporary New York City, where he passes his time as an amateur detective. But Canal's unconventional style, his insistence on being called "Doctor"--and yes, his name--reveal that much of his detective training occurred in close proximity to couches. Canal is, of course, the re-incarnation of a certain French psychoanalyst, whose contributions to 20th Century thought are put to work here in an utterly and weirdly pragmatic way: assisting the NYPD.As we watch Canal work, we are treated to a gratifying blend of detective work with philosophical and psychoanalytic fun. Canal solves his cases by psychoanalyzing their players, often playfully, and never in a consulting room. But he also analyzes the culture in which they are situated--in relation to which Canal seems always the Other--at times, more than he truly is. In much detective fiction, disguise is used to blend in (think of Holmes as a beggar on the street), so as not to arouse suspicion. Canal uses it to stand out. The stories themselves stand out in the same way, occupying a place outside the mainstream of modern and contemporary detective fiction. Like Canal himself, the stories insist instead on re-interpreting a more classical Victorian style--complete with handwritten messages delivered to Canal by his butler on a silver salver. From this point of view, Fink and Canal supply critiques of contemporary culture that are insightful, provocative, at times hilarious, and always keep the reader turning the pages.This is not the first time that Bruce Fink has put the man who inspired Canal to work in contemporary American culture. He is one of the foremost commentators on that particular thinker, and has been crossing boundaries between French and American thought for years. With Inspector Canal, Fink goes even further in his mission to make those ideas accessible, this time by putting them into a highly entertaining collection of fiction. This book is a fantastic choice for the detective story fan, the casual reader, and the student of psychoanalysis alike. Five stars!