Yaddo - an community of artists located on an estate in Saratoga Springs, New York

In a life cut short at age fifty-nine by the effects of alcohol, American author Kenneth Fearing wrote only three literary novels - Clark Gifford's Body, an overlooked classic anticipating postmodern experimentation, The Big Clock, classic noir adapted for film, and Dagger of the Mind, the novel under review here, an intriguing murder mystery employing multiple narrators. I cherish all three Fearing novels. Darn! How I wish Kenneth wrote three dozen novels rather than just three. Anyway, here are a string of reasons why I highly recommend Dagger in the Mind:

Yaddo-like Art Colony: Alumni of Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, New York include such notables as Patricia Highsmith, Elizabeth Bishop, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Jonathan Franzen, John Cheever, Flannery O’Conner, and, yes, Kenneth Fearing. Let’s admit it, we’re in for a real treat having a novel set in such a center, filled to the brim with artists and writers having enough quirks and eccentricities to fill an entire shelf of novels.

Rotating First-Person: Unlike the vast majority of first-person novels written with a single narrator start to finish, Dagger of the Mind features eight different narrators rotating through eighteen chapters – among the narrators are: painter, poet, musician and police captain. Such an intriguing way to write a book, l have always wondered why the technique of multiple narrators isn’t employed more frequently by novelists.

Murder, as in stabbed in the back by a kitchen knife: “Murder is easy, and the majority of murderers by far, are never brought to justice. Most of the people know and understand one or the other of these two propositions, but few are able to believe both.” So muses one of our narrators speaking among the artists at their art community. As it turns out, his words possess a most ironic twist - in less than twenty-four hours he is the one who is found murdered, having been stabbed in the back. Ah, artists! Ah, writers! Ah, community!

Pointing the finger: As soon as Captain Wessex arrives on the scene to crack the case, all the artists, writers and musicians can’t point the finger at each other fast enough. In a couple of instances, they even point the finger at themselves since all the publicity of being a murder suspect will put them and their art in the pubic spotlight and will undoubtedly boost sales.

A Parallel to Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment: Well, it isn’t Raskolnikov questioned by detective Porfiry but Fearing’s novel does feature Captain Wessex paying visits to the art studio of painter Christopher Bartel. At one point, as the good Captain watches him paint, Bartel considers, “It was the cop, with a drink. I must have been talking to myself, while he’d been mixing it. Or maybe I’d only imagined I’d been talking. Or perhaps it was part of a dream I might be having.”

Femme Fatale: She isn’t exactly Vivian Sternwood as played by Lauren Bacall in the movie version of Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, but there is Lucille Nichols, who, in this Yaddo-like art colony, is femme fatale enough. Fearing writes: “With black hair, black eyes, fair complexion, height about five-four, weight one twenty-five or thirty, teeth perfect, white sport costume, no birthmarks or blemishes visible, she was not the most beautiful woman in the world, but what the reporters would soon start to call a striking brunette.”

Satire, over easy: With the lightest of touches, Fearing pokes his long satiric needle in the side of each artiste in residence, a good out-loud-laugh or two on nearly every page. Here is a snippet of poet Claudia Attelio’s observations of her fellow residents, “I had been disturbed, not to say amazed, at certain unmistakable undertones that had become barely audible from time to time.” We are given many a glimpse into the small mindedness and resentments of these artists and writers brought together in community. A common outcry each one keeps to themselves: How dare these other people claim to be creative! There's only one true creative genius around here -- ME!

Discover Kenneth Fearing: With all his talents, instead of just three novels, Fearing could have written the three dozen novels I wish he wrote, but, alas, a painful boyhood and alcohol really did him in. Oh, well, at least we have three.


American poet and novelist, Kenneth Fearing (1902-1961) ( )

I love all three literary novels of American author Kenneth Fearing (1902-1961). Darn, only three; not three dozen – what a bummer! Anyway, I highly recommend you read “Dagger of the Mind,”- 8 reasons why:

Yaddo-like Art Colony
Alumni of Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, New York include such notables as Patricia Highsmith, Elizabeth Bishop, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Jonathan Franzen, John Cheever, Flannery O’Conner, and, yes, Kenneth Fearing. Let’s admit it, we’re in for a real treat having a novel set in a fictional counterpart to such a center, filled to the brim with artists and writers having enough quirks and eccentricities to fill a dozen novels.

Rotating First- Person Narrators
Unlike the vast majority of first-person novels written with a single narrator start to finish, 8 different narrators rotate through 16 chapters – among others, painter, poet, musician and police captain. Such an intriguing way to write a novel, I wonder why this multiple narrator technique isn’t employed more frequently by novelists.

Murder, as in stabbed in the back by a kitchen knife
“Murder is easy, and the majority of murderers by far, are never brought to justice. Most of the people know and understand one or the other of these two propositions, but few are able to believe both.” So muses one of our narrators, which, turn out, is most ironic - in less than 24 hours after this reflection, he’s the one stabbed in the back. Ah, community!

Pointing the finger
As soon as Captain Wessex arrives on the scene to crack the case, all the artists, writers and musicians can’t point the finger at each other fast enough and, even in a couple of instances, point the finger at themselves since all the publicity of being a murder suspect will put them in the spotlight and boost sales.

Dostoyevsky, anyone?
Well, it isn’t exactly Raskolnikov questioned by detective Porfiry but Fearing’s novel does feature Captain Wessex paying visits to the art studio of painter Christopher Bartel. At one point as the good Captain watches him paint, Bartel considers, “It was the cop, with a drink. I must have been talking to myself, while he’d been mixing it. Or maybe I’d only imagined I’d been talking. Or perhaps it was part of a dream I might be having.”

Femme Fatale
She isn’t exactly Vivian Sternwood as played by Lauren Bacall in the movie version of Raymond Chandler’s “The Big Sleep,” but there is Lucille Nichols, who, in this Yaddo-like art colony, is femme fatale enough. Fearing writes: “With black hair, black eyes, fair complexion, height about five-four, weight one twenty-five or thirty, teeth perfect, white sport costume, no birthmarks or blemishes visible, she was not the most beautiful woman in the world, but what the reporters would soon start to call a striking brunette.”

Satire, over easy
With the lightest of touches, Fearing pokes his long satiric needle in the side of each artiste in residence, a good out-loud-laugh or two on nearly every page. Here is a snippet of poet Claudia Attelio’s observations of her fellow residents, “I had been disturbed, not to say amazed, at certain unmistakable undertones that had become barely audible from time to time.” We are given many a glimpse into the residents’ small mindedness and resentments. How dare other people claim to be creative!

Discover Kenneth Fearing
With all his novelistic talents, instead of just three, Fearing could have written a dozen good literary novels, but, alas, a painful boyhood and alcohol really did him in. Here is an excellent essay on his life and writing: http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/fearing/life.htm

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Strange, somewhat compelling, but not very affecting murder mystery, told from way too many viewpoints. Would be more effective without Mr. Fearing's take on the art world, critics, etc.,but that was probably his main intent in writing it. The writing is impressive, however, and I must admit that I will probably remember the main character for a while. He probably sets a record for the most drinks consumed in a 160 page novel. ( )