Ghost of a Flea

by James Sallis

Book Overview

The mystery of Lew Griffin is revealed in the concluding novel of an honored series. In his old house in uptown New Orleans, Lew Griffin is alone...or almost. His relationship with Deborah is falling apart, his son, David, has disappeared again, leaving a note that sounds final. His friend Don Walsh, who is leaving the police department, is shot interrupting a robbery. And Lew is directionless: he hasn't written anything in years; he no longer teaches...there's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802776817
• ISBN13: 9780802776815
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Walker Books
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

They Don't Get Much Better . . .

. . . than this. The previous reviewers are much more eloquent than I, so I'll just say that having discovered this author through his newer works, I read this series start-to-finish, and am dumfounded that I never heard of these books. This guy is the real deal, folks. This is WRITING!!!

A superb conclusion to a graceful series

I finished this book with tears running down my face. Often, when an author ends a series, one is frustrated, annoyed at the author, even feeling sold short. Not so here. Completing this book, I had the feeling that the story could have wrapped up in no other way -- despite the fact that I had not guessed where it was going. Deeply satisfying, Ghost of a Flea leaves us feeling fortunate to have come to know a group of characters who are real, believable, and somehow terribly important to us. This series is over, but one is left hungry for more of Sallis' distinctive writing.

Beautifully bewildering

I'm a long-time fan of the Lew Griffin series--some of the books are positively radiant, some get rather bogged down in sentimentality. But Sallis always writes exquisitely; his use of language is never less than beautiful. In order to make any sense at all of Ghost of a Flea, it's important to have read the previous books. Without those frames of reference, this book maunders along. It's a bit like reading in a roomful of candles that flicker if there's even the hint of a breeze. Yet every so often the air is still and the candle flames grow bright and what has been written springs to life, conjuring scenes and characters that are fully three-dimensional. Other times, it's difficult to follow the narrative thread. Past and present intermingle; characters are presented almost in the assumption that the reader is already aware of their context and therefore none is presented--which is why I think it's so important to have read the preceding books before approaching this one. Things happen seemingly at random; there are small mysteries to be solved, but they are secondary to the anthologies, the footnotes of Griffin's thoughts. This book is worth reading for the complex beauty of its language, but does not stand alone without the five companion books to assist in identifying the characters, their histories, and their ultimate impact on the central character. This is not a traditional mystery in any way. But it is very much worth reading for those moments when the light is full and everything suddenly springs to life.

Well done!

New Orleans street corner philosopher Lew Griffin knows first hand that life stinks. However, though he expects the worst and life is hell, Lew surprisingly believes that to be human, at least in his mind, means to keep on fighting regardless of what destiny tosses at you. A neighborhood lunatic is poisoning the local pigeons so Lew appoints himself as the savior of the park denizen. He begins to investigate his style, resulting in a cerebral evaluation of the murders so fowl. He also feels strongly that he must protect his friend's daughter, an apparent victim of a stalker, and re-find his son who has pulled another Houdini vanishing act. While being the self-proclaimed neighborhood amateur sleuth and recovering from a stroke, Lew ultimately, in his meandering style, investigates Lew. This is all in a days work for one who firmly concludes that Murphy is an optimistic idiot. The sixth and last Griffin tale, GHOST OF A FLEA, is a fabulous ending to one of the weirdest but delightful series of the past decade. The wild but entertaining story line is all over the place, especially when it wanders through Lew's mind leaving those readers who enjoy a classic amateur sleuth needing to go elsewhere. Anyone who has kept up with James Sallis' books will want to read this novel to gain closure. Those who have not read the previous books, will enjoy this strange tale, but will probably be better off perusing the previous novels first. Mr. Sallis' pulls off quite a heptagon with the grand finale answering many questions left from the previous five.Harriet Klausner