Book Review: Heirs Apparent

Heirs Apparent. Thomas J. Thorson. Austin Macauley Publishers, May 29, 2020, Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and E-book, 200 pages.

Reviewed by David Steven Rappoport. 

Thomas J. Thorson makes his mystery writing debut with a stylish novel, Heirs Apparent, in the noir tradition of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. Though Thorson evokes the amused nihilism of his literary ancestors, he’s created a compelling irreverent read with contemporary characters and plot. 

Malcolm Winters, a man with an undisclosed criminal past, decides to reinvent himself.  He selects a new name at random from authors represented in a used book store, then goes to Nashville to purchase forged documents to establish his new identity. There, he meets a femme fatale, Frye, who lives in Chicago.

Following her there on a whim, he starts a new life. He stumbles into a job as a creative writing professor based on the credentials that come with his stolen name and makes friends with a fellow professor who is a former intelligence operative. Frye is murdered, and the intrigue compounds.

Thorson is an accomplished writer with a gift for crafting a compelling narrative, amusing characters, and crisp dialogue. Heirs Apparent is a diverting read that never lags.  Thorson’s capacity for plotting is perhaps less evolved. Although the plot maneuvers are always clever and entertaining, they are sometimes implausible. Also, the ending is confusing. But no matter. Thorson’s considerable genre literary gifts more than compensate.

In his bio on the back cover, Thorson offers Heirs Apparent as a “modest contribution to the mystery genre.”  He is overly self-effacing. The novel is great fun and will satisfy any fan of snarky contemporary noir.