When Michael calls

A haunting suspense story by the author of Harrison High. When Michael Calls, by John Farris, is a quick little thriller, set in a small Midwestern town. The action starts when an antiques dealer is plagued by calls from her (long-dead) nephew. When Michael Calls, by John Farris, is is a quick little thriller, set in a small Midwestern town. The action starts when an antiques dealer is plagued by calls from her (long-dead) nephew. These disturbing prank calls soon escalate to violence – and a spate of local authority figures are all killed in bizarre and unpredictable ways. Fortunately for all, a homicide-cop-with-a-tragic-past is also local to the area, and is happy to poke around for a solution. The solution, like the rest of the book, is entirely unpredictable. Of the book’s many flaws, the most aggravating is a repeated reliance on completely unannounced surprises. The detective, Doremus, derives his insight from hints and clues that all occur ‘off-screen’ – making it completely impossible for the reader to keep up. Although this isn’t a particularly complicated thriller (there are only five characters), the post-rationalization of the detective work is an annoying literary device.