Strangehaven: Arcadia

Millidge's work may be the most intricate self-published mystery available today. Strangehaven is a classic small town in the English countryside that takes after its name. It isn't on maps, is impossible to leave and has plenty of eerie secrets, including a clandestine society and an unknown man who keeps the body of a woman in a large fish tank. Alex Hunter stumbles upon Strangehaven while traveling. Newly divorced and on sabbatical, Hunter is taken by the town's charm and Janey Jones, a local girl who shows him around. He meets many of the town's inhabitants: Adam, who claims he's an alien with x-ray vision; Mrs. McCreadie, who owns Strangehaven's B&B and habitually wanders her grounds with a flashlight at night; Suzie, Janey's best friend and a character who seems to get all the shallow B-movie dialogue; and Megaron, who once lived in the Amazon. There are many more characters like this, which, ultimately, hurts the story, as does Millidge's eye for quirkiness and attention to detail. Too many question-raising images appear; readers will have to look for answers in the next volume. Millidge uses precise black ink lines capturing the details of every joint and knuckle, inserts photos and uses watercolor. His facial expressions are somewhat inconsistent, but he keeps confusion at bay through clear writing and immediate character association. Commonly compared to the television series Twin Peaks, Millidge's mystery lacks David Lynch's twists and morbid tweaks, but offers a serious jolt of unsettling elements that give readers an unswerving and looming sense of uneasiness. (Sept.)