“This is postmodern fiction with a head and a heart, addressing such depressing issues as suicide, death, loneliness, failure, anomie, and guilt with compassion, humor, and even whimsy. Meno’s best work yet; highly recommended.”
—Library Journal (starred review)

“Comedic, imaginative, empathic, atmospheric, archetypal, and surpassingly sweet, Meno’s finely calibrated fantasy investigates the precincts of grief, our longing to combat chaos with reason, and the menace and magic concealed within everyday life.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Mood is everything here, and Meno tunes it like a master . . . a full-tilt collision of wish-fulfillment and unrequited desires that’s thrilling, yet almost unbearably sad.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A delicate blend of whimsy and edginess. Meno packs his novel with delightful subtext.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“A radiantly creative masterpiece . . . Meno’s imaginative genius spins heartache into hope within this fanciful growing-up tale that glows like no other.”
—PopMatters.com

“The search for truth, love, and redemption is surprising and absorbing. Swaddled in melancholy and gentle humor, it builds in power as the clues pile up.”
—Publishers Weekly

“An easy to read sometimes dark tale with a perfect ending. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 4.8.”
—Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine

“At the bottom of this Pandora’s box of mirthful absurdity, there’s heartbreak and longing, eerie beauty and hope.”
—Philadelphia Weekly

“Verbally delectable.”
—Chicago Tribune

“Marinated in mood, richly crafted and devoid of irony, Meno’s newest novel is imbued with both the hopeful and the romantic.”
—Time Out Chicago

“Moving, elegant prose.”
—Washington Post Express

“Surreal, mysterious, and dreamlike.”
—NewCity Chicago

“You know that friend of yours who keeps trying to get you to read his half written novel about his quarter-life crisis? Do yourself a favor and read Joe Meno’s version of turning thirty instead.”
—The L Magazine

“It’s Encyclopedia Brown without the milk and cookies.”
—Chicago Sun-Times

“The Boy Detective Fails will break your heart, and then pick up the pieces and put you back together again.”
—T Cooper, author of Lipshitz Six, or Two Angry Blondes