Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Watching Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency on bbcamerica was a delightful rollercoaster ride.  There were so many twists and turns, but you never felt lost or left behind.  I originally tuned in because the characters are based on the book, of the same name, by Douglas Adams. Unfortunately, Douglas left us in 2001.  His ability to create other worlds and characters that stretch our imagination will be missed.  If you have never read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy you have missed a treat.  For me his writing style takes concentration, but is worth the effort.  

Several months passed after the last episode of season one of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency aired.  I was visiting my son and I discovered this book, the book, on my son’s bookshelf. He had randomly rescued the book from a trash pile.  I had told him about the television show, but he did not realize he had acquired a copy of the printed version.   I was anxious to visit the characters I had come to know on the show.  However, this was not to be.  The advertisement for the show did indicate the characters were based on the book, not a movie of the book. 

I was expecting to encounter Dirk in the first few pages.  He does show up, but much later.  This fact does not diminish the fact that the characters introduced are worth the time to get to know.  The mystery of the ghost, the Electric Monk, how did the silver salt cellar (salt shaker for those of us not from England) get in the 200-hundred-year old clay vase, an abacus and the question of just how old is The Regius Professor of Chronology.  Also, why is there a horse in the Professor’s bathroom? As you can tell there is a lot happening and a lot of questions to be answered.  Each chapter address a different character or time.  Sometimes the time and place change during a chapter.  Even with this jumping the plot is easy to follow. 

Does Dirk connect the loose and frayed ends?  I shall not say, just know that if you choose to ride along and see if the mystery is solved, bring a huge mug of coffee or for you English chaps, tea.  You are in for a wild and exciting adventure.

Favorite Quote: ………..we are concerned with …… the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.