Search - The Beasts of Valhalla

I dug out the Chesbros from my TBR pile when I read that he had died last month (Nov. 19). His work is thriller bordering on science fiction that may just come across as strange to most. His ex-circus performer turned private eye has a Phd in criminology and a black belt and just happens to be a dwarf. Chesbro has put Mongo and his brother Garth in some (to say the least) strange situations, and this installment is no different. Mongo investigates the suspicious death of his nephew and almost at once lands in an intricate plot of genetic manipulation. When he and his brother get injected by the serum and begin to change, that's when the rollercoaster takes off. Evocative of the time this book was published (1985), the horrors of genetic manipulation in this story may seem ludicrous by today's standards, but it still makes for a bizarrely enjoyable, over-the-top and exhausting adventure. It may seem to be more appropriate for the comic book format, but Chesbro really makes it work, particularly as you really come to care for all the characters. Just suspend disbelief, hang on and enjoy the ride.