The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable FIB by Adam Shaughnessy (review)

Cranky Pru misses her late detective dad and sort of hates most of her life, until she stumbles into a mystery that is both distracting (which she needs) and dangerous (which she wants). In spite of herself, she’s managed to make a new friend, ABE, and the two of them get roped into assisting the Fantasy Investigation Bureau (FIB) as they try to keep the Eye of Odin in her town even while Norse beings are sneaking in to steal it. Unfortunately, that fantasy/adventure plot doesn’t always mesh well with the reality of an angry kid struggling to make peace with her dad’s death. In addition, although Norse myth buffs will know all of these characters and revel in their clever representations here, readers knowing nobody beyond Thor will miss a great deal in the early scenes featuring, for example, Ratatosk, who for a good portion of the book seems to just be an oddball talking squirrel. Pru is sympathetic when she lets down her wall even a bit, though, and there’s pleasure to be found in the fantasy/adventure moments featuring Thor, frost giants, and the head of the FIB, the quirky Mr. Fox (evoking more than a bit of Dr. Who in both his dialogue and his magical tiny shack). Even with its flaws, this planned series certainly has potential, and now that the characters are established, the pieces might all fall into place for the next one.