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Sunday 5 April 2009

Britten and Brulightly. Hannah Berry. Jonathan Cape. (2008)


A powerful and very moving story of how the past can never be undone. Fernandez Britten is a "Private Researcher", he had been a private detective who worked with clients with troubled relationships, he had earned the nickname "Heartbreaker". Now he only deals with cases of murder. A client comes to him with a case, her fiancee has committed suicide, she believes he was murdered, she wants Britten to investigate. Britten takes the case and finds that it winds back into his own past as the "Heartbreaker" as much as it it involves his client and her family. The muted colours of the book and the artwork embody the low key melancholy that Britten brings to his work as he seeks to find redemption from the pain he had caused to his previous clients. He is determined and persistent. He is not a tough guy private eye, quick with fists or a gun, nor does he find romance with his client or any other member of the cast. Britten pushes through the case, asking questions and trying to find answers. The case does take a violent turn yet Britten does not react with violence rather he thinks his way out.
This is a story about secrets and how keeping them and revealing them can be equally dangerous. The mystery in the story is carefully crafted and slowly unfolds, it bears the weight of the story with ease and the resolution is satisfying and thoughtful. Hannah Berry is a very striking talent, she has produced a superb comic.

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