Unremarkable by Geoff Habiger and Coy Kissee could not be any less like its title. This supernatural historical fantasy is set in Chicago in February of 1929 and casts the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in an unexpected way. The novel, the first in a series, is tightly plotted, fast paced, and has plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing and engaged.
The story follows the character of Saul Imbierowicz, an ordinary man who is just starting his life away from his parents’ home. He lives an ordinary life, with a tiny apartment, no food in the ice box, and a brand-new job with a strict boss sorting mail on the night shift at the Post Office. Early in February 1929, Saul meets a woman in the Post Office diner after work—the beautiful and enigmatic Moira. Within days, Moira has turned his world upside down. Moira’s life is far different than Saul’s. She is confident, sexy, outgoing, and seems to have her finger on the heartbeat of Chicago. She is also carrying a secret and his association with Moira might just get Saul, and everyone he loves, killed.
I really enjoyed this protagonist. Unremarkable is told in first person, and so we get a close look into how Saul thinks and how the events of this novel change him. Saul is funny and self-depreciating, even when trying to shrug off the pervasive anti-Semitism of the 1920s. Habiger and Coy do not handwave these parts of the story. They have written a good glimpse into early twentieth century Chicago and do not shy away from the many casual, and sometimes not-so-casual, aggressions toward women and people of the Jewish faith in that time. But through it all, Saul’s thoughts and reactions are authentic to an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary circumstances.
I wholeheartedly recommend Unremarkable. It is a ‘read it in one sitting’ kind of book and a remarkable beginning to a series I cannot wait to read more from.
You can get the Kindle e-book or paperback here. Also, check out Habiger and Kissee’s upcoming fantasy crime novel, Wrath of the Fury Blade. It is available for pre-order here.
-J.V.