Danika reviews The Inscrutable Mr. Elizabeth by Marlene Leach

I have got to say, this was a deeply weird book. It’s not a romance, and it’s not a mystery. It’s sort of a paranormal thriller, I suppose. The plot is that “Mr. Elizabeth” is reluctantly part of a secret government organization, where her psychic powers are used to track down killers/threats to the “Organization”. Elizabeth can’t read people’s thoughts, exactly, but she can lock onto a person without actually meeting them and experience their emotions and other general sensations. Eventually, she is able to use this information to find people. Elizabeth does not enjoy this job, but the Organization is too powerful to disobey. When she is told by the Organization to find L., a serial killer who targets rapists and child molesters, she finds a bond with L. that no one was expecting.

I’m not sure how to even talk about this book without giving things away. It’s only 155 pages, so it goes by pretty quickly, but a lot of things happen. First of all, don’t expect very likeable characters. Elizabeth and L. are the main characters, and L. takes pleasure in killing people, even if they are bad people, and Elizabeth sympathizes with her to an uncomfortable extent. In fact, this is a lesbian book, and these are the two main female characters, so I don’t think I’m spoiling much to say there’s sort of something between them. And that’s a little weird. Also, definite trigger warnings for rape and violence. I also wasn’t expecting the paranormal aspect to this book. While Elizabeth’s powers don’t seem too unbelievable in the beginning, they do get more extreme over the course of the book.

Throughout The Inscrutable Mr. Elizabeth, I was not sure how I felt about it. The writing can be a little clunky at times, and it’s just such a strange plot, I thought. I really wanted to see how things were going to be wrapped up, and wow. Let me say this: I did not see that coming. The ending is a little ridiculous, maybe, and possibly over-the-top, but that’s what made it enjoyable. If you’re looking for a really different, kind of disturbing read, I think this one is worth a read.