Title: The Fox and the Bantam Hen
Author: Delos Dale Fidler
Publisher: Author House
ISBN: 9781665543385
Pages: 310
Genre: True Crime
Reviewed by: Lily Amanda
Hollywood Book Reviews
“The Fox and the Bantam Hen” is a taut and propulsive novel written by Delos Dale Fidler. The year is July 11, 1997. The Remora hotel was especially busy this time of the year. The Association for Neuro-Biological Illness was holding its annual convention in this hotel. Its staff’s marching orders are that every effort is to be extended to provide for the attendees. This particular convention was bound to be different as several central attendees are locked in emotional and fierce disagreements.
When the president of the ANBI and lead speaker in the convention, Wanda Marks, is found dead alongside another unidentifiable body, in one of the hotel rooms by a housekeeper, the hotel management is thrown into a serious panic. Publicity, especially bad publicity was not suitable for them this time of the convention or at any time.
For Jack Archer, the abrasive but competent homicide detective assigned to this case, getting to the bottom of the mystery is his prime goal but clues appear few and far between. Gradually, secrets are revealed, duplicity is unearthed and discoveries are made on the lengths that people are willing to go to to save themselves.
Delos Dale Fidler demonstrates ambitious and inventive storytelling. Upon the story’s beginning, it does not tally in its progress but delivers a rapid storyline loaded with a dark mysterious atmosphere. The changing environments and scenes feel imperative and real. Fidler’s apt ability to allocate each character a chapter of their own is the masterstroke of this novel as it provides an all-round picture of its well-hewn characters including their actions and temperament. Flashbacks prove necessary and needful as they further elevate this investigative text.
“The Fox and the Bantam Hen” is an impressively assured novel that mirrors the injustices that happen in our society. Literature is an everyday adventure of learning, unlearning, reflection, awakening and alerting. Author Fidler has done this masterfully while providing escapist entertainment. Further, the book’s stirring epilogue provides a decent send-off to all the characters culminating in a fulfilling conclusion.
Altogether, this atmospheric crime thriller by Delos Dale Fidler hits the score in its genre and is well worth seeking out.