Just Finished Reading: Hip-Deep in Alligators by Robert Campbell (FP: 1988) [206pp] 

Nothing quite says ‘Mind your own business’ like being assigned to check on Chicago’s extensive sewage system. But Jimmy Flannery didn’t mind it too much. He knew his bosses would let him back into the fresh air eventually. It was just the price he had to pay for being a pain in the system's backside. What Jimmy didn’t expect was the body he stumbled upon – or should that be body parts. Two to be precise, apparently torn in half. What the coroner found surprised him even further. Embedded in the body was a tooth – of an alligator. Did that mean the urban legends were true after all? Did alligators and other critters flushed into the sewers by countless exotic pet owners survive down there in the dark and the effluent? Jimmy wanted to find out, for his own health as much as anyone else’s. But it seemed like he was on his own – again. The coroner's report had been sealed and the police were less than enthusiastic to spend resources and manpower looking for an urban myth. What really intrigued Jimmy was the growing pressure on him to look somewhere else and be somewhere else. Why were so many people apparently eager NOT to find alligators in the city's sewers. It was time for Jimmy to find out. 

After enjoying the first book in the Flannery series I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as good as his previous outing. Flannery is a great character for a host of reasons and both he and the city he inhabits are well drawn. Equally well drawn are the lessor characters that fill out his life and the rest of the plot. The plot itself, however, lacked narrative punch this time. I think part of the problem is that the plot was a little too convoluted and contrived for an easy suspension of disbelief. Another problem was that the author seemed to get distracted from time to time and would suddenly seem to remember what the main plot was supposed to be. As I approached the end of the book, still without a resolution at hand, the narrative seemed to go into warp drive and, with the help of some lengthy exposition, come to a swift if reasonably satisfying conclusion. It all felt rather rushed. Overall, the story was still readable but, apart from a few flourishes from time to time, never really maintained much of an above average score. Reasonable. 

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