The Man on the Bench
In the mindful mystery novel The Man on the Bench, a journalist tells a story about a murder that has hidden depths.
In Hy Conrad’s character-driven mystery novel The Man on the Bench, matters of truth, reputation, and moral responsibility are examined via the intersecting pressures of journalism and family loyalty.
In Austin, Texas, Callie is a journalist whose professional ambition collides with her personal instability when Barney, a familiar presence in a city park and a quiet confidant to passersby, is murdered. Callie’s brother, State, is the homicide detective on the case. And as Callie covers the crime, her reporting becomes inseparable from her private search for understanding.
Callie’s recovery from alcoholism shapes her routines and decisions, while her tense relationship with her dementia-facing attorney father, Buddy, adds emotional strain. These internal conflicts undergird her investigation, grounding it in questions of identity and control. Indeed, each article she writes advances her grasp of Barney’s concealed life: He was a celebrated author who mined his real encounters for his work, resulting in sharp portrayals of others. When this revelation occurs, though, it forces a reframing of Callie’s earlier interactions, transforming acts of kindness into possible acts of extraction.
The story is built on incremental discoveries made in the course of interviews and thanks to Callie’s professional daring. Indeed, the journalistic process informs its pace throughout. Its tension, too, is founded on ethical dilemmas; for instance, Callie worries that exposing the truth will harm others. Twists and confrontations arise from competing motives tied to reputation, resentment, and power, too.
The prose is clean and controlled. People’s exchanges are restrained and tidy, and even the action scenes progress with a focus on results. This approach supports the book’s puzzle-evocative structure, in which information surfaces when it’s needed. The characterizations are also concise, with a focus on qualities that support the investigation and little more. This extends even to Callie’s family members: State is fleshed out in terms of his responses to institutional pressure and his family concerns; figures from the media and legal spheres, as well as Barney’s friends, are made to embody contrasting attitudes toward truth and accountability. And as it moves through Austin’s diners, offices, and public spaces, the novel arrives at a clear conclusion that makes space for thematic reflections on the costs of exposure and ambition.
In the cerebral mystery novel The Man on the Bench, a journalist’s investigation into a community member’s death is an ethical act.
Reviewed by
Brandon Pawlicki
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