The man in the blizzard

If Marlowe lived in Minnesota . . . If Spade spouted poetry . . . If the Big Lebowski were a small-time private eye . . . Meet Augie Boyer, private detective. "Once upon a time, Sam Spade, Miles Roby, and Bill Maher all went to Bart ­Schneider's laboratory. There was an accident--a spill, a flash of lightning--and only one character came out. Schneider named him Augie Boyer. You'll love the big lug."--Sean Doolittle, author of The CleanupPrivate eye Augie Boyer is out of sorts. He's been smoking too much Pontchartrain Pootie, his favorite varietal herb, and scarfing down an excess of fried food. He can't stop thinking of his ­therapist wife, who left him for another therapist, and despite his new girlfriend's best efforts, Augie's testosterone levels have sunk lower than the winter temperatures of Minneapolis. On the eve of the Republican National Convention, a beautiful, blond violinist with multiple personalities walks into Augie's office. She draws him into a complex case that involves neo-Nazi violin collectors, mind-control specialists, and thousands of antiabortion activists who've come to the Twin Cities for a rally that will bring new meaning to Labor Day. But when Augie uncovers an assassination plot, he must scramble to prevent a deranged act of political violence that strikes dangerously close to home.With wit, compassion, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, Bart Schneider creates a lovable yet flawed character and delivers a thrilling contemporary tale.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.