Heard: "Shouldn't You Be In School" by Lemony Snicket

Heard: "Shouldn't You Be In School?" By Lemony Snicket, 2014, Overdrive download.

Lemony Snicket continues his memoir as a lonely almost-13-year-old PI stationed in Stain'd-by-the-Sea. With more gratuitous literary love.

Sure, Lemony is no real PI, he is apprenticed with VFD and working under S. Theodora Markson. Markson continues her incompetence and Snicket sneaks around under her nose.

Stain'd-by-the-Sea is still a dying seaside town.  Markson is hired by the Department of Education to find an arsonist. This is a big deal with any VFD member but Snicket sees something shady and suspects his nemesis from the past two novels, Hangfire. Snicket and Markson work the case and when a building is burned find the local librarian to be at fault. The librarian is not at fault, of course, he's been framed.

Snicket chafes under Markson's mentorship. Markson is snookered by the Board of Education's president who becomes the lonely and gullible Markson's best buddy and pal. Snicket speaks with his own pals Jake, Cleo and Moxie. Snicket pines for his gal frenesis, Ellington.  I created that word: friend + nemesis = frienesis. It's a good word, use it if you like.

When the school burns down all the students are transferred to a remote boarding school where they will get a "top drawer education". It's a plot by Hangfire and Snicket is trying to figure out what Hangfire's end game is. Snicket sneaks into the school and meets with Markson. Snicket plans a fragmentary plot and everyone discusses what a fragmentary plot is.

Fun stuff. Snicket follows the hardboiled PI mold of a lonely guy working against the odds and law enforcement. A person who won't let love or wanting interfere with his own code of justice.  Except he's 12-years-old and doesn't like coffee.

Comments:
1. Gratuitous literary references. I picked up a few and may have gotten others if I were reading. It's too difficult to pause and audio book and ponder what Snicket and the others are discussing.
2. Books I caught were: The Red Pony, A Separate Peace, Wind in the Willows (didn't have to catch that one, the title is covered), Old Yeller.
3. Gratuitous librarian love.
4. Gratuitous library love.
5. Gratuitous book love.
6. Snappy patter.