“Joss Whedon…can’t possibly write All The Things That Are Kind Of Like This. So hallelujah that Edgar Cantero – a Barcelona native whose first language is Spanish, but who spits pop-culture in English like the savviest geek in, say, Sheboygan posting on Tumblr – is writing some of them.”–The Austin ChronicleFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Meddling Kids comes a mind-blowing, … Kids comes a mind-blowing, gender-bending, genre-smashing romp through the entire pantheon of action and noir. It is also a bold, tautly crafted novel about family, being weird, and claiming your place in your own crazy story.
In a dingy office in Fisherman’s Wharf, the glass panel in the door bears the names of A. Kimrean and Z. Kimrean. Private Eyes. Behind the door there is only one desk, one chair, one scrawny androgynous P.I. in a tank top and skimpy waistcoat. A.Z., as they are collectively known, are twin brother and sister. He’s pure misanthropic logic, she’s wild hedonistic creativity. The Kimreans have been locked in mortal battle since they were in utero…which is tricky because they, very literally, share one single body. That’s right. One body, two pilots. The mystery and absurdity of how Kimrean functions, and how they subvert every plotline, twist, explosion, and gunshot–and confuse every cop, neckless thug, cartel boss, ninja, and femme fatale–in the book is pure Cantero magic.
Someone is murdering the sons of the ruthless drug cartel boss known as the Lyon in the biggest baddest town in California–San Carnal. The notorious A.Z. Kimrean must go to the sin-soaked, palm-tree-lined streets of San Carnal, infiltrate the Lyon’s inner circle, and find out who is targeting his heirs, and while they are at it, rescue an undercover cop in too deep, deal with a plucky young stowaway, and stop a major gang war from engulfing California. They’ll face every plot device and break every rule Elmore Leonard wrote before they can crack the case, if they don’t kill each other (themselves) first.
This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us is a brilliantly subversive and comic thriller celebrating noir detectives, Die Hard, Fast & Furious, and the worst case of sibling rivalry, that can only come from the mind of Edgar Cantero.
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This Body’s Not Big Enough For The Both of Us by Edgar Cantero and narrated by January LaVoy is a snarky, witty, clever, and funny book! The opening prologue had me laughing but confused at first. Was this person mentally ill or what? Then as the book started it’s explained that they are brother and sister joined together sharing a body and brain! It is hilarious! They are Private Investigators where the brother is calm natured and a genius Sherlock Holmes type. The sister is wild, sex crazed, and no control or filter! No one wants her on the cases but they all want the brother! This is one of these cases and I giggled all the way through it! It is funny, inappropriate at times that makes it even funnier, very witty, and full of action! Great characters and plot! I want more of this series! I hope he writes more of these PI siblings!
The narration was so good! It’s not easy to do comedy and make it funny but she did! I think I enjoyed it more by hearing it from this narrator than if I had just read it myself.
In A.Z. Kimrean, Cantero has written the funniest private investigator this side of Peter Sellers. How can you not love the warring siblings, opposites in a single body, as they outwit everyone they meet? You will. You will love them.
I love it when books are incredibly stupid. It’s so obvious that Edgar Cantero has fun while writing, that he’s laughing at his own jokes and seeing how wild he can push the gamut this time. This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us is heavily steeped in the noir genre, with brooding detective stereotypes and swooning femme fatales, but has a tone fit for a buddy comedy movie, complete with zany antics and, like Cantero’s other novels, a surprise heart at the core of the narrative.
A.Z. Kimrean is a private investigator called in by the police department when the son of a local crime lord is murdered. With the killer still on the loose, there’s whisperings that another crime lord will be blamed and the city’s innocent civilians will be caught in the crossfire of a gang war. Kimrean’s mission: go undercover alongside a cop to find out the real killer and clear the name of the other gangs (as far as that particular murder, that is) to prevent citywide chaos. Kimrean has a reputation as a genius detective among the police force, but only a few know the truth: A.Z. Kimrean is actually two people living in the same body, Adrian and Zooey, conjoined twins with each of them operating part of the same body. Adrian’s all left brained, logic and detective leaps, while Zooey is right brained, antics and car chases. Going undercover is a near impossibility and the killer is doing more than murder, they’re turning the two against one another, leaving not only the case in shambles, but the two ready to rip their body apart.
What I love about This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us and the rest of Cantero’s novels is that they are just not grounded in our reality. Virtually all sci-fi and fantasy stories aren’t, but Cantero takes it a step further: he’s not concerned with realism in any capacity, resulting in stories that feel zany and larger-than-life. A.Z. Kimrean spends 250 pages creating absolute chaos, defying both the laws of the land and the laws of physics, partnering up with unrealistically precocious eleven year olds, and just generally being so much fun. It feels like watching an old movie with imperfect CGI; you can see the holes in the narrative but it feels so nostalgic and wild you’re willing to overlook the minor errors. The jokes are genuinely funny, they land well, and Cantero isn’t afraid of poking fun at the same tropes and stereotypes he himself utilizes. There are a lot of quirks and jokes in here that feel very much like bantering with my own queer friends, self-referential gags on the sly I think readers will definitely appreciate.
What I loved most about the last book I read by Cantero, Meddling Kids, is the blending of genres, something that was continued in this book. I don’t know if Cantero is capable of making a book that isn’t hilarious, isn’t always a x-comedy, but I always love them. I think life in general is much sillier than we give it credit for, and the way he combined horror into Meddling Kids and now noir into This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us is startling original. We normally think of noir as being almost cartoonishly dark and edgy, with a male detective that’s brooding and morally dubious, a blonde bombshell hanging off his arm as he single-handedly solves the crime and makes the cops look like fools. This is a noir, with a brooding detective, he just happens to have an impulsive sister living in his head, the detective in question solves the mystery in the most chaotic way possible, side characters refuse to leave them alone, and the narrative points out how dumb being super edgy is at every available opportunity. Somehow it remains true to the genre while giving it a fresh new facelift, both lovable to old fans of the genre and appealing to the new.
The only critique I had of the book was minor in the grand scheme of how much was packed into it, but I wanted more of the relationship between Adrian and Zooey. No spoilers, but there was a lot happening between the two of them and the narrative set them up for what I perceived as a very tentative ending, a character arc that ended hurriedly, almost aborted, and felt flimsy against the backdrop of their very real issues with one another. Maybe if we even had, like, two more chapters it would’ve been fine. This Body is a relatively slim novel with, even among the zaniness, a tight plot, so I can’t complain too much that the characters weren’t having the drawn out, therapizing conversations I wanted them to, but still. (Possible sequel, Edgar?)
I just love what Cantero does with his books. I find a lot of what I read these days is cathartic and dark, tackling marginalized identities and topics of oppression, but there’s something about coming back to Cantero’s work that feels like cozying up with an old friend, one that’s just as funny and warm as you remember. Even though it didn’t quite reach the emotional heights I wanted it to, there’s no shortage of touching moments and the whiplash I love from when comedy gets real serious. This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us is just a great ride in every way, an underrated gem that feels like it could belong on the big screen.
Oh. My. Goodness. I LOVE EDGAR CANTERO’S BOOKS!!
Seriously, he has the most incredible imagination. And he pairs that with an impeccable writing style/sense of pacing and comedy AND a seemingly endless (and absolutely brilliant) collection of literary and pop-culture allusions that he sprinkles throughout his stories like marshmallows in Lucky Charms. Honestly, you couldn’t ask for more!
This book brings us the most phenomenally tragically hip protagonist in recent times – A.Z. Kimrean is a marvelous creation and Cantero manages the duality/singularity with aplomb and panache (of course). The tale is wild and unusual and fascinating – as much so as Adrian and Zooey themselves – and I flew through it, skimming pages on my kindle so fast I’m surprised I still have fingerprints.
I know this is a tragically short review for such a phenomenal book, but that’s because I don’t even know where to begin in explaining it without spoilers and I wouldn’t want to ruin an ounce of this read. You need to discover Cantero’s stories on your own, line by line – he is a master storyteller with a genius for imagery and wordplay that is phenomenal.
If you like your stories original, perfectly paced, and with a spot-on sense of the darkly comic absurdity of life, you can do no better than Edgar Cantero.
My review copy was provided by NetGalley.