A Quick Note On This Review: This article includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org as a way of supporting both local bookshops and my own ability to write.
The Investigator introduces a young woman working under a senator who yearns for more adventure. While technically assigned to conduct research for the senator, Letty Davenport gets to undertake an investigation into missing oil on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security and quickly finds herself face to face with a right wing extremist group whose plans to stop immigrants from entering the country.
Looking at the story of The Investigator by John Sanford, it provides an entertaining adventure for those looking to enjoy an action-packed story with moments of intrigue and subterfuge. Letty is able to operate in a predominantly male space and earn the respect of everyone she meets quickly and efficiently, all while solving a variety of mysteries that are typical of an action thriller.
However, I would hesitate to say that The Investigator is a prime example of what writers in the genre should try to emulate. While Letty is an interesting character, she doesn’t generate the kind of empathy one would expect from a protagonist until near the end when she’s faced with the consequences of an explosion that harms women and children. However, even this point that could be a place for audiences to relate to her is a sign of authorial clumsiness, since it’s made clear that Letty is completely at ease with guns, bombs, and killing people. In fact, there were a few points throughout the novel when Sanderson argued Letty was an ultimate pragmatist – a kind of person who behaves like a psychopath but isn’t actually a psychopath.
Apart from characterization, there are aspects of the plot that are loose in their weaving. The main antagonist is portrayed as someone who is intelligent enough to perform well in the military, go to college, organize a militia, fund it with stolen oil, and yet somehow believes that she can stop an investigation into the stolen oil by murdering the informants and stop migration through a few acts of terrorism in a small Texas town feels contradictory. This could be the author’s way of showcasing the irrationality of right-wing extremist groups, but in failing to create a way for readers to understand the nuances of how intelligence could become misguided, the novel only gives the impression of nonsense.
Further, Sanderson’s use of guns raises questions about the purpose of the novel’s story. For someone who is interested in a narrative that gives in-depth descriptions of comprehensive arsenals, the level of detail could even be entertaining. However, if Sanderson’s goal was to meditate on why guns are so prevalent in US society, then such a discussion would have been better suited for an essay than a novel. As it stands, it comes across more as someone who lives outside the US trying to write a political satire.
While I didn’t care for the novel personally, I do think it would be an entertaining novel for people who are fans of action-focused novels without much concern for characters. Readers interested in works that deal with current affairs can also find something worth exploring in The Investigator.
For writers, The Investigator does a great job of showing how to put together the bones of a thriller. Sanderson does a decent job of putting together action scenes and offers some insight into how to build tension. However, to build on any teachings from Sanderson, writers should read Gilian Flynn’s work to develop a stronger understanding of how to build intrigue and work with female protagonists. Sanderson provides a working profile for how people who believe there’s no way out of their situation may become radicalized, but writers looking to portray this should read Matthew Desmond’s work if they want to get a firm grasp of how to talk about people who are poor, and Alyssa Quart’s Squeezed. Radicalization can be explored in Mosin Hamid’s work, especially The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
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What’s Next?
I am an avid reader and have quite a few thoughts on how some books could benefit both people that want to be entertained and those looking to sharpen their literary skills.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what I’ve been reading – and how it could benefit you – I will be publishing those thoughts on Fridays on a weekly basis. Check back next week for a discussion of H.G. Perry’s The Magician’s Daughter!
The Writerly Review 