I usually hesitate to identify myself as a member of "Generation X," as I am definitely on the cusp of that era — and, likewise, I hesitate to tag Keith Snyder's Trouble Comes Back as a mystery for members of only that generation. Still, as someone in her late twenties, a good deal of the fun of this novel was in recognizing the markers of those who grew up in the 80s. The humor, however, is I'm sure recognizable to those of any generation.

Don't think that just because this book made me laugh out loud (something seldom achieved), that the subject matter is that of a humorous nature. Keith Snyder's books have been described as "humorous noir" but I wouldn't go that far. This is a book with feeling, a book with serious subject matter that successfully walks that line between depressing and mockery to supply a thoroughly enjoyable experience... as well as leaving you thinking.

In Trouble Comes Back, the three friends, Jason, Martin and Robert, find themselves sucked into the darker side of the world of fame. The daughter of drugged-out rocker Dwight Cooper, or "Uncle Trouble," appears to be the victim of a vicious custody battle kidnapping plot. The guys are hired to keep an eye on the daughter. Through their relationship with the girl, they begin to wonder what the true story behind the whole "kidnapping" scheme really is.

From the very beginning of the novel, you are dropped right into the scene with Jason and his buddies. You uncover clues right along with the characters. Snyder brilliantly shows the relationships between three not-quite-adult men, trying to find their place in the world, as well as with each other. This dialogue flows naturally, filled with the stinging banter that men whip at each other. The subject matter, not only with the kidnapping, but with the lives of the main characters themselves, is such that it could easily have slipped into the dark world of noir, but Snyder manages to keep it just on the edge with the humor and warmth of their friendship.

You don't have to be a "generation x-er" to enjoy this book. You don't have to be a noir fan to want read more. You don't even have to be a mystery buff to love Keith Snyder. Trouble Comes Back is a book to delight any reader.

—Cathy Gallagher