The Surrogate Thief

I just finished reading a mystery, The Surrogate Thief by Archer Mayor. Since it was a library book, it had the requisite drops of blood and the random hairs and receipts; but it also had a running commentary by a person with faint and tiny handwriting. At first I was annoyed by her comments, but then I started thinking of her as another character in the book and looked forward to her insights: things like "Amen, Archer Mayor," "too true," "ain't thet so," and at the suicide of another character, "Oh, you poor woman." Towards the end of the book, she started writing entire essays in the margins--essays that have been erased, leaving only eraser bits behind. What a loss! Her brief comments revealed depth and sensitivity and gave many clues as to the life the woman must be leading. I checked out another book by Archer Mayor in the hope that it would also be enriched by this woman's comments. Much to my disappointment, there weren't any. Too bad. I was not ready to say good-bye.