At long last, Rag and Bone, the seventh and final entry in the Henry Rios mystery series, came up in the rotation. When I reviewed books 5 and 6 last year, I observed that The Death of Friends (book 5) was the best of the series. Having read them all now, it remains the best of the series.
I also foreshadowed that tears would come with this final entry. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
I said that because I assumed it would be curtains for Henry and I braced for how his exit would be delivered. It turns out that I was right about “curtains” but they weren’t for Henry. Nava, in his author’s afterword, says that not only is the series now concluded, but so is his career as a writer.
To my eternal chagrin, Nava departs on a whimper. Rag and Bone opens with all the flourish of Nava: Henry Rios is in court fighting a “three strikes” case and chest pain. His life literally flashes before his eyes and the next thing he knows, he’s in a hospital bed with his sister Elena at his side. You may remember Elena from Howtown. Back then, we got a glimpse of the tension between them and thus we didn’t get to know Elena very well. This segment of Henry’s backstory will be fully fleshed out, which is welcome and overdue.
Nava is pretty good at setting up a story and getting it underway. The rapid pacing has always felt right because the new characters are well, new. This time, the set-up feels hopelessly contrived. The timing of the family “reunion” just doesn’t ring true.
The mystery element of this book isn’t very strong either. Usually, we get to know all of the players: good guys, bad guys, and guys in between. We know the killer is lurking among them, a full player in the story. Here, it’s pretty obvious whodunnit, but he only appears once in the story.
As the final book in the series, I was hoping to see many more drop-ins of characters from prior books. The opportunities abounded, including a house filled with friends, but only one had a name: Edith Rosen. I would also count Victor Freeman among the recurring regulars if any of his dry humor had survived in his appearances here. Unfortunately, no. Edith is a much more confident character than before but not that interesting. I’d have even been happy just to get to know Elena’s partner better. Sadly, not a word.
It pains me to admit it, but this is the most mediocre book in the series. Nava clearly wants the series to end on a happy note. Yet mediocrity in the hands of a great author like Nava is still much better than any novel by Michael Thomas Ford. Disassociated from my expectations of Henry Rios books, this is a good human story. Observe how calm and mature Henry is as John tries to resolve whether to marry his longtime girlfriend or continue with him. Observe the splendid meeting Henry has with John’s father. Observe every interaction between Henry and Angel. Henry has seen a lot of life and has come to terms with the best and worst it has to offer, and it shows. Henry Rios remains one of the most thoughtful and lovely characters in all of literature. I’ll miss him. I just wish he’d been given a better send-off.