Review of Catchpenny by Charlie Huston

Reviewers are normal folks, too. We can be turned on or off by cover copy. In fact, in our era of content overload, cover copy is in some strange way one of the more consistent and dependable ways of drawing a bead on a book. The internet may be awash with hacks, but publishers still tend to hire competent people to do what is actually a difficult task: both summarize a premise and entice a reader, all in just a handful of sentences. This is all a long winded way of saying: I was hooked by the blurb for Charlie Huston's Catchpenny (2024).  And I learned a new word.

Catchpenny is the story of one Sid Catchpenny. A former singer turned thief, in the opening pages he is looking for something genuine to do with his pathetic, plastic life; his doppelganger murdered his wife years ago and his career as a performer was traded away in a deal with a devil, meaning he spends his days wallowing in cheap self-pity. That is, until one day when a taxi-driving friend asks Sid to pay a visit to someone and get some information, some character information that will help the driver sort out a little domestic trouble he's having. And down the rabbit hole Sid unwittingly goes. Gangsters, mojo, influencers, mannequins, D&D, cults, and weird video games form a carousel, a carousel that spins ever faster with each new encounter. Trouble is, how to stop the ride?

Catchpenny, like its name, is a mojo magic adventure through a 1980s-esque Los Angeles that is an alternate version of now. Huston paces his tale excellently, but not at the expense of scene; each is set, developed, and resolved satisfyingly, all while building the broader mystery of one girl's disappearance and Sid's absolution. Mainstream fantasy readers will eat this with a spoon.

Catchpenny is a flashy, fun book. For the majority of pages, Huston nails the tone of a cocky Joe Cool in over his head. It has that daring style which successfully walks the fine line between pretension and engagement. While I was at first skeptical (Sid is quite egotistical), Huston eventually won me over. I even became a fan of Sidney Catchpenny. He has charisma, I admit it, leading to the conclusion Huston does a great job creating a likable rogue.

I have only one, proper criticism of the novel: the climax. It is out of sync with the rest of the story. I will not spoil things, but I can say its tone doesn't match the brash, flashy fun the book has getting to that point. It's as if the book suddenly takes a detour into emo land—a land the reader was not expecting to visit considering Sid's pomp and zeal. The self-reflection feels more like an American hallmark movie than Sid the charismatic thief—the switch from genre to “literature” jarring. There were other roads Huston could have taken and still arrived at the book's classic denouement.  The denouement is successful in its own right, only that it could have shone brigher had there not been a fizzle prior.

The other criticism I have is a me-thing, not a book-thing. The humanitarian in me wishes that Huston had dug a little deeper into the way in which mojo, the book's magic, is utilized. Mojo is captured in physical objects that get lot of eyes and attention. Favorite toys, hair, well worn clothing, collectibles, and especially mirrors - all are mojo generators that users like Sid need to do their thing. The internet, on the other hand, due to its virtual nature, does not generate mojo. People spend time looking, but no magic.  Nice place to develop a theme... alas.

In the end, Catchpenny is something to consider for your summer holiday read. I sense mainstream genre awards will want to nominate it—it's that type of book. Full of chutzpah, Huston doesn't tell a deep tale, but he does give readers colorful characters and a plot that entertains. 80s easter eggs, mojo magic, and a sharp sense of style, it's a perfectly readable—and in the not too distant future—perfectly forgettable book. I suppose there is no better example of a novel that lives up to its name...