A baffled author tumbles through an escalating series of misunderstandings in this alternately charming and unsettling gloss on Kafka's The Trial. Watson (Glister) uses his tightly framed etching to highlight the claustrophobic confusion faced by G.H. Fretwell as he embarks on a promotional tour for his novel Without K. Wandering through a Central Europeanesque city, all cobblestone streets and twisting alleyways, Fretwell persists on the tour, which keeps getting extended despite a lack of interest from the public or (confusingly for him) even his publisher. Humiliations pile on top of embarrassments: "It's curious, we usually sell at least one copy," one bookstore owner says to the author, who at times resembles a bumbling John Cleese character as much as Josef K. As the quality of Fretwell's lodgings deteriorates, the mood darkens and a pair of police detectives ask about his possible connections to a series of murders committed by the "Suitcase Killer," though Watson imbues even those interactions with humor ("You're from the Literary Review?" "We're police, sir"). Watson neatly balances moody atmosphere and light comedy, salting his narrative with outré details, such as one city being so hostile and bureaucratic that its homeless shelter requires reservations. This deadpan funny riff on artistic insecurities will play like a nightmare come true for many authors. (Nov.)

G.H. Fretwell, an aptly named, moderately successful British author, has gone on a book tour to promote his latest novel. Unfortunately, he does not get the reception he is expecting--there are no attendees, he has problems with the publisher, and a sought-after debut author gets all the attention. When the female bookstore clerk from his first stop goes missing, the police begin to question him as the last person who saw her, and from there, things only get worse. Fretwell is generally misunderstood and meek or passive in his interactions, making him appear awkward to booksellers and guilty to the police. The illustrations are black-and-white and sketchy, and the panels are usually small and unembellished, which adds to the sense of bleakness building throughout the story. The text consists solely of dialogue, and many panels are wordless, so the 250-plus pages go by quickly. Hand this book to readers who like either a darkly humorous read with a pitiful underdog or the snowball effect popular in Coen-brothers movies.

An author seeking to promote the release of his new novel finds himself in an increasingly bizarre, surrealistic nightmare in this Kafkaesque comedy by Watson (Kerry and the Knight in the Forest). Immediately upon arriving in an unnamed city, G.H. Fretwell is robbed of his luggage and discovers the police are more interested in interrogating him that pursuing the thief. He carries on, only to find his signing ill attended, his accommodations atrocious, and his itinerary repeatedly extended by his otherwise incommunicado publisher, who may actually have gone out of business without telling him. As nearly everyone he encounters greets him with disinterest or disdain (if not outright hostility), Fretwell's fairly passive insistence on making the best of strange circumstances gives way to a frantic desire for escape, especially after a pair of policemen accuse him of committing a gruesome murder. VERDICT Watson's adeptness at capturing body language and facial expressions combines with nuanced dialog and a keen sense of irony to create a hugely entertaining page-turner. After having spent several years creating work for younger readers, the author's long-anticipated return to more mature themes dazzles.