Mr. White's Confession: A Novel (ISBN 031242812X)

Amazon.com Review:
In Robert Clark's second novel, Mr. White's Confession, two men grope through real and metaphysical mysteries in post-depression Minnesota. A pair of girls, taxi dancers at a local dance hall, have been murdered. It seems obvious to everyone involved that the killer is Herbert White, a quiet eccentric with a taste for glamour photography--particularly after portraits of the dead women are found in his apartment. Yet police Lieutenant Wesley Horner finds himself obsessed with the oddities of the case, starting with the fact that the suspect is afflicted with a faulty memory. Literally unable to recall anything but the distant past (and intermittent patches of the present), White cannot confess to the murders. Did he in fact commit the crime, or is he merely a convenient scapegoat? Agonizing over these questions, Horner also begins to ponder the role that memory plays in understanding the past--and the present. Part of the narrative consists of Herbert White's journal, and this is the best part of Mr. White's Confession. Here Clark creates a voice that is both innocent and formal and, most of all, blind to its own desires. Recalling a visit by Ruby Fahey, one of the eventual victims, the photographer writes: "She went back to my bedroom to change, and I must say I felt a huge sort of breathlessness at the idea that she was in my room shedding and then donning her garments, rather as if some mystery of great enormity were taking place right here in my humble quarters!" Horner's half of the narrative, alas, is weighted down by tired lyricism, and populated by a hard-boiled cast straight out of Raymond Chandler. The result is a gripping mystery with an anticlimactic ending--less a philosophical resolution than the tail of a shaggy-dog story. --Emily Hall

I too was deceived by Edgar Allen Poe Awards:
I have read several Edgar Allen Poe Award books and the authors, without fail, have captivated me with their imaginative and mesmerizing storytelling talent. Robert Clark's `Mr White's Confession' remains a noteworthy exception. Although the book claims to be a period piece of the 30's, its only historical revelation is its repetitive use of bigotry. On this point, I must say the author's range is quite impressive -he has something to say on everything from mental retardation to being Jewish and Black. On the whole, Clark's writing is tedious, dry, and at times borders on simple-minded. Additionally, his characters are overtly clichéd-cookie-cut-outs of something possibly mistaken (in the best possible light) for a Dick Tracey cartoon. Forgive me, for muddying the work of author Chester Gould! By p.82 of the 341 page book, I understood the entire plot, and humoured myself (and the author) by doggedly weathering it to the end. I do not pretend to understand the selection criteria for the esteemable Edgar Allen Poe Award. However, in their defense, all I can say is that being human, even Mystery Writers of America are prone to make mistakes. `Mr. White's Confession: A Novel' is one such mistake.

A Mystery about the Mystery and Beauty of Life:
What a marvelous novel: a searching exploration of memory, love, beauty, good/evil, and the hideously mistreated victim, who endures life and takes himself to a higher spiritual plateau. This novel is soaked in mystery, albeit most of it not of the superficial kind that litters most mysteries by, for example, Sandford, Grafton, Patterson, E. George. Readers enjoy a speed read through the kinds of novels written by most mystery authors. I have no quarrel with them. But I would argue vehemently that one Mr. White's Confession is worth more than all the "speed read" novels put together. I am of course making a value judgment, a rather absolute one, but the depth and beauty of this novel demands praise and the most heartfelt entreaty that if you are reading this commentary that you read this novel--your life will be enriched. This novel almost broke my heart at several points. But what it really did is stir into my consciousness the memories of love and beauty in my own life; it made me take stock of where I have been and how important it is that my future create memories that are full of love and beauty. Read this book and be the wiser for having read it.

Excellent:
A truly different type of mystery in which the characters are richly drawn and unforgettable. Mr. White "seems" to be a rather pitiful fellow, but all is not what it seems to be. In this novel, the good guys can turn out bad and vice versa. Told from each character's perspective, the story weaves not so much a mystery thriller, but rather an insight on personal pains, demons, and redemption.

An unnerving novel:
Herbert White lives a strange life in Saint Paul in 1939. He's a very lonely man, has no friends, is profoundly attached to his daily routines and is an amateur photographer. He particularly likes taking pictures of taxi dancers working at the Aragon Ballroom where Herbert occasionally goes. And so he met Charlie Mortensen - also called Carla Marie LaBreque - and Ruby Fahey. Due to Herbert's eccentric way of life as a recluse, he doesn't feel very comfortable in the presence of women. All the photography sessions taking place at his apartment, Herbert's behaviour is always uneasy whenever a woman comes for posing. When Charlie Mortensen is found dead by strangulation on 30 Sptember 1939 and Ruby Fahey (killed in the same manner) on 22 October, the police suspect Herbert White and arrest him. Slowly White will be drawn into signing a confession stating that he killed the two women. But Lieutenant Wesley Horner becomes suspicious: why did Hebert White state in his confession that he killed the women "by battery to the head" when both of them died from strangulation? Truth vs. fiction, past vs. present, love vs. hatred, faith and memory are the themes illuminated masterfully by Robert Clark. This is not a mystery story in the classic sense but rather a complex, intriguing and fascinating journey into the human psyche. A beautiful book.

Interesting book in more then one way:
When I picked up this book I did not know what to expect, perhaps a mystery book, well I did not get a real mystery but nevertheless I got a good book, so as already mentioned elsewhere, if you are mystery freak this is not for you, if you are a neutral person this is definitely good read. What I also found interesting in this book, is the picture of how in the last 60 or so years the "correctness" - referring to the treatment of minorities etc. by police - have changed, that is if the author is to be trusted with the description of the real life back in the late 30s.