The subtitle of D.W. Hamilton’s compelling, surrealist debut novel tells us that it is a supernatural murder mystery, and the cover notes that it contains 23 poems and 6 spells. Those few hints, along with the cover art. might be enough to draw you in, but the author’s foreword, explaining how he deliberately mixes surrealism into a mystery genre novel, should give you a pretty good idea of what’s to come. And Hamilton delivers. The (frankly terrific) poems serve as introductions to each chapter, and the spells tie into the plot.

We’re in some sort of alternate Seattle here, where the police department has a paranormal unit and people still smoke — a lot! And while it’s fun to guess which building or street is being described, the plot goes off in directions I hadn’t predicted after reading chapter 1. There are red herrings, along with a character named Red Ballerina; there’s a missing crystal eyeball that projects its fortunes onto a TV screen; and there are enough blue velveteen dormouse costume heads to start a furry convention.

The story follows Jonathan, a dancer, as he arrives in Seattle to join his new husband, Bigalow, co-owner of Seattle’s most fabulous burlesque performance space/hotel. But before the couple can continue where their honeymoon left off, Bigalow is arrested for murder. Hamilton puts Jonathan through the normal paces of an amateur detective learning how to be a detective, but the more compelling parts of the tale are: How much does Jonathan really know about Bigalow? And where does one find the strength to be loyal amid so many forces trying to pull you apart? By keeping the newlyweds separate physically, Jonathan is also forced to examine why he upended his life to move to Seattle and whether his physical attraction to Bigalow has blinded him.

We meet a talking crow early enough in the narrative to signal that magic is real in this alternate Seattle, but the real adventure starts when certain spells are invoked. And we’re told fairly early into the plot that a ballet yet to be created will reveal the answer to the mystery of who killed whom and why.

I was taken with the combination of magic, history, architectural fine points, and the behind-the-scenes elements of how a ballet is choreographed and put together. Hamilton adds enough detail to his world to anchor the more surrealist moments in reality. And he knows how to put a sentence together.

If I had a nit, it would be that it took me a while to figure out what decade the story takes place in. Both the Capitol Hill light rail station and the Victorian row houses torn down to build it exist somehow side by side. Jonathan lights a cigarette indoors yet has a cellphone. Some of the best of Seattle in the ’90s still exists in Hamilton’s version of the city. My take is that this is a deliberate mix of time periods to emphasize that memory, especially with magic involved, is not always reliable.

I recommend this novel if you like that it contains 23 poems and 6 spells. If you were intrigued by that specificity and those components, then you will enjoy this delightful book.

Blue Velveteen Dormouse is now available on Amazon, and later in local bookstores.