When A Goon Comes To Supper And Won't Leave

Diana Wynne Jones' Archer's Goon is really a mystery in terms of its story. It took me some time to recognize that, with the seven sibling wizards controlling the town, and using all their resources to try and procure 2,000 words from Mr. Sykes, a local writer. But the story is about Howard, his sister awful, and the Goon trying to figure out which wizard it is that's stolen the last set of words Sykes sent off, and what good the words are anyway. So there's investigation, threats of violence, people in power abusing that power to try and compel others to do what they want, whether by bribes or harassment. Sounds like a mystery to me.

Beyond that, it's also a book about family, since Jones spends much of the book on the Sykes family, their various personalities, and how they mesh. We see how they deal with external and internal pressure, how the kids deal with their parents squabbling, and how well one can come to understand one's family over time. Jones doesn't try to portray families as this wonderful, always happy unit, but she makes a prety strong case for how nice it is to have people who care enough to look out for you, even when your behavior doesn't really merit it. I think there's also something in there about how some people, given the opportunity, will learn from past mistakes or excesses, and others won't.

Jones manages quite a bit of humor from the situation, since some of the tactics the wizards apply are kind of ridiculous, and also because reading how the Sykes try and adapt to the predicament they find themselves in is quite amusing.

Of course, since it's a mystery, I was completely surprised by the big reveal near the end, but it was an interesting twist.