‘The 0.40 Caliber Mouse’
enthralls the reader with its beginning, where the main character of the book
is brought into display. Reeves, the central character, happens to be an
Englishman with the possession of a 0.40 caliber pistol. Apparently, the pistol
has sited enough sentiments in the man as to have earned the name ‘Lucky’. The
writer is not, as yet, very open about the reason for the sentimental value of
Lucky, the pistol. But this concept of the emotional attachment between Reeves
and his pistol does engage the reader with its mysteriousness. Ultimately,
Reeves ends up finding the right way of utilizing his dear pistol, and that is
by hiring another wanted felon for support. He advertises his partnership with
this felon, through the launch of a notorious website. And thus the two
partners approach, what can be called, a series of killings and murders for
their online clients. This proves to be a successful partnership, since the
police fails to catch them at any of their crime locations. Side by side, Reeves
is very subtle about what he plans to achieve by doing all this; though, he
does recite a letter from his dead wife several times throughout the story. By
the end of the book, the writer reveals the mystery behind the character’s
actions, and makes an interesting connection to Reeves’ wife’s letter. Though
the catching writing style keeps the reader going on till the end, but once the
mystery is revealed, the overall impression of the plot does not last a
grasping impact.