Book Review: This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us

THIS BODY’S NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US | Edgar Cantero
07.31.2018 | Doubleday
Rating: 4/5 stars

Fisherman’s Wharf is home to private eyes A. Kimrean and Z. Kimrean. The door to their rundown office shows both names, but when you look inside there is only one desk, one chair, and one androgynous P.I. decked out in a tank top and waistcoat. Collectively known as A.Z., this body holds twin siblings, Zooey and Adrian. Adrian is the brains, while Zooey is the hedonistic free spirit. Together they are locked in one body as chimeric twins. The combination is strange, but it has won the hearts of the local San Francisco police department.

It’s called genetic chimerism: looks like one individual, but it’s actually a mosaic organism made up of two people’s cells, each with its own DNA. Two siblings. In one body.

In their latest case, Kimrean is working to find out who is killing off the sons of local drug cartel boss, Victor Lyon. On the outside it appears the murders are a result of a turf war with another local gang, but Kimrean doesn’t believe that to be true. They will use their unique detective style and out of the norm antics to discover the truth. Just when they think they have their hands full with the case, they realize they also need to save an undercover cop, deal with an eleven-year-old stowaway, and stop an all out gang war from happening in the streets of San Carnal. Can Zooey and Adrian put their differences aside and focus on the task at hand? Will they stop the murderer before it’s too late for everyone involved?

You don’t know what it is. To have a twin. Someone who is always there, in the same room. In the same underpants. In the same skin. Pulling your body, always in the wrong direction.

Last year I fell in love with Edgar Cantero’s unique and quirky writing style after reading MEDDLING KIDS. This year, I’m remembering where that love came from through the pages of THIS BODY’S NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US. This book is downright fun! For starters, the premise of A.Z. Kimrean is a unique one I haven’t read about before. The idea of both Zooey and Adrian controlling one body and the struggles between their polar opposite personalities adds to the entertainment value of this book. Not to be outdone by the main characters, Cantero adds in secondary characters who are interesting and make the reader want to care about what will happen to them. I guarantee you’re going to love spunky, eleven-year-old Ursula! The actual case that Kimrean is working to solve is a gangster battle straight out of a movie. This book is action-packed, addictive, and easily one of the most fun and exciting titles I’ve read all year! If you’re looking for a crime fiction tale riddled with comedic relief and out-of-the-box main characters pick this one up!