Welcome to the city of Red Wheelbarrow, where the world’s greatest detective has yet to meet the crime he can’t solve—every criminal in Red Wheelbarrow is caught and convicted thanks to Detective Gould’s brilliant mind and cutting-edge spy technology.

But lately there has been a rash of crimes so eccentric and random that even Detective Gould is stumped. Will he discover the connection between the compulsive chair thief, the novelist who uses purloined street signs to write her magnum opus, and the photographer who secretly documents peoples’ most anguished personal moments? Or will Detective Gould finally meet his match?

Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes, created by Matt Kindt is a fantastic crime story, with a build up throughout that leads to a great pay off at the end. If you’ve ever read a Kindt comic before, you know the story and art go hand in hand, playing off each other in a way that few comics today do.

Every image, every page layout, every small detail is thought out and planned. This graphic novel features beautiful art making up the main story, but each is broken up with newspaper articles adding to the story. All of it together is a rich narrative.

The story itself is fantastic. Essentially its numerous short stories all tied together in the end by an over arching story. It’s a slow build, but each chapter stands on its own. It also hits the notes you’d want and expect in a hard-boiled crime story. An interesting mystery with a determined and pure detective, every bit is entertaining.

Kindt is one of today’s master storytellers in the comic industry. It’s not just the words he puts on the page or the story they populate, it’s every small detail that’s added, every item added to each page. It’s an amazing package. When this graphic novel is released, it’s an absolute must buy.

Story and Art: Matt Kindt
Story: 9.5 Art: 10 Overall: 9.75 Recommendation: Buy

First Second provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review