Smelled a Rat Plot Threads I Would've Liked to Have Seen Better Explored
(Note that this does not mean dangling plot points in the mystery, which will be addressed later.)
Perhaps the most egregious oversight - the wildfires, utterly dropped halfway through the book. In the old days, this would've been used for Qwilleran's investigation-of-the-novel, like his forays into antiques in On and Off or life in the Potatoes in Moved a Mountain, to provide structure for the entire book; there're much less interesting worlds to explore than that of firefighting (it certainly would be the most outwardly exciting subject for an assignment Qwill's tackled in the course of the series), and, properly treated, it'd all by its own provide an utter wealth of storyline possibilities.
The Something could be doing a special on the fire team's efforts, with Qwill (and, for added angles, other staffers, like Roger) contributing; Qwill (and, through him, the reader) could learn of the ins and outs of keeping wide-ranging blazes in a parched, tinderbox county under control (and from starting in the first place); the activities and composition of the fire-watch teams - who was (patrolling what) with whom when and where - could play some part in the mystery, perhaps divulge a clue; Qwill (and Joe/Wetherby) could happen across sinister goings-on themselves while on patrol; all the residents of the county seat could, in various ways, pitch in to stem the spread of the wildfires and preserve Pickax from going up in smoke. The way the community came together behind one of its own was one of the best things about Wasn't There; couple that with an ever-developing chain of events on the homefront which ties into the mystery (another strength of Wasn't There), and you've got an engrossing tale right there. Wouldn't that provide a better story to counter the Exbridge onslaught - citizens banding together to save their town, rather than tearing its history down to build dermatology clinics and unisex hair salons?
What Jeffa Young's daughter's knew - or at least had experienced. Her clipped speech and business-like demeanor flecked with a cross between preoccupation, determination, and seething anger somewhat muted with familiarity during the short drive to her mother's house with Qwilleran promised an interesting tale - it communicated that this was not the first time she'd found herself suddenly en route to a strange place to clean up after her screw-up brother's antics; that she was grimly determined to help her mother, despite being fed-up with Mom getting herself into such sticky situations by accommodating her brother so; that she does not particularly mourn Cass, because she knew he'd been setting himself up for something like this to happen for a long time. In other words, she had A Story. She may have been, as the book repeatedly stated, "less striking" than her mother, but she certainly was more intriguing, and further chats with her could've nicely fleshed out the Young family situation. (City Qwill the Reporter would've realized she potentially held important information, and, using the Qwilleran Method, could've coaxed her into talking during the drive.) I don't need an entire sub-plot concerning her - just one substantial scene to lend some situational and emotional depth to the story.
Caspar Young's perspective and untimely (in more ways than one) end. To finally have a chance to prove one's mettle after years of being written off as a chronic incompetent in the community, only to be killed before one can take advantage of it - isn't that a tragic story which deserves more pause? Instead, we focus on his involvement with the curling team. Exploring the other route would've given Young dimension and substantially increased reader involvement in both the story and his fate. In the end, Dennis Hough, another character in the building profession with personal troubles, left the greater mark on the memory, even though he found himself in what objectively was a somewhat clichéd, less dramatically interesting dilemma.
Zoller's decision. "It takes a special kind of person to expose corruption in a small town." OK. What kind? We know nothing about Zoller the man, save for the little one can glean from his appearance at Maggie's dinner party. He seems like a gentleman (to partner with Maggie, romantically or businesswise, he must be), but might it be too much to examine his train of thought in betraying Exbridge, lay out how he conceived his plan, perhaps hear a bit from Zoller himself first-hand? And, for that matter...
Maggie Sprenkle's role in Zoller's plans. Maggie's a merry but reserved, old-fashioned lady; getting herself involved in this level of danger and intrigue must've been, to say the least, unnerving and frightening, demanding considerable courage; what compelled her to act so daringly? Does she hold principles similar to Zoller's so dear that she could not abide Exbridge's actions? Could she simply not bear to turn down a friend in dire need of help? Did she truly love Zoller? (This is a good unanswered question, related to her motives concerning Zoller's scheme or not.) I can make a few inferences (considering Maggie, I'd assume at least the first two possible factors played some partial role in her decision), but, as with Zoller, it would've been interesting to have heard from Maggie herself.
Burgess Campbell's blindness. Nothing is explained of how Burgess copes with his handicap except to introduce his guide dog, but a guide dog can't do everything, and a blind professor certainly must encounter some interesting challenges in the course of his workday. Qwilleran's forgotten basic reporting; he doesn't think of any enlightening questions to pose the man.
And on a different tangent - would it have been possible to integrate Burgess into the mystery in some small way? Have him stumble across a clue he couldn't completely comprehend at the time because of his lack of sight, and require Qwilleran to ferret out its full nature and significance through what Burgess's other senses recorded?
Kirt Nightingale's advances toward Polly. Kirt seemed a person e'er-so-slightly beneath-the-surface psychotic who did not take failure well; how would he handle Polly's rejection? Or was he genuinely interested in her at all? Was he using the ruse of dating to lure her out of her money? (Polly is, to some degree, a kept woman at this point, and Kirt might not have known exactly where her wealth comes from.) But Nightingale was, by his own admission, a pure taker; it's questionable whether he would've been willing to put out that much of an investment in time building enough of a phony relationship for Polly to fork over some dough, even for such a great return.
Chef Wingo. Irrelevant to most everything in the plot, but you don't drop people named "Wingo" into the story without some sort of explanation.
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