Hannah Berry’s Britten and Brülightly evokes film noir, bleak humor, and soap opera all rolled into one.  The artwork is dark, yet highly detailed, and the same can be said for Private Investigator Fern Britten.

Other characters assume Fern is French. He is really from Ecuador and finds it mildly astonishing that people believe he is French.  They don’t know much about him, really, other than that he was nicknamed "The Heartbreaker" because he specialized in finding the truth about cheating spouses and lovers.  Perhaps the biggest secret he keeps is that his partner, Brülightly, is a tea bag.  A talking tea bag, that is.  He is an animate tea bag who is also a witty sidekick with a penchant for women.

The story, while not fast in pace—and not always the easiest to follow—is jam-packed with love affairs, illegitimate children, blackmail, gangsters, possible murder, and possible suicide.  Oh, and a wee bit of dismemberment.

The novel takes place in London, where it is apparently always raining and dismal. Britten is fed up with being "The Heartbreaker" and now refuses to get out of bed for "anything less than a murder."  The tale is complicated as Britten must unravel decades of infidelity and family lies, as he tries to prove the truth behind the death of one Charlotte Maughton’s fiancé.

The text is handwritten, and much like the graphic drawings, dark and shadowy. Just when you think you know where the story is going, it takes a sudden left turn, and the reader is compelled to keep going to find out what happens next.

The finale is true drama, and it will surprise you.  Hannah Berry creates not only unique characters, when they could have come across as clichéd; she also spins a unique mystery and a most unusual ending.

Mystery lovers who enjoy involved stories will enjoy this very much, and most anyone should appreciate the highly detailed artwork.  There is some strong language, so this is for adults only.