Romulus Ledbetter lives in a cave in a park in New York City. He could have had a career as a talented pianist but instead mental illness rules his life. His daughter Lulu and his wife Sheila know where he is but he resists their efforts to bring him in out of the cold, preferring to remain in his cave where his delusions keep him well entertained. He is an independent and stubborn person.
But then someone dumps a dead body near his cave. When he learns a fellow homeless man was distraught over the death of the dead man, Romulus fantasies begin to center on solving the dead man's murder. Which leads him on a journey to the estate of a wealthy and famous photographer that Romulus believes was responsible for the man's death.
This was an okay read. The idea of a mentally ill amateur detective is different, true. But I found Romulus to be a sad character and his delusions rather boring. I skipped most of his insane rants against his big bugbear, Stuyvesant, a creature he blames for pretty much all the ills of the modern world. Which he thinks are being caused by Y-rays Stuyvesant broadcasts from the Chrysler Building. Yeah.
Here is a review by Kirkus Reviews.
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