The first time I read "I Killed Marilyn," I was astounded by the novel's seemingly impossible combination of fast-paced, almost light-hearted dialogue and action and the depth and seriousness of matters it covers on, alludes to, and touches upon. The second time I read it (a week later), I forced myself to slow down a bit, and a whole different layer of dramatic effects revealed itself: each character in it, no matter how secondary, has a complete psychological portrait (sometimes consisting of merely a few lines spread over the story), and is crucially important. There are no extras in this show.

The story goes something like this.

One of the financially strapped synagogues in a quiet section of Brooklyn needs a new custodian. One of the requirements is the applicant cannot be Jewish (he should be able to work on Saturdays). One of the congregants recommends a fellow from his building, a youngish, athletically built former cabdriver.

After a brief interview at which it becomes known that the fellow knows plumbing (the synagogue can thus save on some of the repair bills), they hire him.

The new custodian is diligent, thoughtful, polite, and charming. Soon the congregants become used to him and even begin to admire him. He becomes part of the community. The butcher hires him for the weekly delivery tour. An elderly lady wants him to come over to do some apartment maintenance. The secretary trusts him with the keys to the office (where the synagogue's correspondence and some charity checks are stored). He is obliging, thoughtful, and, well, indispensable.

No one can even begin to suspect that there is plenty more to the custodian than meets the eye. No one knows that his face has been changed by plastic surgery; that he used to have a different name; that about ten years ago he served as a bodyguard to the President of the United States, and when the going got really tough had to run - first to Argentina, then back to the States, eventually settling in New York.

What the custodian himself does not suspect is that his past is about to catch up with him; that a woman he once loved is about to re-enter his life; and that the "ideal refuge" may not be so ideal after all.

What sets the lead character apart from most characters in today's literature is his casually businesslike approach to any situation. He willingly helps people out; he enjoys looking out for others' interests; he's a good sport and a good trooper, and yet, when it becomes necessary to murder a former girlfriend, only a wild coincidence keeps him from doing so the way he does everything in life: thoughtfully, precisely, and in cold blood. In the noisy crowd of dashing, roguish, and largely useless lead characters today's literature seems to dote upon, the fellow in "I Killed Marilyn" stands out as a complex, intriguing, and perfectly genuine personality. He is not cruel, only efficient; not servile, only compassionate; not cynical, only realistic; not roguish, only sexually active in a world where those who should keep a low profile in order to stay alive cannot afford to be involved in a serious relationship; and not pious, only (for whatever reasons) calmly religious. Yes: he believes in God; and, no, he does not put God's interests ahead of his own. In other words, he very much resembles his former employers, the powerful siblings; only he is superior to them in one aspect, at least: he's still managing to stay alive.

What does all this have to do with Marilyn? Plenty. I wouldn't want to spoil it for those who have not read it yet, though.

Anthony Anchor's narrative style might strike some readers as unusual in that the narrator (the story is told in the first person) and other characters are in the habit of uttering perfectly bizarre, shocking, and revolting things as if stating the obvious. In an epoch when life (and most books) tend to imitate politically correct television, the novel is a breath of fresh air. The numerous turns and twists of the plot, shot through with a string of dramatic flashbacks, only enhance the feeling that the story is as real as life itself: intricate, unpredictable, exciting, comical, tragic, romantic, and infinitely beautiful. It is a wonder how the author manages to cram so much action and detail into a fairly limited number of pages. It is one of those stories that keep inviting their readers to come back, re-read, and discover new angles, new overtones, fresh nuances, every time.

As for historical accuracy - well, that's a whole different subject. As it says on the title page, the novel is a work of fiction.

A large excerpt from Anthony Anchor's novel, I Killed Marilyn [http://mightyniche.com/book_i-killed-marilyn.html] can be found on the company's site.