Matthew Livingston
Matthew Livingston is the fictional teenage detective who appears in a mystery series geared towards young readers and teenagers. The books are written by Marco Conelli, an ACTIVE detective in the NYPD.
Matthew Livingston (fictional teen-detective)
Premise
Matthew Livingston first appeared in 2007 in his first mystery, Matthew Livingston and the Prison of Souls. Although young adult appropriate, the Matthew Livingston books feature hard criminals, murderers, cults, and terrorists. The books also have a large following from adult readers.
Matthew, age 17 and a high school senior, is an extreme loner and is more interested in studying chemistry and human behavior than indulging in a social life. He possesses remarkable ability in lateral thinking and heightened powers of observation, due to much dedication in the study of both. The mysteries are not solicited by Matthew for solving rather brought to him (against his wishes) by schoolmate Dennis Sommers.
The first person narration in the novels belongs to Dennis Sommers, age 16, aspiring journalist at Serling High School. Dennis is self described as the "low man on the totem pole" as a writer for the school newspaper. Dennis is described as insecure, slightly overweight, and an admitted coward. His skills include all facets of computers and the programming of them.
Sandra Small rounds out the trio. Also age 17 (like Matthew) and a high school senior at Serling High School, Sandra is described as attractive with red haired and wire rimmed glasses. She has emerald green eyes. She is the experienced member of the group in problem solving. Sandra drives a red manual transmission Ford Mustang. Sandra is an extremely loyal friend with a sense of maturity that goes beyond high school fads. She is also aggressive in physical confrontations.
Comparisons
The first person narration supplied by Dennis Sommers has been compared to that of Dr. John Watson, the narrator of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. The character of Matthew Livingston is only seen through the eyes of Dennis Sommers. The comical description of Matthew has been compared to the way Archie Goodwin narrates the Nero Wolfe mysteries.
The Matthew Livingston series has been described as an "updated version of the Hardy Boys" by many critics. Author Marco Conelli has indicated at many book signings and speaking engagements that he installs a lot of believability and accountability into his stories. The difference between his characters and Frank and Joe Hardy is that the average teenager doesn't own or pilot a speed boat, own and fly their own aircraft, or disappear to other countries to solve crimes. The Matthew livingston characters also come equipped with teenage flaws unlike the Hardy Boys. Dennis Sommers is not content with his look and is constantly aware that he is a year younger than Matthew and Sandra. Also where the Hardy's could unbelievably be absent from school for lengths of time while they travel on a case, Matthew and friends are always seen at their high school where they meet before school and sometimes during the school day. The cases also originate from something discovered by Dennis durng one of his journalism assignments.
The crimes the group becomes involved in are matters that concern their home town, which is unmentioned as of the current writing. Some readers speculate that it is a suburb of New York City because that is where the author is from. Adult readers, familiar with adult crime novels, believe that the two Detectives The Teens run up against are in fact New York City Detectives, based on their mannerisms and methods.
Titles
Matthew Livingston and the Prison of Souls Released in April 2007 by The May Davenport Publishing Company introduces the reader to Matthew, Dennis, and Sandra and follows a plot where they unravel a diabolical crime taking place in their town.
Matthew Livingston and the Prison of Souls -2008 Re-release An unedited version that gets a little bit more indepth into description and mentions the make of Sandra's car.
Matthew Livingston and the Millionaire [...] Released in March 2009, a fabulously received mystery that the Midwest Book Review described as "highly recommended reading for young adults who appreciate a well crafted and original work of mystery and suspense."
Matthew Livingston and the Politics of Death-2010 Mentioned on a TV interview by author Marco Conelli, little known AbOUT the next installment except to expect a release in 2010. A recent online review (of the Millionaire [...]) had a critic indicating that the Police Detectives from book 2 do in fact return in the third book and again run interference against Matthew Livingston. Also it was rumored that book 3 will be written in the style of a locked room mystery.
Happenings
Author Marco Conelli has made many appearances in schools, libraries, book stores, and special events. He has made his books available to school programs where classrooms were in need of books and others where there was no funding for books.
Marco Conelli dedicated his first book to all the fictional Detectives he grew up admiring. It is believed that he keeps reminders of his favorites, namely orchids in honor of Nero Wolfe.
In 2008 at the Annual Library Conference in Philadelphia, Conelli took part in a book signing along with members of the Mystery Writers of America. The tale told by a few authors present was that when he sat down to sign he was stampeded by female librarians who were stalking the table waiting for him to sign his first book.
Also at the same event Conelli, an admitted fan, was sighted at the DC Comics booth admiring their Batman display. To the amusement of other writers, when the representative of DC comics said that Batman was recognized as the greatest fictional Detective above Sherlock Holmes, Conelli stuck his finger in the employees face and ordered him to retract the statement.
On January 26th 2010, Marco Conelli appeared at The New York Public Library as part of an author panel on the topic The Sherlock Holmes Effect. The panel was moderated by E.J. Wagner (Edgar award winning author of The Science of Sherlock Holmes). Marco revealed insight into the Matthew Livingston character and the similarities between Holmes and Livingston. During the question and answer segment Marco mentioned how a book reviewer criticised the Prison of Souls indicating that Matthew was merely a 17 year old Sherlock Holmes. Marco responded by informing the panel, "I'd like to tell that reviewer that Matthew is actually a 17 year old Marco Conelli."