Wit's End (2008)

Mourning her dead father, Rima Lanisell heads to the cliffside Santa Cruz, Calif., home of her godmother, mystery writer Addison Early. What starts as a straightforward quest — Rima wants to hear about Addison's relationship with her dad — evolves into a brainteaser that asks you to draw connections between blogs, cults, dachshunds, and the theft of a doll. ''Never title a book as if you were playing straight man to the reviewers,'' Addison reflects in a typically sly metafictional joke. Reading Wit's End, you may find yourself resisting Karen Joy Fowler's high-concept literary games, but relishing the tart prose that made The Jane Austen Book Club such a treat. B