Resident Alien Volume 1: Welcome to Earth written by Peter Hogan, artwork, colors, and letters by Steve Parkhouse
An alien crash landed on Earth three years ago and has been lying low in a small northwest town passing himself off as a retired doctor. The alien has a mental power that makes humans see him as just another human. Well, one in a million humans wouldn't be fooled, but it's a small town so odds are in his favor. The town might be too small, though, because the local doctor is killed, forcing the cops to ask him to examine the body so they can get a lead on the killer. The county coroner is a long way off. The alien (who goes by the name Harry Vanderspeigle) realizes it will only look suspicious if he refuses to help. The local mayor, being a politician, hornswoggles Harry into filling in as the town doctor until they get someone new. You can imagine how quickly that happens. Harry is interested in solving the crime and becomes more interested when another murder happens.
The story has a creative premise that is executed well. Harry is likable and it's easy to sympathize with his desire to lay low, hoping his message back home sends some help. That's hardly the focus of the story. The murder mystery is, though there's no way for the reader to guess the culprit. Still, the investigation is entertaining enough along. The little bits of backstory generate interest in the bigger story. Of course, the book ends with someone figuring out Harry is not from around here, creating a natural (if predictable) cliffhanger.
Recommended. I'll be reading more of this series.
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