TRADER

Another "urban fantasy" set in de Lint's (The Wild Wood, 1994, etc.) imaginary city of Newford. Max Trader is a luthier, an expert crafter of stringed instruments, with his own studio, money in the bank, lots of work, and a comfortable life—until the morning he wakes up in the body of handsome scoundrel Johnny Devlin! Soon, poor Max, rejected by Devlin's girlfriend (Devlin treated her shamefully), finds himself homeless (Devlin failed to pay his rent). Down and nearly out, Max is helped by street marketeer Bones, a Native American mystic, and finds companionship with Buddy the stray dog. Only teenager Nia, daughter of Max's ex-neighbor, divorc‚e Lisa, believes that Max occupies Devlin's body—because Nia thinks that her mother's been switched, too, after she sees Lisa kissing another woman! But for Max the last straw comes when Devlin gives musician Zeffy a special guitar built by Max's revered mentor. In the showdown, Max has one advantage: Bones has arranged for the contest to take place in the spirit world. Pleasant but bland: Such a provocative setup deserved a more robust and animated workout.