On the day of his retirement, Detective Ari Nasser learns the serial killer he's put away not once, but twice, is killing again. The problem is that the first killer, who he caught decades ago dead to rights, died in prison. The second, who he believes is a copycat, is now serving life in prison.
Who is this third killer and why do all three share the same, very specific M.O.? Are there three killers, or just one?
What follows in The One Hand and The Six Fingers is a gritty, cyberpunk noir detective story that swaps perspectives each chapter between Detective Nasser and the killer, Johannes.
Ram V writes Detective Nasser's chapters (called The One Hand), with Laurence Campbell illustrating, while Dan Watters writes Johannes' chapters (called The Six Fingers), with Sumit Kumar illustrating.
This gives the overarching story a disjointed feeling and look, which is on purpose, I believe. Nothing quite fits together neatly. You're not meant to have all the answers by the end, with Johannes even asking directly, "Can you live with that, not knowing?"
I get the sense there is a bigger story Ram V and Dan Watters wanted to tell, but couldn't quite get to it. Instead, you see glimpses of a more complete, sweeping story within a quick, fun read accompanied by brutally realistic, beautiful art.
I don't want to spoil too much here, but I will say that one theme I keep thinking about after finishing is a question: What does a life free of friction mean? If I don't need to work to survive, and if machines can do everything I can do, but better, how would I choose to spend my time?
All in all, it's an interesting twist on a gritty cat-and-mouse game that I enjoyed quite a bit. I just wish the writers took these ideas further.
