D. E. Carr’s When Squirrels Fly is a playful blend of mystery, science fiction, romance, and neighborhood comedy set in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The story begins when Mel Caldwell experiments with virtual reality goggles designed for migraine research and discovers what appears to be a wormhole near her neighbor’s backyard trellis. After Mel disappears, her niece Allie, a skeptical neuroscience professor, arrives in town and joins forces with handsome travel writer George Bennet to find her. Their investigation soon expands to include secret research, surveillance, kidnappings, pharmaceutical interests, federal agents, and a surprising amount of trouble caused by pets.

I loved the book’s lively cast. Allie is smart, athletic, and capable, but her guarded personality gives her room to change as she begins trusting George, her brother Nick, and her own instincts. Nick’s wisecracks add warmth to nearly every scene, while Aunt Mel brings the kind of cheerful unpredictability that makes her both lovable and dangerous to underestimate. Even the animals have distinct personalities, particularly Chidi, the tiny Chihuahua who behaves like a cat, ignores every rule, and repeatedly proves more useful than the humans expect. Carr uses these relationships to keep the novel grounded even when the plot begins hopping through portals and uncovering conspiracies.

Readers who enjoy Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels will recognize a similar comic energy here. Like Evanovich, Carr surrounds her central mystery with eccentric neighbors, chaotic family members, romantic tension, and ordinary errands that can turn into minor disasters. Carr’s approach has a more academic and speculative flavor, though, drawing on neuroscience, migraine research, and questions about consciousness and space. Ann Arbor also becomes a character in its own right. Its historic homes, university buildings, bike paths, local restaurants, wildlife, and proudly unconventional residents give the adventure a strong sense of place instead of serving as interchangeable scenery.

When Squirrels Fly is an ambitious, good-humored debut that values curiosity, community, and human connection as much as solving its mysteries. The many characters, investigations, and scientific ideas make the story busy, but that abundance suits its slightly mischievous personality. Beneath the wormhole experiments and criminal schemes, the novel is really about Allie learning to reconsider the life she’s built and the defenses she’s carried since her father disappeared. Carr leaves several possibilities open for future adventures, and by the final chapters, Allie, George, Nick, Aunt Mel, and Chidi feel like a team worth following through another impossible situation.

Pages: 360 | ASIN: B0FWZWDL6G