“Rule 1 in house-breaking, never answer the phone. Rule 2, bring tools, you looked like an idiot. Rule 3, never forget rule 2.”
“Who is this?”
“Look out the window and see.” Flash of light. “Rule 4, never stand where you can be photographed. Are you listening Richard?”
“How do you know my name?”
“Rule 5, never admit to your name.”
Via Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin [1], “Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency [2]”
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency [3] is one of the most tightly plotted books I've ever read, starting with what appear to be four independent stories, only to end up being one intricate story (that took me two reads to fully understand what happened when and where).
It's an incredible story.
Ray Frisen did a comic strip adaptation [4] of the story, totally unauthorized, so best read it before the [DELETED-sharks-DELETED] lawyers take [DELETED-him-DELETED] it down.
[1] http://progressiveruin.com/archives/2004_06_20_archive.html#10880451171
[2] http://www.dirk-gently.com/
[3] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671746723/conmanlaborat-