Whodunnit

Smallville #4

by Dean Wesley Smith

Twelve years ago, a child from a distant planet fell to Earth in a lethal hail of meteors that changed Smallville, Kansas, forever. Now a teen, Clark Kent must master his alien abilities -- even while radiation from the green glowing meteor fragments mutate his townspeople into deadly foes. With well-developed storylines, catchy references to the Superman history, and the feel-good attitude that "justice will prevail, " Smallville has become an instant hit.

Genres: Science Fiction, Tv, Comics, Media Tie In, Superheroes, Fiction, Fantasy

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Pen Names
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley

Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.

With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.

Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.

Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.

Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.

Reviews

[Bobby Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dean Wesley Smith did a great job with this Smallville entry. Whodunnit is an entry in the second of two series based on the show. The first series was targeted more at middle-school readers, and some of those like Flight are very fun, but Whodunnit comes from the series for older teens and adults who enjoyed the show, and is a bit more meaty.

I see that a few have complained that this one doesn’t have a lot of Clark’s abilities in the spotlight — though his super speed comes in to play eventually — but to me, that’s what makes this such a great read. As a huge fan of the show, this really excellent story afforded me some nostalgic time with Clark, Lex, Lana, Pete, Lex’s dad and Clark’s dad, Jonathan, and of course Alison Mack’s, Chloe, who is a favorite for me. And it is a really good mystery to boot. We know who Clark is, but here we get to see the human side, the high school side.

One portion of the narrative is a resonating murder mystery, as Clark and the gang stumble upon a marsh with a body in it; it proves to be someone from school they all know, and there is palpable sobering sadness. In a related story — though it takes a bit of time for the Smallville gang to connect the dots — Lex’s father is violently abducted and held for ransom.

Smith does a terrific job of painting the Smallville characters we came to love just as they were. Each personality is easily recognizable and at times smile-inducing for fans of the show. It’s still high school here, so yeah, Pete’s still annoying, and yes, Clark still has a thing for Lana that makes Chloe — and us — roll our eyes. The Wall of Weird is a big deal still, and Chloe’s reporter instincts, which Clark both admires and finds annoying, come into play here in a big way.

Serious at times, sad and reflective of the lost — more bodies drop before they get to the truth — Smith still manages to inject humor and the dynamic of high school friendships into the Smallville gang’s interactions. Lex’s story as he weighs his options about his father’s situation, attempting to figure out who is behind it all — not to mention that fractured relationship between Lex and Lionel — is so well written that despite how much we’re involved in the gang’s attempt to find out who murdered their friend, and what happened to the rural family, we become just as involved in Lex’s story. Eventually of course, the two connect.

Whether Dean Wesley Smith already had this story idea and just adapted it to fit the Smallville universe, or whether he planned it out from scratch doesn’t matter, because it’s a real winner, with some really terrific moments that might surprise you if you didn’t watch this fine series when it was on.

Just a great read that I flew through which was atmospheric and nostalgic, and had a pretty good mystery to boot. I have Hauntings when I’m in the mood, and hope Holder, who can be hit and miss for me when she tackles television series books, brings her A-game to it, because Smith really nailed this entry based on the series. For me at least, this was a fantastic trip down memory lane.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again another great add on to one of my favorite TV shows. My only complaint is the same as every book. It's timeline is screwy which makes it hard for dedicated smallville fans to tell when it's suppose to take place in the show. It makes it clear it's suppose to take place spring their freshman year. It says that Whitney is already in the marines but he leaves during the spring formal. But this book can't be after the spring formal because Clark and Chloe haven't went out yet. He's not even aware that Chloe likes him yet because Principle Kwan is still Alive and he gets killed by that kid in the same episode Clark finds out Chloe likes him. Also Luthor Sr. isn't blind yet and he gets hurt and goes blind during the twisters that hit in the last episode of season 1. Also. Chloe's mom isnt in the picture. I release that you dont find out for sure she left and where she is till later in the show but I'm sure it's pretty clear in season 1 that it's just Chloe and her dad. This book talks about her mom several times. If you can look past these things then it's a good book and would have made an awesome episode.

[S.E. Martens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Media tie-ins are the coziest of cozy reads for me. I could just cuddle up in a blanket and read these all day.

This one is set early Season 1 of Smallville. Lana's lab partner hasn't been to school for several days, and she asks Clark and Chloe to go with her to track him down. This boy also lives on a farm, similar to Clark, but when they get there, the property appears to be deserted. And it gets worse, because the three teenagers soon discover a body in the nearby pond. Meanwhile, in Metropolis, Lionel Luthor is abducted by kidnappers in broad daylight.

While Lex navigates marshalling his resources and the authorities to save his father, Clark and Chloe investigate the murder - are the two crimes connected?

This was pretty good. It's a competently written story that could easily have been an episode of the TV series. I do wish Lex and Clark had more scenes together, as their dynamic is my favourite and they are separate for the entire book. I also think Smith missed the opportunity to give us an actual Smallville murder mystery. Despite the title, we don't really have any suspects so it isn't much of a "whodunnit."

One interesting thing is that Smith gives Lex some friends - three computer experts, similar to Mulder's "Lone Gunmen" in the X-Files. The group is led by someone Lex went to boarding school with. This is a little thing, but I really liked it. I always thought it was ridiculous that Lex never had any friends throughout the entire series. (We only know of him being friends with one boy from his boarding school days in canon.)

There are some continuity hiccups - for instance, the book mentions Chloe's mom being at home. It's also odd that she wouldn't ask her father, a manager at the fertilizer plant, for information about the mysterious lay offs that are a big part of this story. But this was clearly written very early on, probably before the show's writers had all of the details hammered down.

At the end of the day, this was fun and felt very much like watching an extra episode of the early seasons of the show.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you pick this book up because of the title, you will not be disappointed. This book is exactly what it claims to be: a whodunnit mystery with twists, turns, and some fun investigating.

This seemed more like an actual episode than most of the other Smallville books I've read, which I really liked. It had Pete, Lana, Chloe, and, of course, Clark all investigating a murder that happened right in their small town. The one thing that made it unlike a TV episode is the thing that I liked most: there was no meteor freak! Not to say that I dislike meteor freaks- if I did, why on earth would I like Smallville? But it's still fun to see something new and interesting that doesn't make Clark feel all guilty inside.

My one little complaint would be the timeline. Like so many other Smallville books, the timeline is messed up. At one point Clark mentinos the season 2 episode "Nicodemus," but (spoiler for the show) Pete doesn't know anything about Clark being Kryptonian. This doesn't really make sense, since Clark tells Pete in the second episode of season two. But other than that, I really can't think of anything I specifically disliked.

All in all, it was a nice read. (But Flight is still my favorite Smallville book! ;D)

[Juan Quiroga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reseña Nº54 del 2025
EL FINAL DE UNA SAGA, EL RECUERDO DE MI INFANCIA

Comprados en dos ferias de libros, leídos en otros tiempos, pasaron los años para conseguir el que me faltaba a la colección.
La editorial Edaf solo tradujo al español 12 de los 18 libros en total de la serie novelizada. Con este, se clausura.
Antes de dejarles mi opinión, los pongo en contexto sobre SMALLVILLE, la serie de Warner Bros que se trasmitió durante toda la primera década de este nuevo siglo y siendo la más trascendental por enfocarse exclusivamente en la juventud de Clark Kent, antes de convertirse en el superhéroe que todos conocemos. Además, Smallville es el nombre del pueblo ubicado en Kansas.
En esta colección roja (la anterior, es azul), solo 4 libros fueron publicados en mi idioma.
Como el título en inglés lo indica "WHODUNNIT", nos sumergiremos en un misterio policial. Dos jóvenes aparecen sin vida en las afueras de su casa mientras en paralelo secuestran a Lionel Luthor, el padre de Lex. Dos incidentes que parecieran no tener conexiones hasta que el equipo de La Antorcha, el periódico escolar en el que asisten Clark y sus amigos Lana, Chloe y Pete, se pone a investigar.
Personalmente extrañaba ver más los poderes sobrenaturales de Kent, pero reconozco que el contexto no ayudaba mucho. Ya llegando al final es cuando todo se pone en marcha.
Y sí, se siente como si fuera un capítulo televisivo por la manera en que está narrado los hechos, aunque simplemente tenerlo en mi biblioteca es sumar a mi colección de Superman.

FRASES DESTACADAS

-Todos cometemos errores alguna vez, (...)
-Y no siempre conocemos a las personas tan bien como creemos(...).

-A veces me pregunto para qué estudio tanto (...)
-Las dificultades de la vida se nos presentan a la medida de nuestra fuerzas (...)
-Ojalá lo fuera (...). Al menos, entones comprendería las reglas.
(...)
-¿Què habrá querido decir con eso?

Es mejor estar haciendo cosas que sentarse a aprender acerca de personas que hicieron cosas.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot for this one was pretty weak, but I'm still excited to finally be reading this series after all these years.

A few minor things: Chloe once again mentions her mother being at home, even though she left when Chloe was young. Martha and Jonathan are called "Clark's mom" and "Clark's dad" every time they speak, with their names never once being used. It was just kind of awkward. Clark's x-ray vision is called "special vision" instead of the aforementioned name, which just seemed odd every time I read it. Also, this book takes place in April but Whitney is mentioned as already being in the Marines - that didn't happen until the end of the school year.

Still, a fun little read.

[Bunny Astrophel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pesar de que cuenta con errores de continuidad importantes con respecto a la serie de televisión, y hay uno que otro error de gramática (aunque esto último podría ser una cuestión exclusiva de la traducción al español), la novela es entretenida, respeta la personalidad de todos los personajes y la trama principal enlaza bien con los temas de la serie, pese a que el misterio del libro se aleja de las tramas relacionadas a meteoritos.
Me gustó el estilo de escritura del autor.

[Jackson Tejada · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what I was hoping for when I got the Smallville books. The characters are written to match the TV show, and this could have been an episode. The dichotomy between the Luthors and the Kents is prominent, just as it was through the series. Highly recommend if you're a Smallville fan.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Winniesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

We go straight into the story and the action does not fail. We read this attack with a fairly gruesome scene, the discovery by Clark, Chloe & Lana of a body in a swamps, and especially by the fact that it is a school friend to them. The story is built around it, and advance with the discovery of a second body and then another 2 extra in a nearby swamps. A disturbing story where an entire family was killed, and where suspicion on the father that he is not present. A small part of this book then treats the case of murdering his own family to one or more problems curbed. It continues with the removal of Lionel Luthor, who should be traded against a ransom. But it was not until the end of the story we understand that the two cases are linked, and the Franklin family was killed not by the father but by two other persons who wished to compel Jed assist in their removal and if something goes wrong to blame him. It ended with a hint of moral from the father of Clark. A well-crafted story that I enjoyed rereading.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

A total copout. This isn't a Smallville story at all. It's an ordinary murder mystery with the characters from Smallville just going through the motions. No super powers, no kryptonite, no science fiction whatsoever anywhere in the entire story. Oh, Clark uses his X-ray vision to look for dead bodies, and he runs fast a couple of times. That's nothing. This story could have starred any Joe Blow from wherever, it could be anybody. It's like the author doesn't even know what science fiction is. I expected a Clark Kent story, and this is not it at all.

[I. S.]

Note: This book's title is Whodunnit. Darned if I know why the official listing doesn't have the TITLE.

[Victor Orozco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Nice how this is a Lionel Luthor kidnapped story long before it happened on the show. B.