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Liked It “I loved this old school mystery the detective was so much fun and the mystery seemed upto date even though it wss written in the 40s” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“I loved this old school mystery the detective was so much fun and the mystery seemed upto date even though it wss written in the 40s”
smog wrote this review 4 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I had not read Edmund Crispin ever before a friend gave me his 3 volume collected works. So I had little idea about what I was getting into. And that's just a lovely thing sometimes. So, what I love about these Crispin books is 1) Gervase Fen, Oxford Don, Professor of English, with a speciality in Literary Criticism; 2) primary point of view is not Fen's but seems to be an incidental sidekick, who is somehow implicated in the murder but not guilty of it; 3) the long and leisurely exposition of character, setting, and incidents leading up to the "murder" so that the reader has a comfortable feel for the who and the what and the where; 4) the, how shall I say it, eccentric nature of the profiles (and there is a litter of characters) drawn in the book. What' I'm finding is that it's not really a surprise about whodunnit, but it's certainly fun seeing how the story plays out. Enjoyed my first one...and am mid-way through the second one. ”
Michael R wrote this review Monday, January 16, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A detective story from the Golden Age...well, 1944 anyway...
David wrote this review Thursday, October 27, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
It was an enjoyable enough read, and I may try another Gervase Fen mystery... although this is primarily because I was little wiser about his character at the end than I was at the start...he doesn't turn up til page 60 (of 180), and is annoyingly silent about what he does know throughout...but constantly lets you know he does know something ...and that it's extremely obvious
I also want a cage of monkeys....”
“Laden with the type of literary references a person who read literature at Oxford in the early 1900's would easily recognize, and topped off with lots of Latin, French and German phrases. The underlying mystery was glossed over with a reference to procuring being the only reason for the deaths. Really less locked room mystery and more character study. Just not my thing.”
Michelle M wrote this review Sunday, March 27, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Fun and (for its time) frisky! Christie could’ve written a better puzzle, but Crispin offers a wittier take on the Golden Age mystery.”
Janice W wrote this review Sunday, January 16, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a real find... it's as if E. F. Benson and Dotty Sayers had a love child... ”
Denis L wrote this review Tuesday, January 26, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Classic British detective fiction with delightful arcane references to Oxford traditions, poetry and current events that Americans in the 2000's just won't get--or at least I didn't-- but for some reason, they tickled me! Gervase Fen is a quirky academic who solves mysteries, with a Detective pal who writes literary criticism. Oh, so much fun! Nothing beats British fiction from the 1940's!
Carol R wrote this review Tuesday, August 5, 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Its sempiternal charm is wonderful!”
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