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What Members Thought
I bought this because I read somewhere that Agatha Christie was a friend of Crispin's and really liked his books. I'm always on the lookout for more Golden Age-type mysteries!
It started well. I was intrigued by the idea of this moving toyshop, and what the hell might have happened there. But it all went downhill from there. Crispin is nowhere near as funny as he thinks he is, his female characters are crap, and his male characters are obnoxious. They're very callous and go around sowing chaos a ...more
It started well. I was intrigued by the idea of this moving toyshop, and what the hell might have happened there. But it all went downhill from there. Crispin is nowhere near as funny as he thinks he is, his female characters are crap, and his male characters are obnoxious. They're very callous and go around sowing chaos a ...more
2020 reread:
I had forgotten a lot of the details of this 3rd book in the Fen series but not how amusing it is. I guess this sort of humor only appeals to some but luckily for me, I am one of those!
I had forgotten a lot of the details of this 3rd book in the Fen series but not how amusing it is. I guess this sort of humor only appeals to some but luckily for me, I am one of those!
I believe this is generally accounted one of the best of Edmund Crispin's Gervase Fen stories and it is certainly very clever. Richard Cadogan goes to Oxford for a short holiday. He is a well known poet and the reader gets an idea of his character from the opening scene in which he has an acrimonious discussion with his publisher about the size of the advance on his next book.
Cadogan goes to Oxford by train and for various reasons finds himself in a toyshop in the middle of the night and in comp ...more
Cadogan goes to Oxford by train and for various reasons finds himself in a toyshop in the middle of the night and in comp ...more
I re-read this in 2014, having acquired a copy of the lovely new Folio Society edition. I enjoyed it as much as ever, Fen is such a glorious and hyper creation, the plot as wonderfully implausible as in all Crispin's books. I also love the car, Lily Christine.
...more
One of the reviews said this was like a Benny Hill sketch, and I couldn't agree more. It is a complete farce. Fen was not so ill-mannered in this book, which was a great improvement. I don't think P G Wodehouse would have any competition with author, this is not a patch on him. I did think the overall plot of this was well thought out, but the racing about in 8 wheeled trucks was pathetic, along with the hoards of students.
If this was supposed to be Crispin's best, it doesn't bode well for the r ...more
If this was supposed to be Crispin's best, it doesn't bode well for the r ...more
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