Francis A. Miniter
2017-01-01 23:42:32 UTC
Take one helping of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and add a helping of
The Third Man, and you have the idea for this book. DCI Jack Spratt is
in charge of the Nursery Crimes Division of the Reading Police in
England. NCD has jurisdiction over all criminal activity with a nursery
fable angle. In many ways this is a spoof on modern detective stories
and television crime shows, especially the latter.
Jack knows that he gets suspended at least once every investigation; it
is a mandatory plot device. Other plot devices are optional, such as
going ahead and investigating even though suspended (#26) or waiting
until they realize that they cannot do without you and come begging
(#38) or solving the crime just in time to make your daughter's wedding
and arriving barely in time for the service (I forget the number for
that one).
Fforde has fun with various fictional characters that he is willing to
include as PDRs (Persons of Dubious Reality), such as Dorian Gray or
Caliban. Then there is this mysterious elderly industrialist who lives
on the grounds of his home office and is never seen by anyone except his
Senior Vice President. And at least twice he quotes from the movie
Blade Runner. In fact, keeping up with the literary/film/television
references is at least half the fun.
Then there are the 50 kilo cucumbers.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a nice respite from heavy reading,
yet fun for the literate person.
Francis A. Miniter
The Third Man, and you have the idea for this book. DCI Jack Spratt is
in charge of the Nursery Crimes Division of the Reading Police in
England. NCD has jurisdiction over all criminal activity with a nursery
fable angle. In many ways this is a spoof on modern detective stories
and television crime shows, especially the latter.
Jack knows that he gets suspended at least once every investigation; it
is a mandatory plot device. Other plot devices are optional, such as
going ahead and investigating even though suspended (#26) or waiting
until they realize that they cannot do without you and come begging
(#38) or solving the crime just in time to make your daughter's wedding
and arriving barely in time for the service (I forget the number for
that one).
Fforde has fun with various fictional characters that he is willing to
include as PDRs (Persons of Dubious Reality), such as Dorian Gray or
Caliban. Then there is this mysterious elderly industrialist who lives
on the grounds of his home office and is never seen by anyone except his
Senior Vice President. And at least twice he quotes from the movie
Blade Runner. In fact, keeping up with the literary/film/television
references is at least half the fun.
Then there are the 50 kilo cucumbers.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a nice respite from heavy reading,
yet fun for the literate person.
Francis A. Miniter