onnurtilraun

It was a very unexpected read, I must say. When I joined the buddy read, I wouldn't have imagined I would have stumbled upon a story like this, almost experimental in the way it plays around with expectations, and at times doesn't take itself completely seriously.

At the same time, I'm the kind of reader who often jokes that I'd love to read a famous detective busy with an armchair treasure hunt, and I guess this pretty close to it.

I took a bit longer than I should have just to get to the end of the book with calm, enjoying the dialogue and the investigation with as little pressure as possible (I have this annoying habit of rushing through the last pages of most books I read, especially when it's just the epilogue. I try to make up for it by going back to those pages later, but obviously this way the enjoyment of that last part isn't the same, having spoiled some elements).

The only thing that didn't really work was how, at times, the quotations supposedly lifted from the reference books are very dull, which I guess was the intent but they still stick like a sore thumb among the rest of the beautifully written book.

Before this I wasn't familiar with Tey, and what a great introduction this was. I imagine that the other books starring Grant will be more traditional detective stories, I just hope I'll enjoy them as much as I did this book.