Theo Clarke

Set in Venice in 1756 this novel is a pretty straightforward international conspiracy wrapped around a very nasty series of murderous set pieces based on Dante's twelve circles of Hell. The first few chapters were very hard going but the middle of the book made it all worthwhile before a rather hasty and unremarkable denouement. Part of the problem is that the characters are only lightly personalised and the language is rather rococo. Eventually, however, I became accustomed to the baroque style and the shallow characterisation. Once I was able to distinbguish the various characters I could enjoy the absurd theatricality of the murders and accept the justification for this extremity. I was, however disappointed by the sudden and predictable course ofv the last three murders and their ultimate solution.

Literate crime novel which purports to be about regret but is more about the demise of friendship under stress. The young protagonists that murder a friend after the unconvincing accidental killing of a stranger are all in the throes of various psychoses that are not made explicit. The narrator is at the heart of things but feels little remorse for their chrime and seems to regret only the loss of his friends. These characteristics diminish a novel that is richly textured and easy to read, which is an extraordinarily difficult achievement. I enjoyed the read but was left mildly dissatisfied when it was over.

Literate crime novel which purports to be about regret but is more about the demise of friendship under stress. The young protagonists that murder a friend after the unconvincing accidental killing of a stranger are all in the throes of various psychoses that are not made explicit. The narrator is at the heart of things but feels little remorse for their chrime and seems to regret only the loss of his friends. These characteristics diminish a novel that is richly textured and easy to read, which is an extraordinarily difficult achievement. I enjoyed the read but was left mildly dissatisfied when it was over.

This is hardly a book worth publishing. The list makes a fun web page and anybody can look up the words that they do not know in an ordinary dictionary.

This third novel in the Morse series has the culturally acute detective enter the world of academic examinations boards, in which the author worked. A deaf exam setter is murdered and, after some hefty hints as to the morderer's identity, Morse tries to identify which of a limited set of suspects is guilty. When the board's female secretary is attacked, Morse's protective feelings are roused. THe solution of the mystery is entwined with Morse's romantic response to the secretary, and a parallel mystery about a breach of examination security. For all Morse's circumlocutions, and deductive errors, the pace is fast and the characters' conversations are rich in this satisfying mystery novel.

This third novel in the Morse series has the culturally acute detective enter the world of academic examinations boards, in which the author worked. A deaf exam setter is murdered and, after some hefty hints as to the morderer's identity, Morse tries to identify which of a limited set of suspects is guilty. When the board's female secretary is attacked, Morse's protective feelings are roused. THe solution of the mystery is entwined with Morse's romantic response to the secretary, and a parallel mystery about a breach of examination security. For all Morse's circumlocutions, and deductive errors, the pace is fast and the characters' conversations are rich in this satisfying mystery novel.