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bookswithlydscl 's review for:
The Mystery of the Crooked Man
by Tom Spencer
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.25*
In this standalone mystery we meet Agatha Dorn, a cantankerous archivist, grammar pedant, gin afficionado and murder mystery addict. When she discovers a lost manuscript by Gladden Green (Agatha Christie coded), the Empress of Golden Age detective fiction, Agatha's life takes an unexpected twist and overnight fame. This newfound fame takes a nosedive when the novel is exposed as a hoax, and when her ex-lover turns up dead, with a scrap of the manuscript by her side, Agatha suspects foul play.
Agatha turns detective to uncover the sinister truth that connects the murder and the fraudulent manuscript but to do so she has to uncover family secrets and most importantly stay sober for long enough to investigate.
This was a solid mystery story that has obvious great affection for the Golden Age of crime whilst remaining modern, current and also very very bookish which I really enjoyed. The story and mystery as a whole was inventive with a 'denouement' that I didn't see coming which was a great surprise.
I didn't however like the character of Agatha. She is designed to be an outsider and prickly - a mix in my mind of Sally Diamond (Strange Sally Diamond) and Eleanor Oliphant (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine), unfortunately for me she leaned more towards Eleanor (a book I really disliked) than Sally (a book I loved). I found her lacking an empathetic interior that allowed me to see beyond that stiff and difficult exterior. I think if you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant then this characterisation will work for you but sadly it didn't for me.
Despite that I found the story to overall be an engaging and fun read. There's some memorable supporting characters and I did like how we got to know more about Agatha as the story unfolded. Readers of cosy mysteries and classic crime will likely enjoy this and I was glad that we had a fully self-contained story that was resolved in an engaging, twisting and satisfying way.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press | Pushkin Vertigo for a digital review copy of "The Mystery of the Crooked Man" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
In this standalone mystery we meet Agatha Dorn, a cantankerous archivist, grammar pedant, gin afficionado and murder mystery addict. When she discovers a lost manuscript by Gladden Green (Agatha Christie coded), the Empress of Golden Age detective fiction, Agatha's life takes an unexpected twist and overnight fame. This newfound fame takes a nosedive when the novel is exposed as a hoax, and when her ex-lover turns up dead, with a scrap of the manuscript by her side, Agatha suspects foul play.
Agatha turns detective to uncover the sinister truth that connects the murder and the fraudulent manuscript but to do so she has to uncover family secrets and most importantly stay sober for long enough to investigate.
This was a solid mystery story that has obvious great affection for the Golden Age of crime whilst remaining modern, current and also very very bookish which I really enjoyed. The story and mystery as a whole was inventive with a 'denouement' that I didn't see coming which was a great surprise.
I didn't however like the character of Agatha. She is designed to be an outsider and prickly - a mix in my mind of Sally Diamond (Strange Sally Diamond) and Eleanor Oliphant (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine), unfortunately for me she leaned more towards Eleanor (a book I really disliked) than Sally (a book I loved). I found her lacking an empathetic interior that allowed me to see beyond that stiff and difficult exterior. I think if you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant then this characterisation will work for you but sadly it didn't for me.
Despite that I found the story to overall be an engaging and fun read. There's some memorable supporting characters and I did like how we got to know more about Agatha as the story unfolded. Readers of cosy mysteries and classic crime will likely enjoy this and I was glad that we had a fully self-contained story that was resolved in an engaging, twisting and satisfying way.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press | Pushkin Vertigo for a digital review copy of "The Mystery of the Crooked Man" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.