Oh, Jasper Fforde, you've done it again! This is the first book of Fforde's Nursery Crime series, which first shows up in The Well of Lost Plots and exists in tandem with the Thursday Next universe.
The conceit here is that nursery rhyme characters are real but don't know they're from nursery rhymes, and that they now get prosecuted for their crimes (they are, of course, Brothers Grimm versions).
So when Humpty Dumpty is found dead and cracked at the bottom of a wall, it's up to Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and Detective Sergeant Mary Mary to find out whodunnit and why. Was it suicide? Was it one of Humpty's hundreds of ex-lovers? Was it, perhaps, Solomon Grundy (born on Monday), who is poised to absorb the failing Spongg footcare dynasty into his own chiropody company, Winsum & Loosum?
Of course, the unpublished Spratt is having a hard time with his case because he's not a Guild member. His cheating upstart former partner, Friedland Chymes, is, and he's ready to steal this case any way he can to get a new story in Amazing Crime Stories and have even more accolades heaped upon him.
Oh yes. It is that ridiculous, and that awesome. Each chapter begins with an excerpt about other nursery crimes or the Guild of Detectives, and there are so many references to nursery rhymes that it could be a bit overwhelming, but it's not. I also like that Fforde has trotted out all of the mystery genre traits (I did take a course on mysteries, after all!) and used them well. If you don't mind a bit of fancy with your murder mystery, I would heartily suggest picking up this book.
Rating: 8/10
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2 comments:
This sounds almost exactly like a book recommended to me in high school. I had to go check to make sure it wasn't the same one! "The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse" is a similar idea, you should check it out if you liked this one.
See?! Tandem universes... what could be better?
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