Michael Best

Having read the first two Mock books, I find myself incredibly disappointed by this one. What I had found strange but beguiling in their style has become annoyingly arch in this one - the plot is ludicrous, characters behave in such bizarre fashion I wondered if the author was having a joke to see how far he could go before the reader threw in the towel.

The translation seemed a bit clunky. Perhaps that is the reason I rather plodded through this book.

An enjoyable crime mystery. Easy to read.

Aunt Poldi is an interesting creation - imagine Miss Marple as a mildly depressed, alcoholic German/Italian played by a late middle-aged, slightly over-weight Sophia Loren in modern-day Sicily.

I need time to reflect on whether there was enough in this book to tempt me to buy the next in the series.

In the Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall vein.

This man can write.

For me, this is about as good as it gets in its genre.

It's not perfect. I find I cannot say “wow” and give it 5 stars. Yet, my tears flow and my heart aches.