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A review by boots
Once Upon a Crime by Fergus Craig
5.0
If the words "hello Marcus, it's your father" mean nothing to you, let me give you a bit of context. Fergus Craig is an observant, witty writer who has created a close-to-the-bone parody of a narrow-minded, middle class, suburban English dad. This character, Martin Fishback, is convinced of his own rightness, his own intelligence, and that his son has made a poor choice in attending Leicester De Montfort University. And now Martin has written a book.
I say this because you really need to know that level of abstraction. The narrative voice is blind to its own flaws, and that's the fun of it, but the ignorance-born racism and sexism definitely veers into uncomfortable at times, even if you're in on the joke.
Overall, it's a hilarious paint by numbers crime novel in which the lead detective, Roger LeCarre, drinks whatever can be drunk, chases every flimsy lead he gets, and gets uncontrollably angry at the mere mention of Drugs - when he isn't listing suspects, theories, or furniture he's had sex on in his head.
I recommend getting the audiobook. The delivery is, in my view, an essential part of the experience. From Detective Roger LeCarre's opening observations of a Body, and frequent musings on Crime, through to the terms and conditions at the end (THE MORAL RIGHT OF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ASSERTED
I say this because you really need to know that level of abstraction. The narrative voice is blind to its own flaws, and that's the fun of it, but the ignorance-born racism and sexism definitely veers into uncomfortable at times, even if you're in on the joke.
Overall, it's a hilarious paint by numbers crime novel in which the lead detective, Roger LeCarre, drinks whatever can be drunk, chases every flimsy lead he gets, and gets uncontrollably angry at the mere mention of Drugs - when he isn't listing suspects, theories, or furniture he's had sex on in his head.
I recommend getting the audiobook. The delivery is, in my view, an essential part of the experience. From Detective Roger LeCarre's opening observations of a Body, and frequent musings on Crime, through to the terms and conditions at the end (THE MORAL RIGHT OF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ASSERTED