Forget any preconceptions about 'the detective novel'. Yes, it is a traditional murder story - mysterious deaths, a detective and sidekick, red herrings and a (triumphant) solution. But - the tale is set in Athens at the time of Plato. So what. Then the reader realises things are not what they seem, literally. The author is playing games with the genre, with literary devices, with ideas. It's bewildering - but great fun and great detecting.
(Ferelith Hordon - bwl 17 February 2003 ) |
