MetaChat - Has anyone read "The Interpretation of Murder"? [probable spoilers]

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29 December 2007

Has anyone read "The Interpretation of Murder"? [probable spoilers] →[More:] I did, and I'm left terribly curious about the most puzzling mystery of the novel: the cover blurb says, "Spectacular... fiendishly clever" attributed to the Guardian, whose opinion I usually respect. In this case, if the Guardian wrote anything of the sort, I'm hoping it was actually something like "with the help of an utterly ruthless editor, this book might have been spectacular; as it is, whoever managed to get the author so much good publicity must be fiendishly clever."

If not, wtf, Guardian? (Couldn't find any Guardian reviews of it online, so I have no idea what the write-up was actually like.) And wtf, "Galaxy Book Awards" - whatever you are? "Best Read, 2007"? Are you high?

Hmpf.

post by: taz at: 04:55 | 4 comments

I haven't read it, and after your glowing endorsement, I can't wait to avoid it!

posted by BoringPostcards 29 December | 06:50

Heh. Well, it seemed very Dan Brown-y to me, and ridiculous, ultimately.

posted by taz 29 December | 07:03

It was hyped big time by the Richard & Judy Book Club.

Richard & Judy are TV chat show hosts who've been credited with getting thousands of adults back into reading with their TV book club, similar to Oprah's. One of their selections was 'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold, which was, I thought, a very good book. They also chose one of my favourite writers, Jonathan Tropper, and his latest novel 'How To Talk To A Widower'. But they've hyped some turkeys too, such as Martina Cole (unreadable potboiler novelist) and a biography of Robbie Williams.

'The Interpretation of Murder' has had mixed reviews from readers. It doesn't sound like something I'd spend money on, although if it turns up in the book exchange at work I might take a punt on it.

posted by essexjan 29 December | 07:14

The Lovely Bones, I agree, was good. I don't understand why they would hype this, except that the premise is quite interesting (weaving Freud into a murder mystery in New York, with mostly-accurate historical details); the plot is just all over the place, and just becomes sillier and sillier.

posted by taz 29 December | 07:25

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