"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Rather in the fashion in which Stephen Sondheim exploded the world of fairytale in Into the Woods, Fforde here brings all the apparatus of the tough crime thriller to bear on the nursery rhyme. Minor baronet Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty III has been found dead--and in pieces--beneath a wall in a less salubrious area of town. The perpetrator would appear to be his ex-wife, but she has shot herself. Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his colleague Mary Mary are assigned to the case, and soon find themselves knee-deep in money-laundering, bullion smuggling and major problems with beanstalks.
This isn't quite the Fforde mixture as before, although he has previously favoured a crime motor for his plots. The skill in this outrageously entertaining (and rigorously plotted) concoction lies in a double conjuring trick: we are always amazed to find ourselves reading so assiduously about ludicrous figures (who become quite as interesting heroes as, say, Philip Marlowe) when common sense dictates only children should find such conceits entertaining. Not so! No child could appreciate the dazzling wordplay and witty imagination on offer here, and most readers will be more than happy to encounter detective Inspector Jack Spratt (and his contrary sidekick kick Mary Mary) again and again. --Barry Forshaw
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
£ 2.41
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # newMercantile_0670034231
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0670034231
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0670034231
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0670034231
Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 0670034231-2-1
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0670034231-new
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # DADAX0670034231
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. STATED FIRST Edition AND FIRST Printing, with publishers full number line on copyright page. A FLAWLESS volume in same condition UNclipped dust jacket. * SIGNED * by author DIRECTLY ONTO THE title page (Signature only). LAID-IN is publishers color POSTCARD, titled "The Actual Egg Wisk". A FABULOUS collectible item. Mylar protected jacket. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 000675
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. Book is new, never read. Signed and dated on the title page in my presence by Fforde. 400 p. Signed by Author(s). Book. Seller Inventory # 131
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. Buy for Great customer experience. Seller Inventory # GoldenDragon0670034231