Kingsley Amis. The Crime of the Century (1975) Amis wrote this as a serial for the Sunday Times. Skillful, nicely plotted, with occasional flashes of satire, but not a classic of the genre. Retired Det. Supt Barry is called in on the caser of serial killing. The unknotting of the case is wordy, and while the clues have been fairly planted, there aren’t enough of them to justify the solution.
It’s not exactly a page-turner, but I did want to know how it all turned out. Perhaps its brevity (130 pages in paperback) is the reason for the mild disappointment. There’s large cast of interesting characters, but Amis sticks strictly to procedure. I would have liked to read a more expansive narrative, with back stories and intersecting plots. Oh well, Amis wrote it to order, and he delivered as contracted. I suppose an Amis fan or student should read this. For the mystery fan, it’s passable, just. **
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