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Not So Perfect Crime, A
 
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Not So Perfect Crime, A (Paperback)

by Teresa Solana (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 295 pages
  • Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press; Tra edition (11 Sep 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1904738346
  • ISBN-13: 978-1904738343
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 230,213 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'Scathing satire of Spanish society, hilarious dialogue, all beautifully dressed up as a crime novel"'--Krimi-Couch"'A first novel that's spread like wildfire by word of mouth.'--El Avui 'Teresa Solana is great proof of the vitality of the roman noir in Catalan... A wonderfully ironic hymn to the city of Barcelona.'--Diari de Balears

Product Description

A politician discovers a portrait of his wife in a Paris exhibition that leads him to conclude that she is having an affair with the artist. He hires two inexperienced private detectives - non-identical twins - to investigate but the case turns ugly when she is found poisoned. The sudden twists and turns in plot and dark humour make this satire of Catalan politics a fascinating insight into the life of Barcelona's inhabitants, both by day and night.
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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Winning Barcelona Caper, 11 Dec 2008
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Any crime writer seeking to use Barcelona as a setting must contend with the extremely long shadow cast by the godfather of Spanish crime, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, whose 16-book "Pepe Carvalho" series, which is also set there. Fortunately, Solana manages to make the city sing in the service of her odd couple detecting duo. Eduard and Borja are the middle-aged co-directors of a slightly shady firm of "fixers" consisting of themselves, a fictional secretary represented by an artfully draped shawl and timely spritzes of perfume, and a small entry room with a fancy faux door to their perpetually "under construction" main office.

Their off-the-books quasi detective agency runs on an artfully cultivated reputation for total discretion, which allows them to float into the upper reaches of society while not having to do anything actually illegal. In this debut, the two are asked by a prominent politician to investigate how his wife came to pose for a painting he knew nothing about (the subtext being a question about her marital fidelity). For a while, this allows Eduard and Borja to drive around Barcelona in a borrowed Smart car, trailing her to a succession of upscale shops, fancy cafes, and hairdressers. However, when she turns up poisoned, they suddenly realize that they've landed themselves in something rather more serious than they expected (or are really prepared to deal with).

Meanwhile, there's a nice domestic backdrop to all this, as we meet Eduard's wife and children, and Borja attempts to escape the romantic attentions of Eduard's sister-in-law. Eduard is the prototypical Watson, narrating the story in the wake of his more flamboyant and risk-taking partner, living a stable family life while Eduard lives in an apartment provided by his married girlfriend. The two are different enough to be good foils to each other, yet not so much so that their friendship strains the reader's credulity -- and oh yes, did I mention, they're secretly twins!

There's a very nice comic streak throughout the tale, and the elements (blackmail, false names, switcheroos, etc.) are quite old-fashioned in many ways. And the story unfolds quite nicely, allowing the author to tweak the noses of Barcelona's upper crust and political elite, while delivering a good sense of the city. The only letdown is in the final unmasking of the murderer, which strikes the only false note in the book and is somewhat disappointing, given the quality of the rest of the book. The book appears to be the launch of a series, as the secret brothers are a nice platform for further adventures, and there remains a great deal of murkiness to their shared history that seems destined to be revealed.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Crime without punishment, 17 Nov 2008
A fast paced modern crime novel interlinked with humour and satire, this first novel deserves as much success in the English speaking market as it has had in Spain. The author has created two central characters, the two but completely different twin brothers, who play off each other in the manner of Holmes and Watson. It is fluently translated in a nice easy style making it an easy read. In all an excellent and entertaining addition to the genre.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Crime with a comic twist., 25 Oct 2008
By Gordon Wallace (Chester, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Well written, a very easy yet satisfying read that deserved its excellent translation. With a humorous plot well executed the 'brothers' are surely set up for a follow up. If I had a criticism it would be that the book did not feature enough of Barcelona but that didnt spoil it in the least. Well recommended and close to five stars.
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