Saturday 20 February 2010

The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez

This is one of the more unusual crime novels I have ever read.  Very briefly, it's about a serial killer who leaves mathematical clues as he proceeds on his killing spree.  I've included it here because it's set in Oxford and the author indulges in a considerable amount of place-name-dropping, and I suppose it does conjure up the rather rarefied air of a university.  It's translated from Spanish but, unlike some translations, you aren't aware of any awkwardness in the English.

It's a fast read by virtue of the fact that it's very short but I don't really think you'd call it a page-turner.  Its main appeal has to be the unusual link with mathematics.  That, however, floats cheerfully somewhere over my head, leaving me thinking, hmmm.