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The Real-Town Murders #2
By the Pricking of Her Thumb
Private Investigator Alma is caught up in another impossible murder. One of the world's four richest people may be dead - but nobody is sure which one. Hired to discover the truth behind the increasingly bizarre behaviour of the ultra-rich, Alma must juggle treating her terminally ill lover with a case which may not have a victim.
Inspired by the films of Kubrick, this stand-alone novel returns to the near-future of THE REAL-TOWN MURDERS, and puts Alma on a path to a world she can barely understand. Witty, moving and with a mystery deep at its heart, this novel again shows Adam Roberts' mastery of the form.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 2018
15 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Adam Roberts
258 books561 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
November 19, 2018
There are perhaps a few things the reader should know prior to reading “By the Pricking of Her Thumb” (The Real-Town Murders #2)by Adam Roberts. Although the book is the second in a series, which follows on from “The Real Time Murders” published last year (2017), this instalment can be read as a stand-alone novel, although, having read the first book would add to the depth of the experience, and appreciation.
The setting of the series is in the near future where practically everyone spends all their time in a virtual reality world known as ‘The Shine’. Our returning main character, Alma, a private investigator, is caught up in another impossible murder. There is a body, that has had a thumb penetrated by a needle, which by itself is not the cause of death. To add to her workload, Alma has been hired to investigate if one of the four ultra-rich members of a consortium known as ‘The Fab Four’, who control most of the world’s wealth, may or may not be dead. The conundrum is in finding out which one.
A wrench in Alma’s detection abilities is Alma’s partner Marguerite who is still trapped by an engineered polyvalent illness that requires treatment every 4 hours and 4 minutes, demanding Alma’s full attention., Else Marguerite’s death is imminent as treatment constantly varies and is quite costly. What Mr. Roberts explores here is an investigation and the relationship of the nature of money and death.
Also a theme running through the book, both explicitly and in its structure and narrative, is the reference of Stanley Kubrick's “2001, A Space Odyssey”. That one of the characters is named Stan (a Kubrick fan) is no coincidence.
p-199 “The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent”
- From a Stanley Kubrick interview
Adam Roberts is commonly described as one of the UK’s most important writers of SF. He is the author of numerous novels and literary parodies. He is Professor of 19th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, London University and has written a number of critical works on both SF and 19th Century poetry. He is also quit cleaver with words and ideas.
The setting of the series is in the near future where practically everyone spends all their time in a virtual reality world known as ‘The Shine’. Our returning main character, Alma, a private investigator, is caught up in another impossible murder. There is a body, that has had a thumb penetrated by a needle, which by itself is not the cause of death. To add to her workload, Alma has been hired to investigate if one of the four ultra-rich members of a consortium known as ‘The Fab Four’, who control most of the world’s wealth, may or may not be dead. The conundrum is in finding out which one.
A wrench in Alma’s detection abilities is Alma’s partner Marguerite who is still trapped by an engineered polyvalent illness that requires treatment every 4 hours and 4 minutes, demanding Alma’s full attention., Else Marguerite’s death is imminent as treatment constantly varies and is quite costly. What Mr. Roberts explores here is an investigation and the relationship of the nature of money and death.
Also a theme running through the book, both explicitly and in its structure and narrative, is the reference of Stanley Kubrick's “2001, A Space Odyssey”. That one of the characters is named Stan (a Kubrick fan) is no coincidence.
p-199 “The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent”
- From a Stanley Kubrick interview
Adam Roberts is commonly described as one of the UK’s most important writers of SF. He is the author of numerous novels and literary parodies. He is Professor of 19th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, London University and has written a number of critical works on both SF and 19th Century poetry. He is also quit cleaver with words and ideas.
September 6, 2018
Sometimes a sequel betters the original - think Terminator 2 - and Adam Roberts has done this with his follow-up to The Real-Town Murders. (It's sensible to read the first book before this: while it's not essential, there are plenty of references you will miss otherwise.)
Ostensibly this is a murder mystery, or, as Roberts tells us, a combination of a howdunnit and a whodunnit-to, as the central character Alma is called on to work out how someone found with a needle stuck through her thumb was killed and which of a group of four super-rich individuals is dead when all claim to still be alive - though one of the group who hires Alma is convinced that the death has occurred.
However, this is anything but a conventional murder mystery - far more so than the strange crimes suggest. Alma and her partner Marguerite (the latter still trapped by an engineered polyvalent illness that requires treatment every 4 hours and 4 minutes) don't do a lot of detecting. In fact Marguerite hardly contributes anything and Alma relies more on other people telling her what's happening than inspired Holmesian induction.
In reality, what we have here is an exploration of the nature of money and death, spiced up with a buzzing mix of fun and cultural references (pop and otherwise). It all starts with the title of the book, mixing traditional (Shakespeare) and pop-ish (Bradbury) references and continues helter-skelter from there. I particularly loved the Monty-Pythonesque heavies the Kry Twins (Reg and Ron, of course), though I was rather sad they didn't mention Dinsdale or Spiny Norman.
Whether you enjoy spotting a quote from Dune or the luxurious combination of a cultural reference and a pun in the chapter title Les the Mis in Person, Roberts is clearly having a good time here. Just occasionally the punning and wordplay gets a trifle overloaded, but never enough to strongly irritate. And running through the book, both explicitly and in its structure and narrative is the über-reference of Stanley Kubrick's 2001, A Space Odyssey.
What amazes about this book is the way that Roberts combines the frippery of many of the conversations with some heavyweight emotional trauma and genuinely interesting philosophising on the nature of money, particularly in a world where much activity is in a virtual reality. Although the ending is perhaps a little obscure in this respect (though you could hardly expect anything else, given the model of 2001), the musing on money has a surprising amount of content.
Just one very small instance. One of the four very ultra-rich people has a slice of Stonehenge as the frame for the entrance to their building. Simply to demonstrate that they have so much money they can do what would be assumed to be impossible. What's fascinating is that if you visit Stourhead gardens in Wiltshire, you'll see in the garden the medieval town cross that should be in Bristol - a parallel real-life example of one of the insights in the book into the way money influences behaviour.
As long as you don't expect 'A fast-paced murder mystery' (I don't know what book the Guardian reviewer was reading) but instead a mix of fun, wonder, intellectual stimulation and more, all set in a re-branded Reading - I'm not sure this book mentioned that the main setting R!-Town is Reading - you are in for a treat. (Oh, and remember the monkeys at the start when you get to the end.)
Ostensibly this is a murder mystery, or, as Roberts tells us, a combination of a howdunnit and a whodunnit-to, as the central character Alma is called on to work out how someone found with a needle stuck through her thumb was killed and which of a group of four super-rich individuals is dead when all claim to still be alive - though one of the group who hires Alma is convinced that the death has occurred.
However, this is anything but a conventional murder mystery - far more so than the strange crimes suggest. Alma and her partner Marguerite (the latter still trapped by an engineered polyvalent illness that requires treatment every 4 hours and 4 minutes) don't do a lot of detecting. In fact Marguerite hardly contributes anything and Alma relies more on other people telling her what's happening than inspired Holmesian induction.
In reality, what we have here is an exploration of the nature of money and death, spiced up with a buzzing mix of fun and cultural references (pop and otherwise). It all starts with the title of the book, mixing traditional (Shakespeare) and pop-ish (Bradbury) references and continues helter-skelter from there. I particularly loved the Monty-Pythonesque heavies the Kry Twins (Reg and Ron, of course), though I was rather sad they didn't mention Dinsdale or Spiny Norman.
Whether you enjoy spotting a quote from Dune or the luxurious combination of a cultural reference and a pun in the chapter title Les the Mis in Person, Roberts is clearly having a good time here. Just occasionally the punning and wordplay gets a trifle overloaded, but never enough to strongly irritate. And running through the book, both explicitly and in its structure and narrative is the über-reference of Stanley Kubrick's 2001, A Space Odyssey.
What amazes about this book is the way that Roberts combines the frippery of many of the conversations with some heavyweight emotional trauma and genuinely interesting philosophising on the nature of money, particularly in a world where much activity is in a virtual reality. Although the ending is perhaps a little obscure in this respect (though you could hardly expect anything else, given the model of 2001), the musing on money has a surprising amount of content.
Just one very small instance. One of the four very ultra-rich people has a slice of Stonehenge as the frame for the entrance to their building. Simply to demonstrate that they have so much money they can do what would be assumed to be impossible. What's fascinating is that if you visit Stourhead gardens in Wiltshire, you'll see in the garden the medieval town cross that should be in Bristol - a parallel real-life example of one of the insights in the book into the way money influences behaviour.
As long as you don't expect 'A fast-paced murder mystery' (I don't know what book the Guardian reviewer was reading) but instead a mix of fun, wonder, intellectual stimulation and more, all set in a re-branded Reading - I'm not sure this book mentioned that the main setting R!-Town is Reading - you are in for a treat. (Oh, and remember the monkeys at the start when you get to the end.)
September 5, 2018
I read this over last night and this morning. Great world building from the previous novel. An interesting crime again involving the Shine. Alma is back again and is caught up with murder and mayhem. Funny and well plotted, again just felt too short. However I did find it built alot over the first novel. Its definitely reccomended if you want a scifi crime novel with elements of humour thrown in.
Read
August 12, 2019Second in the near future SF detective series where almost everyone spends their lives plugged into virtual reality. Alma is a private detective who refuses to plug in; meanwhile her lover Marguerite is afflicted by a virus that mutates every few hours giving her a new life-threatening illness which Alma must fix--which puts her under a constant ticking clock .
I like the strong queer relationship at the centre and the heavily female cast--the majority of characters are women, without comment, they just are, which is *so rare*. The mystery was clever, if a bit thin. But the whole thing comes with a massive level of self-conscious whimsy, in dialogue as well as narration, which becomes pretty exhausting (to me at least, and I like terrible puns). Also a really annoying inconsistency throughout whereby Alma has barely heard of eg Shakespeare or Kubrick because they're old fashioned figures of a near-forgotten cultural past, but repeatedly quotes pop culture like Harry Enfield catchphrases. Roberts is an extremely clever and considered writer so I can't imagine this was accidental but damned if I see the point.
Mph. Overall it was too whimsical for my taste, which is a shame as I like the concept and enjoyed the first a lot, but if you like conscious cleverness, this delivers in spades.
I like the strong queer relationship at the centre and the heavily female cast--the majority of characters are women, without comment, they just are, which is *so rare*. The mystery was clever, if a bit thin. But the whole thing comes with a massive level of self-conscious whimsy, in dialogue as well as narration, which becomes pretty exhausting (to me at least, and I like terrible puns). Also a really annoying inconsistency throughout whereby Alma has barely heard of eg Shakespeare or Kubrick because they're old fashioned figures of a near-forgotten cultural past, but repeatedly quotes pop culture like Harry Enfield catchphrases. Roberts is an extremely clever and considered writer so I can't imagine this was accidental but damned if I see the point.
Mph. Overall it was too whimsical for my taste, which is a shame as I like the concept and enjoyed the first a lot, but if you like conscious cleverness, this delivers in spades.
February 2, 2021
This one wasn't funny, and the characters were awful without being entertaining.
I loved the concept of 2001: A Space Odyssey as a murder mystery. Clever, but that whole scene for Alma to get to it was too long for me. And it was a bit of a false promise to the reader.
The moral insights were mostly about money, and I found them heavy-handed rather than sudden joyful revelations like in his other books. This felt like less care was taken during writing. More of a rant than a song.
I did cry at one point, but spoilers, so I won't share.
The whole narrative was a downer, and I don't think Alma was particularly good at her job. She frustrated me often.
The concepts and murders were interesting. The world-building was shallow, but intriguing. I just wish the characters had been different ones.
I loved the concept of 2001: A Space Odyssey as a murder mystery. Clever, but that whole scene for Alma to get to it was too long for me. And it was a bit of a false promise to the reader.
The moral insights were mostly about money, and I found them heavy-handed rather than sudden joyful revelations like in his other books. This felt like less care was taken during writing. More of a rant than a song.
I did cry at one point, but spoilers, so I won't share.
The whole narrative was a downer, and I don't think Alma was particularly good at her job. She frustrated me often.
The concepts and murders were interesting. The world-building was shallow, but intriguing. I just wish the characters had been different ones.
July 28, 2024
Read as part of our local library's adult reading challenge, for the category "A book set in the future"
This is a sci-fi murder mystery set in a near-future Britain. Enjoyable writing with some good humour. But mystery plots don't work so well in a speculative world where normal rules are disregarded.
This is a sci-fi murder mystery set in a near-future Britain. Enjoyable writing with some good humour. But mystery plots don't work so well in a speculative world where normal rules are disregarded.
December 8, 2018
By the Pricking of Her Thumb picks up roughly where The Real-Town Murders left off. However, this time, Alma and her bedridden girlfriend Marguerite are confronted with not just one, but two complicated murder cases. And while The Real-Town Murders seemed to pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock, By the Pricking of Her Thumb offers more than a nod to Stanley Kubrick and his Space Odyssey.
The writing is always one step away from brilliance. The title itself references Agatha Christie and Macbeth, and Roberts practically never stops peppering you with a barrage of word plays and allusions to literary and cinematic works, actual events and people (e.g. the Kray twins) that you need to be close to genius yourself to be able to catch even half of them (I didn't).
But alas, literature is a bit more than smart word play and literary prowess, and this is where the novel falters, fatally. By the Pricking of Her Thumb seems to be forever stuck in the rut of its prequel, seemingly having nothing new to offer—other than that very complex kaleidoscope of literary and cinematic allusions, on their own a sheer exercise in meaninglessness.
The Real-Town Murders offered an immensely intriguing look into what would happen if we let virtual reality run rampant in our world. By the Pricking of Her Thumb takes this setting and does practically nothing with it other than discuss at length the subject of monetarisation of virtual reality, a topic as exciting as peeling potatoes. The end result is a washed down, shrivelled version of the first book, with a mangled plot, unsympathetic characters and zero ability to generate any reader investment in the author’s main idea.
And this does not seem to only be my opinion. While Adam Roberts has never been a mass public darling, his books too philosophical and quirky to be liked by most people, the sheer number of reviews for By the Pricking of Her Thumb indicates something quite alarming. Other than his agent and his family, this book seems to only have been read by Adam Roberts' most loyal, die-hard fans, me included. This is as close to disastrous a book recommendation can get.
The writing is always one step away from brilliance. The title itself references Agatha Christie and Macbeth, and Roberts practically never stops peppering you with a barrage of word plays and allusions to literary and cinematic works, actual events and people (e.g. the Kray twins) that you need to be close to genius yourself to be able to catch even half of them (I didn't).
But alas, literature is a bit more than smart word play and literary prowess, and this is where the novel falters, fatally. By the Pricking of Her Thumb seems to be forever stuck in the rut of its prequel, seemingly having nothing new to offer—other than that very complex kaleidoscope of literary and cinematic allusions, on their own a sheer exercise in meaninglessness.
The Real-Town Murders offered an immensely intriguing look into what would happen if we let virtual reality run rampant in our world. By the Pricking of Her Thumb takes this setting and does practically nothing with it other than discuss at length the subject of monetarisation of virtual reality, a topic as exciting as peeling potatoes. The end result is a washed down, shrivelled version of the first book, with a mangled plot, unsympathetic characters and zero ability to generate any reader investment in the author’s main idea.
And this does not seem to only be my opinion. While Adam Roberts has never been a mass public darling, his books too philosophical and quirky to be liked by most people, the sheer number of reviews for By the Pricking of Her Thumb indicates something quite alarming. Other than his agent and his family, this book seems to only have been read by Adam Roberts' most loyal, die-hard fans, me included. This is as close to disastrous a book recommendation can get.
December 13, 2018
Truly wonderful.
I've long admired Adam's writing, but he can get a bit too clever for his own good at times. The two "Real-Town Murders" books are certainly ridiculously clever, full of puns and literary references, but they're also genuinely thought-provoking murder mysteries, genuinely thought-provoking science fiction, and genuinely very funny.
The rest of this review is a little bit spoilery - no plot points or anything are given away, but even knowing the broad themes will help you unpick some stuff that is better learnt as the novel progresses. It's a quick read, and highly recommended! (Oh, but you've got to read the first one first)
What this sequel adds to Roberts' oeuvre is a substantial amount of emotional heft, with some very moving passages. The book is exquisitely constructed - by the end, the reader has been forced to re-evaluate a number of scenes and character motivations at least a couple of times. The novel's interlinked themes are explored in depth: central is money, its history and what it can mean in an essentially post-scarcity society (in-Shine at least, in the virtual world into which most of humanity has retreated), but accompanying this is an examination of death - unsurprising for a murder mystery, but that's not what we're talking about here... and more sneakily, there's a third theme of artificial intelligence, which links into the main source of intertextuality here - the work of Stanley Kubrick (recall that the first Real-Town Murders book drew deep from the films of Alfred Hitchcock).
Appropriately for a murder mystery as much as for a piece of mid-future science fiction, Roberts allows the reader to guess large parts of the mystery (and to be a few steps ahead of the protagonist for a while) while still keeping some extraordinary reveals until the last couple of chapters, in a way that really does manage to reconfigure our understanding of much of what came before.
Surprisingly, one of these twists is an emotional gut-punch that I, for one, was not expecting. And that's the kind of power that great literature has - smart formal construction that enhances the poignance of key scenes. Very impressive.
I've long admired Adam's writing, but he can get a bit too clever for his own good at times. The two "Real-Town Murders" books are certainly ridiculously clever, full of puns and literary references, but they're also genuinely thought-provoking murder mysteries, genuinely thought-provoking science fiction, and genuinely very funny.
The rest of this review is a little bit spoilery - no plot points or anything are given away, but even knowing the broad themes will help you unpick some stuff that is better learnt as the novel progresses. It's a quick read, and highly recommended! (Oh, but you've got to read the first one first)
What this sequel adds to Roberts' oeuvre is a substantial amount of emotional heft, with some very moving passages. The book is exquisitely constructed - by the end, the reader has been forced to re-evaluate a number of scenes and character motivations at least a couple of times. The novel's interlinked themes are explored in depth: central is money, its history and what it can mean in an essentially post-scarcity society (in-Shine at least, in the virtual world into which most of humanity has retreated), but accompanying this is an examination of death - unsurprising for a murder mystery, but that's not what we're talking about here... and more sneakily, there's a third theme of artificial intelligence, which links into the main source of intertextuality here - the work of Stanley Kubrick (recall that the first Real-Town Murders book drew deep from the films of Alfred Hitchcock).
Appropriately for a murder mystery as much as for a piece of mid-future science fiction, Roberts allows the reader to guess large parts of the mystery (and to be a few steps ahead of the protagonist for a while) while still keeping some extraordinary reveals until the last couple of chapters, in a way that really does manage to reconfigure our understanding of much of what came before.
Surprisingly, one of these twists is an emotional gut-punch that I, for one, was not expecting. And that's the kind of power that great literature has - smart formal construction that enhances the poignance of key scenes. Very impressive.
September 9, 2018
By the Pricking of Her Thumb is the latest by Adam Roberts, another novel set in the same future universe as The Real-Town Murders. It was enjoyable enough, though a bit unfocused on the plot at times, and the constant attempt at humorous wordplay got a bit much after a while. I think I prefer his existential and adventurous SF novels over these two.
September 2, 2021
‘Follow the smart money’
Private Detective Alma is called upon by one of the wealthiest people of Europe known as Jupita, to investigate a possible murder…or not.
As she investigates who of the very exclusive ‘Fab Four’ may be dead, she walks the increasingly bizarre world of the ultra rich. All while caring for her lover facing death every 4 hours.
It’s a mystery until Stanley arrives when she meets the ‘monkeys’…
The second of Roberts ‘Real Town Mysteries’, we find the UK still divided between the real world and the ‘Shine; a very hyper version on the intraweb. Most it are immersed, leaving the streets empty and cleaned by bots with the buzz of drones over head. We find Alma still in R! Town tending to her lover.
Marguerite continues to suffer the genetically hacked gene which every four hours attacks her body. We still don’t why or how this predicament came to be. Indeed, how Alma seemingly has the skills of an Emergency Doctor to allay these continually attacks with last minute medical drone deliveries. This vision of the immediate future - say 2030 - is seemingly possible if a little bleak.
As a Private Detective Alma is summoned by Jupita, one of the richest people of Europe. She lofty declares:
‘I am one of a select group who are so rich that we have left rich behind’.
Jupita suspects that one of her other equally rich adversaries, (known collectively as ‘the Fab Four’) is dead. While dead in the ‘real’, one of them is purporting to be alive in the ‘Shine’. She tasks Alma to find out who.
The four are racing to achieve ‘absolute wealth’, (wealth so vast they can control the world commerce. All of it.) As is Roberts modus operandi, he explores themes in popular culture. Here he runs with the premise of monetizing social media through popularity. The conundrum that the four face, is creating a system of exchange which traditionally is based on scarcity. Yet, in the Shine scarcity doesn’t exist.
When a fan of Stanley Kubrick named Stan offers to help Alma, things only start to make sense when Alma suddenly wakes up and discovers the ‘monkeys’. Fans of Kubrick will recognize her situation, but why is actually surprising.
Whilst the denouement is laboured, there’s enough here to maintain interest as Roberts explores the possible consequences of our social media world completely taking over our world and consciousness.
Following the ‘smart’ money will literally get you killed these days. 7/10
Private Detective Alma is called upon by one of the wealthiest people of Europe known as Jupita, to investigate a possible murder…or not.
As she investigates who of the very exclusive ‘Fab Four’ may be dead, she walks the increasingly bizarre world of the ultra rich. All while caring for her lover facing death every 4 hours.
It’s a mystery until Stanley arrives when she meets the ‘monkeys’…
The second of Roberts ‘Real Town Mysteries’, we find the UK still divided between the real world and the ‘Shine; a very hyper version on the intraweb. Most it are immersed, leaving the streets empty and cleaned by bots with the buzz of drones over head. We find Alma still in R! Town tending to her lover.
Marguerite continues to suffer the genetically hacked gene which every four hours attacks her body. We still don’t why or how this predicament came to be. Indeed, how Alma seemingly has the skills of an Emergency Doctor to allay these continually attacks with last minute medical drone deliveries. This vision of the immediate future - say 2030 - is seemingly possible if a little bleak.
As a Private Detective Alma is summoned by Jupita, one of the richest people of Europe. She lofty declares:
‘I am one of a select group who are so rich that we have left rich behind’.
Jupita suspects that one of her other equally rich adversaries, (known collectively as ‘the Fab Four’) is dead. While dead in the ‘real’, one of them is purporting to be alive in the ‘Shine’. She tasks Alma to find out who.
The four are racing to achieve ‘absolute wealth’, (wealth so vast they can control the world commerce. All of it.) As is Roberts modus operandi, he explores themes in popular culture. Here he runs with the premise of monetizing social media through popularity. The conundrum that the four face, is creating a system of exchange which traditionally is based on scarcity. Yet, in the Shine scarcity doesn’t exist.
When a fan of Stanley Kubrick named Stan offers to help Alma, things only start to make sense when Alma suddenly wakes up and discovers the ‘monkeys’. Fans of Kubrick will recognize her situation, but why is actually surprising.
Whilst the denouement is laboured, there’s enough here to maintain interest as Roberts explores the possible consequences of our social media world completely taking over our world and consciousness.
Following the ‘smart’ money will literally get you killed these days. 7/10
March 14, 2020
I was so was excited to get hold of this one, as I love Alma as a protagonist. When a body turns up with a pin through the thumb and no sign of how the victim died, Alma is brought in. In between having to treat her seriously sick partner every four hours, she tries to solve it, though it gets overlaid by another, even more sinister investigation which calls into question the nature of reality itself…
Roberts is clearly a very clever chap and he enjoys throwing out ideas, in amongst the welter of puns and allusions to a range of folks from Shakespeare through to Bradbury. The film 2001 is heavily referenced, and I enjoyed the speculation about exactly what was going on with those chimps, but then I’ve watched the film – I’m not sure how that whole section would have gone down with someone who hadn’t. What I did find myself skimming, was the treatise on the nature of money, which went on too long without adding much to the narrative arc. There is a shock twist near the end that rather poleaxed me and introduced real sadness into the story, despite the jokes and humour.
7/10
Roberts is clearly a very clever chap and he enjoys throwing out ideas, in amongst the welter of puns and allusions to a range of folks from Shakespeare through to Bradbury. The film 2001 is heavily referenced, and I enjoyed the speculation about exactly what was going on with those chimps, but then I’ve watched the film – I’m not sure how that whole section would have gone down with someone who hadn’t. What I did find myself skimming, was the treatise on the nature of money, which went on too long without adding much to the narrative arc. There is a shock twist near the end that rather poleaxed me and introduced real sadness into the story, despite the jokes and humour.
7/10
January 24, 2020
So it looks like it took me forever to read this book. It’s funny because I picked it up in October and read the first chapter and just couldn’t get into it. So I put it down. I picked it up again three days ago and couldn’t stop. I really enjoyed this book and it’s been a while since I had a full 5 star novel. The writing is amazing and the characters are inventive. I really enjoyed reading about them. The future world is also very well built. The only thing that can be frustrating (which is true of many Adam Roberts’ books) is the way he uses everyday words to represent some future concept without fully explaining them (took me forever to realize there was no physical porch and it was some form of virtual place). In any event I loved the book.
And I just realized why I didn’t get the references and why I put this book down back in October. There’s a book before this one!!! Ha ha. I guess I’ll have to go read that now.
And I just realized why I didn’t get the references and why I put this book down back in October. There’s a book before this one!!! Ha ha. I guess I’ll have to go read that now.
July 8, 2020
The ideo-syncracies of Adam Roberts remind me of Jasper Fforde at his best, yet Roberts feels more earnest and imaginative. The Real-Town books are deeply odd and feel sadly prophetic. Of course humanity is on its way to a future of wasted potential and total immersion in the virtual, and anyone on the outside will be left out but also oddly empowered.
As with the first book, Alma is more Sam Spade than Sherlock Holmes, and her devotion to Marguerite is he clockwork spring that moves the action along. There is no mystery here that isn't obvious and curiously unimportant. Yet the world building and characterizations are brilliant, and the writing sparkles.
As with the first book, Alma is more Sam Spade than Sherlock Holmes, and her devotion to Marguerite is he clockwork spring that moves the action along. There is no mystery here that isn't obvious and curiously unimportant. Yet the world building and characterizations are brilliant, and the writing sparkles.
December 2, 2023
Loved it as much as I loved the first book! The world that Adam Roberts has created is so real and so layered. Fascinating story (again!) and fantastic character building (again!). Alma and Marguerite’s love story is so relatable and heartbreaking. I was completely immersed in the story and just did not want it to end. Unfortunately there isn’t a third book in the series….but I will continue to hope for one! Top book and a favorite for the year!!!!!
(From the blurb): “Private Investigator Alma is caught up in another impossible murder. One of the world's four richest people may be dead - but nobody is sure which one. Hired to discover the truth behind the increasingly bizarre behaviour of the ultra-rich, Alma must juggle treating her terminally ill lover with a case which may not have a victim.
Inspired by the films of Kubrick, this stand-alone novel returns to the near-future of THE REAL-TOWN MURDERS, and puts Alma on a path to a world she can barely understand.”
(From the blurb): “Private Investigator Alma is caught up in another impossible murder. One of the world's four richest people may be dead - but nobody is sure which one. Hired to discover the truth behind the increasingly bizarre behaviour of the ultra-rich, Alma must juggle treating her terminally ill lover with a case which may not have a victim.
Inspired by the films of Kubrick, this stand-alone novel returns to the near-future of THE REAL-TOWN MURDERS, and puts Alma on a path to a world she can barely understand.”
December 3, 2018
Read immediately following The Real Town Murders, and was hoping the writing would’ve matured a little in this sequel.
There’s still a lot of obscure references, and the characters still go out of their way to point out how obscure the references are, but I found this generally a less cringe inducing read than the previous.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t as hooked by the plot in this sequel - though the *how* of the pricking was an interesting idea, the side plots (of money, and the accumulation of wealth) were less satisfactorily resolved.
I think this is generally the better book of the two, but it’s not a series that I’m personally itching to explore further.
There’s still a lot of obscure references, and the characters still go out of their way to point out how obscure the references are, but I found this generally a less cringe inducing read than the previous.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t as hooked by the plot in this sequel - though the *how* of the pricking was an interesting idea, the side plots (of money, and the accumulation of wealth) were less satisfactorily resolved.
I think this is generally the better book of the two, but it’s not a series that I’m personally itching to explore further.
June 4, 2020
3.5 rounded up. I ended up enjoying this one more than the first book. I still feel like the writer thinks very highly of his vocabulary, to the point that I'm aware of it. And there are a few lengthy sections that really get bogged down by either introspection or by endless dialogue. I guessed the broad outlines of the mystery and who did it pretty quick too, although not the details. However, it was still pretty clever and I still liked how it unraveled. Alma and Marguerite are the best parts, as they were in the first one.
May 17, 2023
I only read half of this book. I found that I really should’ve read the first one before picking this one up. Imagining the world the author builds was a bit harder without the context that I believe the first book would’ve had - it jumps straight into a case and keeping up with terminology was hard.
I also found it moved at a slower pace than I generally like detective novels to move - but maybe that’s because my imagination didn’t have a lot of context to work off.
But I did skip to the end and loved the twist there!
I also found it moved at a slower pace than I generally like detective novels to move - but maybe that’s because my imagination didn’t have a lot of context to work off.
But I did skip to the end and loved the twist there!
March 26, 2024
A Flawed Triumph
Adam Roberts is a fiendishly intelligent writer. His writing is a delight to read. But sometimes I feel he’s too intelligent to be comprehensible. Or rather, the ideas have become so abstract that narrative fiction stops functioning as it should.
This sequel book contains many moments of charming banter and fantastic technology. And it also contains deep passages through the dark inner human world of loss and death.
Had it not resolved itself with incomprehensible abstraction I would say it was a flawless triumph. But…
Adam Roberts is a fiendishly intelligent writer. His writing is a delight to read. But sometimes I feel he’s too intelligent to be comprehensible. Or rather, the ideas have become so abstract that narrative fiction stops functioning as it should.
This sequel book contains many moments of charming banter and fantastic technology. And it also contains deep passages through the dark inner human world of loss and death.
Had it not resolved itself with incomprehensible abstraction I would say it was a flawless triumph. But…
September 16, 2018
Another foray into the world created by Adam Roberts. Perhaps, this is more satisfying than the opener because there is no need for great explanations of this society, although I'm not sure where he will go to next. As all good novels, this encourages thought about current trends and where they might lead. Some excellent punning here.
May 7, 2019
Sequel to The Real-Town Murders, which I reviewed upstream. Pulls few punches. Doesn't exactly answer the questions I had after reading the first book, but instead makes them somewhat irrelevant. As smart, learned, wry, and well-written as one expects now from an Adam Roberts book.
Despite myself, I am wondering if there will be another novel in this series.
Despite myself, I am wondering if there will be another novel in this series.
August 13, 2019
The first book in this series was fast-paced, snappy and interesting. The sequel is a rather dull affair. Roberts moves his protagonist from scene to scene, but she spends too long in each scene having rather dreary exchanges with a series of indifferently-drawn characters.
I don’t know why this didn’t work for me. I was looking forward to reading it having enjoyed its prequel.
I don’t know why this didn’t work for me. I was looking forward to reading it having enjoyed its prequel.
July 16, 2020
Having read The Real-Town Murders a month or so ago, (which I wasn’t sure about initially, but persevered with and thoroughly enjoyed) I was anxious to read this follow-up. Alma’s relationship with Margarita, her partner, to whose medical needs she must attend every four hours and four minutes, is humorous and touching and ultimately very moving. Highly recommended.
August 3, 2025
I must admit it took some time to get oriented since I jumped into this book without reading the predecessor.
An interesting read and kind of fascinating at times, but I couldn’t help but feel like someone smarter than me could really understand the book in totality.
Not a bad book, just didn’t entirely click for me.
An interesting read and kind of fascinating at times, but I couldn’t help but feel like someone smarter than me could really understand the book in totality.
Not a bad book, just didn’t entirely click for me.
November 21, 2018
It is everything the dust jacket asserts. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s strength is the topic of money—philosophically thought provoking, educational, and rich for ongoing reflection, to which I would add the subjects of time, death, 2010–a Space Odyssey, and artificial intelligence.
April 5, 2019
3.5 stars
Like the first in this series, this is not Roberts at his most imaginative or evocative, but it is a clever mystery written with creativity and wit and the characters and world in the series continue to grow.
Like the first in this series, this is not Roberts at his most imaginative or evocative, but it is a clever mystery written with creativity and wit and the characters and world in the series continue to grow.
February 2, 2020
Interesting things were happening in this book, but the main character's living arrangement took up far too much space in the story. Why was every session of administering medicine to her wife/partner mentioned and described? Gaaah.
February 21, 2021
I enjoy Roberts' work too much, and I can't quite accept that his novels don't always do it.
I think this one does, I enjoyed it very much, it's full of literary allusions, references, quotes, wink-wink-nudge-nudge, it's a pleasure to read, it's fun, it's...
Am I wrong?
I think this one does, I enjoyed it very much, it's full of literary allusions, references, quotes, wink-wink-nudge-nudge, it's a pleasure to read, it's fun, it's...
Am I wrong?
February 21, 2022
This book is a blend of the peculiar and the profound, the droll and the disturbing, where the evident risibility masks a serious SF author. Undoubtedly more downbeat than its predecessor, among the jokes and cultural references there are some intriguing concepts explored. I really liked it.
September 21, 2024
Mind bending, funny and touching
A wonderful SF detective mystery with Roberts' usual wonderful metaphysical twists. High concept, grungy, hilarious and heartbreaking simultaneously.
Wonderful stuff!
A wonderful SF detective mystery with Roberts' usual wonderful metaphysical twists. High concept, grungy, hilarious and heartbreaking simultaneously.
Wonderful stuff!
September 9, 2018
This is a series I really hope continues. Excellent stuff.
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