Feb 2023 reread:
Even having read this book before, it was still more perplexing than was enjoyable. Even Appleby's explanation at the conclusion of the book was a bit hard to follow....

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A non-murder mystery but too convoluted! This 4th entry in the Appleby series rivals The Daffodil Affair for one of the most bizarre mysteries I have ever read. ( )

A non-murder mystery but too convoluted! This 4th entry in the Appleby series rivals The Daffodil Affair for one of the most bizarre mysteries I have ever read. ( )

I do enjoy these surprisingly literary mysteries. ( )

Timmy Eliot's father is the author of a series of thrillers starring the Spider, who seems to be coming alive and playing tricks on the family. Timmy's Oxford tutor agrees to come and help find out what's going on. As things become more mysterious and threatening at the annual Spider party, Timmy's sister's friend, Patricia Appleby, calls in her brother for help.

My somewhat scanty acquaintance with Pope's poetry meant a lot of the banter was over my head in this one. Still, lots of humour and some very tense moments. ( )

Richard Eliot is the author of 37 books featuring The Spider, and he plans to write at least a few more. The Spider has had a tortuous career, something reminiscent of G.K. Chesterton's Flambeau, beginning as diabolical, though literary, criminal, altering direction over the years, and now changing sides and engaging in crime-detection. The critics applaud this plastic nature, this subtle development of character. But the truth is that Mr Eliot tires of his creation, and the changes are necessary to keep him interested in his task. Continued
( )