and we do not know until later that we are trying to find, “’The Old Man of the West…wore a pale, plum-coloured vest-‘“ (Toy 66). Crispin also teases us by not telling us who the murderer is until the very end. Throughout the story, he keeps us guessing. In the reader’s mind, the murderer switches many times. Even if the reader figures out who the murderer is, Crispin adds in other facts that change the reader’s mind. Crispin makes the murderer seem very elusive. Throughout the story the crime is referred to as impossible. That makes it all the more tempting to reach the end of the mystery.With all of the pieces of the novel put together, it becomes a very enjoyable, somewhat unusual, murder mystery. What makes it so great, however, is the wonderful style of Crispin’s narrative. Instead of a boring story in which all the details are described in an obvious, straightforward way, Crispin gives us facts very slyly by slipping them in to the narrative without warning. This gives us very accurate mental pictures. By knowing how the setting looks, we are able to enjoy the story much more. It becomes a narrative in which we are not forced to decide how the characters look and what the scenery is like. Crispin tells us what to imagine in a subtle way. The interesting and unusual way that Crispin tells his story is the main reason that he is such a remarkable author. His combination of characters, setting and a great murder mystery makes this a brilliant book to read....
