Zajazd „Jerozolima”

I feel bad giving this one two stars, since I am a fan of the series, and it's not like it offended me or anything, but it felt like Grimes made every mistake in the how-to-write-a-mystery book with this one.

It started off promising, if not a little boring. But then it took 100 pages to even meet the suspects, and after that it was difficult to keep them straight. Add in a lot of scenes describing games of snooker (a sport I know very little about), dramatic outbursts from Jury for no apparent reason (whatever you do, don't bring up mushy peas), and forced references to the wise men in the nativity story (because...?), and it made for a very boring and confusing book.

The mystery itself was easy to figure out, and the motive was a trifle weak for my taste (especially for three murders). In the end, there was a distinct lack of justice served that made it feel like a waste of time.

As for the characters, I can't figure out Jury's relationship with Vivian, and even having read these five books recently, I can barely remember her from the first one. I wish they could interact more so I could understand why they are so awkward around each other. Melrose is always the same and never seems to grow or change. I wish he had added more to the story.

Overall this one was a flop for me and I hope the next one is better.