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Rating: 
Summary: Suspense not maintained throughout novel.
Review: I picked up this book because of its intriguing plot, centered about a wholly fictitious puzzle-crazed world. The first half or so of the book kept me very interested, but after that, the book seemed to lose some of its hold. While I thought the structure was a neat idea (a collection of interviews, radio transcripts, articles, etc. rather than narration/chapters), I didn't care for the arrangement of the pieces. The author could have arranged them chronologically or by other categories, instead of randomly. I realize this randomness relates to the jigsaw puzzle metaphor (i.e. the reader/puzzler is given a set of pieces in random order and instructed to fit them together). But the format (a novel) prohibits the 48 chapters/pieces from being an apt application of the puzzle metaphor (unless the reader wants to rip out and bind each chapter separately to arrange at his own discretion or take notes, both of which detract from the purpose of a novel: entertainment). Nor would I consider this an excellent mystery novel. For example, Bello has not mastered the art of planting seemingly unimportant clues that become so glaringly evident during the denouement that the reader cries "Of course! I could have figured it out myself!" Instead, the reader sometimes feels bogged down in some of the minutia Bello puts forth for the reader to sort through. That I figured out the 'whodunit' makes me even less impressed with novel. Additionally, I found Bello to be a rather conceited author and this was at times bothersome since I don't feel he has earned the right to do so yet (perhaps in future efforts he will). He does not quite merit the comparison to Borges a reviewer on the back cover proposes. In trying to weave an extended metaphor and a detective story into one cloth, Bello aims too high and the result is a sub-par murder plot and a metaphor that at times seems contrived and too heavy-handed. Having said that, the book is worth a read, but don't expect an astonishing mix of J. L. Borges's crystalline prose/labyrinthine ideas and Agatha Christie's masterful craftsmanship.
Rating: 
Summary: Amusing Setting, Awful Story
Review: The American edition of this 1998 French "thriller" bears a jacket blurb from A. L. Kennedy compares this tedious puzzler to the works of Borges and Calvino. Now I'm not particularly a fan of Borges, and my views on Calvino depend very much on which work is under discussion, but to put this debut novel in the realm as those two masters is both ill-considered and irresponsible (not to mention irrevocably rendering Kennedy's body of work suspect). The setting Bello creates is certainly an amusing one: a parallel world where the "sport" of timed jigsaw puzzle tournaments is hugely popular. The reader learns at the outset that certain luminaries of the puzzling circuit are being drugged and clinically dismembered. The novel then presents 48 "pieces" or sections, in which lie the clues to unmask the serial killer. These pieces consist of such things as newspaper reports, emails, magazine interviews, memos, letters, and the minutes of the academic Puzzology Society, arranged in a non-chronological order. Of course the conceit is that the sections are pieces of a puzzle, to be arranged to show the complete picture. The major flaw is that the clues are rather too obvious, and most readers will have identified the culprit in the first third of the book. This also is about the time the novelty of the structure wears off and things get boring. The satirical presentations of breathless tournament commentary, or academic minutiae of the Puzzology Society are amusing the first time around, but quickly wear thin thereafter. And when it finally (and I do mean finally) arrives, the dénouement is just plain silly. Aside from these rather major problems, there are some nitpicky things relating to the translation. On the whole it's fine, but it's always irking to read a book in which the speech of American characters is peppered with British idioms. And if one is attempting to mimic the style of the New York Times, at the very least, follow their practice of using Mr. Smith, instead of simply Smith, when writing about people. All in all, a major disappointment given the hype this generated in France. The setting is amusing, something Jonathan Lethem might produce in one of his short stories, but that's about the only good thing about this. Let's not even drag Borges and Calvino into it.
Rating:
Summary: Amusing Setting, Awful Story
Review: The American edition of this 1998 French "thriller" bears a jacket blurb from A. L. Kennedy compares this tedious puzzler to the works of Borges and Calvino. Now I'm not particularly a fan of Borges, and my views on Calvino depend very much on which work is under discussion, but to put this debut novel in the realm as those two masters is both ill-considered and irresponsible (not to mention irrevocably rendering Kennedy's body of work suspect). The setting Bello creates is certainly an amusing one: a parallel world where the "sport" of timed jigsaw puzzle tournaments is hugely popular. The reader learns at the outset that certain luminaries of the puzzling circuit are being drugged and clinically dismembered. The novel then presents 48 "pieces" or sections, in which lie the clues to unmask the serial killer. These pieces consist of such things as newspaper reports, emails, magazine interviews, memos, letters, and the minutes of the academic Puzzology Society, arranged in a non-chronological order. Of course the conceit is that the sections are pieces of a puzzle, to be arranged to show the complete picture. The major flaw is that the clues are rather too obvious, and most readers will have identified the culprit in the first third of the book. This also is about the time the novelty of the structure wears off and things get boring. The satirical presentations of breathless tournament commentary, or academic minutiae of the Puzzology Society are amusing the first time around, but quickly wear thin thereafter. And when it finally (and I do mean finally) arrives, the dénouement is just plain silly. Aside from these rather major problems, there are some nitpicky things relating to the translation. On the whole it's fine, but it's always irking to read a book in which the speech of American characters is peppered with British idioms. And if one is attempting to mimic the style of the New York Times, at the very least, follow their practice of using Mr. Smith, instead of simply Smith, when writing about people. All in all, a major disappointment given the hype this generated in France. The setting is amusing, something Jonathan Lethem might produce in one of his short stories, but that's about the only good thing about this. Let's not even drag Borges and Calvino into it.
Rating:
Summary: Suspense not maintained throughout novel.
Review: The jacket blurb invokes the magical names Borges and Calvino - and for once such superlative comparisons are almost justified. Borges and Calvino probably would have admired the audacious concept of Antoine Bello's dazzling first novel and it will delight lovers of metafiction everywhere. Ostensibly a murder mystery set against the background of the imaginary 'International Speed Puzzle Circuit', its forty-eight 'pieces' (letters, articles, meeting minutes) ultimately form a meditation on the nature of puzzles - both literary and otherwise. You'll probably work out 'whodunit' well before the final pages, but don't worry: that only makes the sadistic climax more chilling. Refreshingly intelligent and wonderfully original, Bello has crafted a novel which is not only capable of endlessly delighting its readers, but one which, through its unusual structure, challenges the notion of that what it means to be part of the genre. (My only reservation is the number of typographical errors in the Serpent's Tail paperback edition.)
Rating:
Summary: I lost interest halfway through
Review: The main premise of this novel is certainly unique, where jigsaw puzzles reach the level of a major sport. Tournaments are played where individuals are paired against each other, and the victor receives prizes and public acclaim. However, it is also a murder mystery, where someone is killing people and removing a limb, "replacing" it with a photo of the comparable limb of someone else. A different limb is removed from each victim, leading to speculation as to which appendage will be removed next. Of course, the perpetrator is eventually discovered, but in this case, there is no grand, intense ending where the hero and villain square off in a final showdown.
While I found the puzzle premise interesting, the book was at times a drag and the ending was a bit too much in the Frankenstein genre for me to take it seriously. Furthermore, how many times can you describe the action of one person putting jigsaw puzzle pieces together faster than another and make it interesting? There is also a detailed subplot of bickering between the members of a puzzle club that is relevant to the solution, but some of the triviality of the arguments was a drag on the story rather than an enhancement.
This is a murder mystery where the action is cerebral rather than physical. However, it moves slow and has a macabre solution that was not believable. It is different enough to make it worth examining, but do not expect to stay up late reading it because you cannot put it down. Published in the recreational mathematics newsletter, reprinted with permission.
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