A night of errors Book

This is by far the most complicated mystery story I have ever read. The entire case takes place over about 2 days, and has so many winding ins and outs, misleading information, false clues, various odd characters, and confusion that it is baffling to follow. Generally I try to work out a mystery as I read (sometimes with success), but I gave up about half way through in this one.

Its a well told tale that works out reasonably and plausibly, and it shows off Appleby's brilliance and skill at his absolute best. The story content is awful and the events tragic but the telling is enjoyable and often humorous in a wry, dry way.

I particularly liked Appleby explaining his theory of criminals, how many ordinary people live just inside the law, but when influenced by crime nearby or a corruption of culture will slide into crime themselves. These people, he believed, are often more clever and awful than ordinary criminals.