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"Guttridge's series is among the funniest and sharpest in the genre, with a level of intelligence often lacking in better-known fare."—Balitmore Sun
"[The] Nick Madrid mysteries are nothing if not addictively, insanely entertaining . . . but what's really important is the mix of good suspense, fast-and-furious one-liners, and impeccable slapstick."—Ruminator Review
"Peter Guttridge is off to a rousing start . . . a serious contender in the mystery genre."—Chicago Tribune
When the grave of the legendary King Arthur is discovered in the West Country, Nick Madrid and trusty companion Bridget Frost can't resist going in search of Camelot themselves. But instead of chivalrous knights, they find rival heritage-industry marketing men willing to go to any lengths to make money from the discovery. Cue Camelot casinos, Avalon theme parks, medieval Excaliburger banquets, and a frenzy of feuding archaeologists as the tourism and heritage industry goes loopy for Lancelot and company.
When Nick does some digging of his own, it's not relics he finds but murder victims. Is there a Camelot-crazy serial killer on the loose? And what about King Arthur himself, who promised to return if his country needed him? If the bones in the West Country grave are his, who is that guy on the white horse riding out of the mists of time?
Peter Guttridge has written about music, film, literature, and the comedy industry for The Times, Guardian, The Telegraph, The Observer, and The Sunday Times. The Once and Future Con is the fourth title in the popular Nick Madrid mystery series. He lives in Sussex on the edge of the South Downs National Park.
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub![Once and Future Con, Guttridge's series is among the funniest and sharpest in the genre, with a level of intelligence often lacking in better-known fare.—<i>Balitmore Sun</i>
[The] Nick Madrid mysteries are nothing if not addictively, insanely entertaining . . . but wha, Once and Future Con has a rating of 4.9955899752608 stars](https://WonderClub.com/images/stars-5-0.gif){kind=small} |
![Once and Future Con, Guttridge's series is among the funniest and sharpest in the genre, with a level of intelligence often lacking in better-known fare.—<i>Balitmore Sun</i>
[The] Nick Madrid mysteries are nothing if not addictively, insanely entertaining . . . but wha, Once and Future Con](https://WonderClub.com/images/user_default_icon.png){kind=icon}
Richard Muenster
reviewed Once and Future Con on January 05, 2013![2 Stars Rating for Once and Future Con, Guttridge's series is among the funniest and sharpest in the genre, with a level of intelligence often lacking in better-known fare.—<i>Balitmore Sun</i>
[The] Nick Madrid mysteries are nothing if not addictively, insanely entertaining . . . but wha, Once and Future Con](https://WonderClub.com/images/stars-2-0.gif)
Once and Future Con
Originally published on my blog here in November 2001.
The recent foot and mouth outbreak has shown how much the British rural economy is dependent on tourism rather than simply on agriculture. This industry is increasingly reliant on heritage, as that is one of the UK's major selling points (the other being the convenience to Americans in particular of being and English speaking nation). This humorous crime novel is set in one particularly important yet controversial part of the tourism industry, the heritage built up around the Arthurian legends.
This is, of course, because the legends have been attached to many (incompatible) places, whether by multiple identifications of names in earlier traditions (as with Camelot) or by downright invention in later ones (as with Tintagel). The total absence of artefacts that can be reliably associated with Arthur - assuming that he even existed, which some doubt - also provides opportunities for the unscrupulous. This could be very lucrative; the best known Arthurian sites, Tintagel and Glastonbury, are among the most visited in the country.
The situation is clearly ripe for satire, especially given that most tourists are not interested in historical accuracy. They want a good time, and for many this means a theme park style experience which is like the films they have seen - fifteenth century jousts not fifth century cattle rustling. The Once and Future Con attempts to do just this, being about a murder investigation during the inauguration of a theme park centred around the supposedly newly discovered bodies of Arthur and Guinevere.
Unfortunately, the novel is neither funny enough to succeed as a satire, nor is the mystery absorbing enough for it to succeed as part of the crime genre. Indeed, I spent quite a lot of time while reading it wondering whether it was worth the effort, and continued mainly because that involved less thought than finding another book to read. It is mildly entertaining, but not as good as the reviews imply that Guttridge's earlier Nick Madrid novels are.
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Add Once and Future Con, Guttridge's series is among the funniest and sharpest in the genre, with a level of intelligence often lacking in better-known fare.—Balitmore Sun [The] Nick Madrid mysteries are nothing if not addictively, insanely entertaining . . . but wha, Once and Future Con to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add Once and Future Con, Guttridge's series is among the funniest and sharpest in the genre, with a level of intelligence often lacking in better-known fare.—Balitmore Sun [The] Nick Madrid mysteries are nothing if not addictively, insanely entertaining . . . but wha, Once and Future Con to your collection on WonderClub |
![Once and Future Con, Guttridge's series is among the funniest and sharpest in the genre, with a level of intelligence often lacking in better-known fare.—<i>Balitmore Sun</i>
[The] Nick Madrid mysteries are nothing if not addictively, insanely entertaining . . . but wha, Once and Future Con has a rating of 2.5 stars](https://WonderClub.com/images/stars-2-5.gif){kind=small}