Feet of Clay

Inhoud

The Nineteenth Discworld Novel.
There's a werewolf with pre-lunar tension in Ankh-Morpork. And a dwarf with attitude and a golem who's begun to think for itself. But for Commander Vimes, Head of Ankh-Morpork City Watch, that's only the start...
There's treason in the air. A crime has happened.
He's not only got to find out whodunit, but howdunit too. He's not even sure what they dun. But as soon as he knows what the questions are, he's going to want some answers.

Bespreking

Hilarious mystery, pure fun

Commander Vimes, Head of Ankh-Morpork City Watch, is used to hunting down illegal crime in the most crowded city of the Discworld. But this time the clues are numerous, as are the answers. If Vimes only knew what the questions were. Two murders: first a dead priest is found with a slip of paper in his mouth, and then a curator of the Dwarf Bread Museum is killed using a loaf of bread. When it turns out that someone even tries to assassinate Lord Vetinari, Vimes finds himself faced with the most puzzling case in Discworld history.

The amazing thing about the Discworld saga is that it keeps getting better. Where the earlier episodes did lack a good storyline, Terry Pratchett now clearly has no problems spinning a complex mystery out on paper. The complexity of the case does easily compare to an Agatha Christie novel and the denouement is as hilarious as it is surprising. I really loved the way Terry constantly makes references to great detective stories and in doing so feeds the reader a plate of really nice red herrings (false clues).

Of course, when the City Watch appears in a Discworld novel it can only mean one thing: absurd humor at its best! I have to admit that the jokes are a slight bit less pungent than in Guards! Guards!, but that is certainly not enough reason to complain. The new character Cherry Littlebottom is a neat addition to the Watch. When Cherry goes on patrol with Angua, not knowing that she truly is a werewolf, you get that kind of chemistry that will blow your socks off.