When D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty III, is found shattered to death, all the evidence points to his ex-wife, who has conveniently shot herself. But Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant Mary Mary remain unconvinced.
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When D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty III, is found shattered to death, all the evidence points to his ex-wife, who has conveniently shot herself. But Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant Mary Mary remain unconvinced.
Read Less
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Seller's Description:
Very good. A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps and/or stickers. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. This copy has clearly been enjoyed-expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. . All orders9781501153198 guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofi t job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
The Big Over Easy was so enjoyable that I became hooked on Jasper Fforde's books. They are funny, witty and unpredictable. DCI Jack Spratt is an unassuming, clever underdog and his adventures are complex and interesting. The other characters in this book are really engaging, from Ashley the blue alien who came to earth for our sitcoms and bureaucracy to Mary Mary, Jack's detective sargeant. Prometheus and Pandora, Jack's daughter, provide a chucklesome thread of narrative also. Baker the hypochondriac is well-drawn and good for many laughs. When you think about it, how could a Nursery Crime series not be irresistable? Persons of Dubious Reality (PDRs) abound; Jack himself is such a person. He cuts the fat off of bacon, for heavens sake!!!
TripleS
Oct 8, 2007
What you never knew!
I was surprised to see that no one had yet posted a review for this delightful romp through the seedy underbelly of Nursery Rhyme Crime. Fforde has come up w/ original, surreal back story details for many Mother Goose characters, including here, the recently expired Humpty Dumpty. He was, it turns out, a rather "bad egg" with shady financial dealings, a string of lovers and a drinking problem. As Detective Jack Spratt investigates, he finds more and more people with motives to have done Humpty in. I'm a children's librarian, so I especially enjoyed the many references to nursery rhymes. The more familiar you are with those, the more you'll pick up and laugh about throughout this unusual crime novel. Somewhere after the 4th or 5th twist on "who dun it", I ceased caring about that, and just went along for the ride. Unfortunately, the ride comes to a disappointingly bizarre crash of an ending... But I loved it in spite of that!
