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A Spider In The Cup (2013)

by Barbara Cleverly(Favorite Author)

3.29 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1616952881 (ISBN13: 9781616952884)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Soho Crime

series

Joe Sandilands

review 1: Stunningly promising (FDR! International Intrigue!), but turns out overwritten and tedious; “Say—am I boring you? Stay awake now!” p. 158. More than a bit confusing, too. Is it the TVA or the gold standard that the congressman is supposed to “fix” for the bad guys? Or neither? The central tangle, shown by the title, is from Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale,” to the effect that if one does not see the spider in the cup one drinks and is well; if one sees the spider, well, it’s voodoo, isn’t it. Poison the mind, and the body will follow into the pit. However, arrived at the mid-point of the book, I have no clue about how this is supposed to work. Yet another character comes onstage, yet more muddled plot. And finally resolved in a mishmash of balderdas... moreh. Dreadful.
review 2: This Joe Sandilands novel starts very slowly, and the reading does not flow well. Towards the middle of the book, the old Barbara Cleverly glimpses through the English mist. The story hints at the building German problem, as a few powerful men attempt to manipulate the world. Cleverly has spies and counter spies everywhere, and they seem wimpy. The action does not ring true to what is actually happening during this time. Cleverly does not utilize the writing that has made her popular. less

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