Colorful mystery with some interesting cultural components. Guessed the murderer but was still surprised by the conclusion ( )

The Glass-Sided Ants’ Nest by Peter Dickinson was originally published in 1968. It was the winner of the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year, but unfortunately, I just didn’t relate to this quirky mystery at all. The story introduces Scotland Yard superintendent James Pibble, who has a knack for solving oddball cases. And this case of the brutal bludgeoning of the revered elder of a New Guinea tribesman is certainly very different.

An entire tribe from New Guinea has been brought to London by an anthropologist who sets them up in a large house that she owns but someone has decided to bash in the head of the chief and it’s up to Pibble to find out who the murderer is. I found the story very disjointed and confusing and it wasn’t long before I really didn’t care who the killer was.

I chose to read The Glass-Sided Ants’ Nest as it is included on Keatings List of the 100 best Crime and Mystery Books but this is the first book from the list that I really didn’t like. I wasn’t expecting this as I have read this author before and one of my all time favorite books is by him. Sadly, I found this mystery to be quite dated and more than a little weird. ( )

a transplanted New Guinean tribe in London is scene of murder and strange investigation

This is a murder mystery with too many twists. A tribe from New Guinea was being decimated during the war and was whisked to the U.K. The tribal leader, Aaron, was murdered and Mr. Pibble was assigned to investiage and find the killer.

I've read many books by British authors and had little trouble understanding them. This author uses so many British colloquialisms I had to constantly refer to a dictionary to understand the story.

This book is so disjointed I couldn't keep everything in perspective. A new chapter started a new story and I kept wondering what this had to do with anything. The authors attempt to include so many different facts that it became extremely tedious to read. It didn't take long before I decided I didn't care who killed Aaron.

I found this book extremely confusing. The writer tried to add so many different facts that instead of informing became confusing. I finally just gave up. ( )

Dickinson's first Inspector Pibble story is a work of true genius, creating a universe and a crime that are both bizarre yet utterly believable: the remnant of a Stone-Age New Guinean tribe shifted to a London boarding house. This is crime fiction as anthropological and psychological exploration: thoughtful, witty, and encompassing the very essence of British quirkiness. This man makes me proud to be classified as a mystery writer. ( )