the very dense mathematical aspect of this book got in the way for me. The murder mystery aspect was poor. ( )

I enjoyed reading this novel very much. I found it to be a mixture of Agatha Christie type mystery and a Sophie's World type dialect upon mathematical philosophy. The plot is tortuous to the limit but never quite punctures the suspension of disbelief and left me guessing to the end. The mathematical philosophy was very interesting and well woven into the story.

It is written by an Argentinian for Argentinians but the insightful descriptions of English life and Oxford in particular lend me to think that perhaps Martinez was a student at Oxford.

An interesting light mystery for those of an intellectual bent. ( )

An Argentinian grad student in mathematics visits Oxford and becomes embroiled in a series of murders that are somehow linked to an ancient brotherhood of Pythagoras.

This was definitely not the most amazing mystery ever, but neither was it horrible. The characters are mostly static and unrealistic, the mystery itself is drab and wearisome. However the prose is nice (if not amazing) and the story moves along at a fast clip, meaning the lackluster mystery does not impact the book's overall enjoyability. The mathematics discussion itself is worth dredging through the rest of the plot.

Those who are looking for a good mystery, this is probably not for you. However, if you are interested in mathematics and it's social history, are looking for a quick read, and don't mind a little mystery in the way, this is for you.

I love a good murder mystery and this was an interesting read, most particularly because of how Guillermo Martinez perceives the British and how he uses a very British genre. However I did find the mystery itself less than compelling. ( )

Weak detective story. The characters are shallow and Oxford is also depicted very superficially. The book does not capture well the place or the people. ( )