Bizarrely written, with a plot that feels like a parody of the mystery genre. Which I absolutely loved. The prose does feel like the writer is bending over backwards to avoid clichés, though, leading to description that's like one degree off from cerulean orbs. This is at its worst with Gutman, a fat character whose "bulbs" keep being described as "jouncing".

Also, Joel Cairo is my new best friend and I'll protect him with my life. For as much as he gets violenced here, it's really nice seeing a gay character from the Levant who's given agency, with neither his race nor his sexuality being portrayed as a *problem*. Especially in a book from 1929.