I don't know quite what to think about this mystery. It feels like pastiche, with the primary forefathers being Conan Doyle, Stout and another author vaguely tapping at the back of my brain. The writing is plain, but perhaps that's more the translation than the original. However, when the blurb says "gripping", that's far from the case. Interesting, yes. Almost a cozy, with subliminal references to other mysteries, other detective series, yes. But not "gripping."