I should have a tag called “accidental rereads”.

Before I checked Goodreads, I was very happy about having enjoyed Holy Disorders more than The Moving Toyshop and I was attributing this to finally getting used to Cripsin’s style. But now, I see that I’ve read the book in 2018 and that gives rise to the question: did I enjoy this more because it wasn’t wholly unfamiliar?

Holy Disorders does not start with Gervase Fen, which is probably a good thing. Fen’s friend, Geoffry Vinter has been tasked to bring him a butterfly net and this act of friendship almost gets him killed thrice in one day. So of course, instead of heading away from Danger, Vinter stays and helps Fen to investigate two deaths, one of them rather impossible.

Like I mentioned, this book starts with Fen’s friend, and I think following this more ordinary person was a good way to bring the book. His confusion feels understandable and there is none of the madcap series of events that made up the whole of The Moving Toyshop, which means I like the pacing of the book much better. And since it started more understandably, I could more or less follow along and appreciate the mystery – probably more than the first time I read this book!

As a Detective, Gervase Fen is extremely eccentric and probably harder to connect with compared to characters like Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey. I preferred following his friend, Geoffry because he brought a nice balance to Fen’s zaniness.

Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit. However, it seems like I was confused by this book on my first read, which seems to be something quite common when I’m reading Edmund Crispin. I suppose this means his works aren’t for me – two novels and one short story is more than a fair when it comes to trying a series!