Matt's Reviews > Once Upon a Crime

To my surprise, Once Upon a Crime is a great comic-mystery novel with a quirky cast of characters. I began this book expecting a decent mystery set in the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales. Much to my delight, it quickly became apparent Brackston was taking a humorous approach and I was immediately sold.

A mid 30s, overweight Gretel (yes, that Gretel) is now a private detective whose main motivation is to help people, so no one is abandoned like her & her brother were as kids. Just kidding, it's money and looking out for her own neck and appearance. This jaded Gretel who despises the overly cheery outlook of her fellow villagers is hilarious and the rest of the characters we meet aren't any less. It'd be spoiling the mystery to mention the more important characters, but even the minor ones have their quirks. Such as a Kingsmen who must recite his whole spiel uninterrupted or a torture artist with an oddly bright outlook considering his appearance and occupation.

All the absurd situations and oddball characters were reminiscent of Adams' style and is definitely something I'd enjoy watching on TV. Very glad I stumbled across this series.