Vesuvius Club: A Bit of Fluff

October 15, 2005
Lucifer Box, His Majesty's most daring secret agent, dresses as nattily as James Bond, has the unrestrained ego of Austin Powers, and is as competent as Inspector Clouseau. Always proper and polite, even when terminating his targets, Box has now been called on a special assignment involving the mysterious Vesuvius Club to find out who's murdering the scientists of Edwardian England. Even under the most heinous conditions, Box prides himself on his impeccable grooming and beauty, volunteering that a baroness once told him that she could cut her wrists on his cheekbones. Box's quest for perfection in his clothing leads him to do things of which mere mortals would never dream, such as popping the glass eye out of a victim to secure a sample of a particular shade of green to show his tailor. Full of Edward Gorey-ish humor -think of Box as Gomez Addams's other brother -and a supporting cast of equally bizarre secondary characters, this unexpected, outrageous, morbid, and wickedly funny book will make an entertaining addition to public libraries of all sizes. Gattis, an actor who played not one but several characters in the BBC television production of "The League of Gentlemen", is currently working on a movie of the same name. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 6/1/05.]" -Shelley Mosley, Glendale Community Coll. Lib., AZ"

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.