The Code of the Vavasors (A Mathematical Mystery)

by Jonathan Pinnock

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Code of the Vavasors is the sixth book in the Mathematical Mystery series by Jonathan Pinnock. Released 25th April 2024 by Duckworth on their Farrago imprint, it's 304 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This installment sees Tom and Dorothy still chasing the code to cracking the secrets of the Vavasours, this time at a retreat for geniuses at an isolated country house; the perfect limited suspect pool mystery setting.

The setup and humor remind me very much of other British SF(ish) classics: Fforde, Holt, Fowler, Grant/Naylor, Moore, Stross, Aaronovitch, et.al. It's not derivative, not really, the author has a slightly different humorous slant and oh, good heavens, the puns flow like a mighty river. Readers will definitely feel like the aforementioned authors are being channeled though...

There are genuinely funny moments and the pacing is frenetic and relentless. The bad guys are boo-worthy, the good guys are plucky and funny and brave (if often quite hapless) and the end result is enjoyably readable. This is precisely the type of mystery/speculative fiction fans adore and it's honestly captivating from the first page. The author is adept at writing in the necessary backstory, so it works well enough as a standalone, but it's a consistently high quality series, and definitely worth a binge read.

Four and a half stars, rounded up for the writing. People who loathe puns (or intelligent humour) will likely not enjoy this one. Fans of Laundry Files, Red Dwarf, HHGttG, and the others will find a lot to like until the next Shadow Police novel hits the stands (if it ever does... yes, we're lookin' at you, Paul Cornell). For North American readers, the spellings and vernacular are British English. Nothing which should prove frustrating in context.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.