★★☆☆☆ (2/5) – A Confusing Detour That Never Quite Comes Together

“There’s no evidence you didn’t do it.”


I picked up this book expecting an engaging mystery with a touch of dark humor, but the story left me more frustrated than entertained. The book leans heavily into a Kafkaesque atmosphere of mistaken identity and bureaucratic confusion, but for me it crossed the line from clever to repetitive. That touch of promised Kafka's Metamorphosis level outcome was missing. The premise of a traveling encyclopedia salesman being mistaken for a criminal is intriguing, yet the plot spends so much time wandering through absurd situations that it rarely feels rewarding.

The artwork has a charming retro style and the deadpan humor occasionally lands well, but the characters never felt developed enough for me to care about their predicament. Instead of building suspense, many of the twists seemed designed merely to prolong the confusion.

While fans of surreal mysteries may appreciate its oddball approach, I found the story lacking emotional depth and a satisfying payoff. An interesting concept, but one that ultimately didn't hold my attention.