Once could expect that this is mocking the entire mystery genre, in the same way that Witches Abroad parodies storytelling and fairy tales in general. But that's not correct. It's simply a mystery, fantasy-style. Investigated by some strange people in an oddball city, to be sure, and so odd encounters and a twisted outlook are the norm, but it is a real mystery.
But that may, in fact, be its greatest strength. This is because it is a good mystery. Several, in fact. I was genuinely interested in finding the culprit and figuring out how the poisoning, at least, was done. Like any good mystery, there was more going on than at first appeared, and unraveling the truth became more important than simply finding a killer.
And just because the book itself isn't really a parody doesn't mean Pratchett doesn't include a few twists on real-world institutions. How crimes are investigated get that peculiar twist unique to the Discworld, especially the forsenics aspect of it. It can be very amusing to watch the Watch watch out for baddies.
Discworld fans will have nothing to complain about in this book. Not unless they truly, absolutely despise murder mysteries. And mystery fans will like this, unless they have something against fantasy. As for me, the more I read of this one, the more impressed I got. It was a wonderful tale that I honestly look forward to reading again.
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