Review: #894
Title: The Castafliore Emerald
Series: The Adventures of Tintin – 21st book
Author: Herge
Comments: The Castafliore Emerald has the ingredients for a good story but ends up lacking because it feels pointless by the end. The plot is set up as a mystery where Castafiore comes to Marlinspike to temporary stay there but then loses her previous jewels. Over the course of the volume, there are numerous suspects, some more suspicious than others. Interspersed are a bunch of running gags and everyday events, or as normal to everyday events as it can be with a famous person staying. The flaw is that the plot never has a sense of urgency and never quite builds up, such that when the ending comes and the culprit is revealed, it feels anticlimactic, especially when it doesn’t seem quite like the focus.
Rating: 6/10