I had been meaning to read a Miéville novel for a long time. I picked up The City & The City on the strength of a really compelling staff recommendation at a bookstore in Astoria. Despite my eagerness to give the author a shot, I was a little wary: The hook of this novel seemed a little far-fetched to me, and I was worried that I would find the whole thing too meta, too would-be-literary for my taste. I needn’t have worried. Despite the fascinating originality of its setting, The City & The City is, at its core, a simple and straightforward murder mystery.

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