I’m of two minds about “The Cop Who Liked Gilbert and Sullivan” by Robert Lopresti. I bear an irrational hatred of Gilbert and Sullivan ever since I had to watch Topsy-Turvy for class and was bored out of my mind (and I think any Japanese student is obligated to hate The Mikado on principle), but this is the first real traditional mystery in the book. The titular cop stands out, since he’d rather be working in the evidence room but gets dragged to a murder scene to explain why the victim grabbed a statue of a Gilbert and Sullivan character as he died. The solution depends on special knowledge, though not the kind you’d expect, and you can at least guess what the key detail will be. It’s not on the level of the Delgardo mysteries, but it’s a highlight of the collection. The dying message had me grinning just for its sheer bluntness.
