ess ▁and ▁their ▁hand some ▁young ▁secretary ▁are ▁not ▁to ▁be ▁dist urbed . ▁In ▁the ▁att ic , ▁the ▁Baron ' s ▁lun atic ▁brother ▁how ls ▁and ▁h urls ▁pl ates ▁at ▁his ▁ke eper . ▁But ▁in ▁the ▁staff ▁qu arters , ▁all ▁is ▁under ▁control . ▁Under ▁the ▁personal ▁super vision ▁of ▁L ister , ▁the ▁Baron ' s ▁in com par able ▁but ler , ▁the ▁servants ▁make ▁their ▁own , ▁highly ▁luc r ative , ▁prepar ations ▁for ▁the ▁tra ged y . ▁The ▁night ▁is ▁long , ▁but ▁morning ▁will ▁bring ▁a ▁* cr ime ▁passion nel * ▁of ▁out standing ▁att raction ▁and ▁end less ▁possibilities .' ▁ ▁Re ception ▁ ▁' [ M ur iel ▁Spark ' s ] ▁new ▁novel ▁is ▁an ▁ag ile ▁send - up ▁of ▁different ▁kinds ▁of ▁popular ▁fiction : ▁detect ive ▁stories , ▁the ▁Je e ves ▁nov els , ▁and ▁real istic ▁tales ▁about ▁the ▁servant ▁problem . ▁Read ▁with ▁these ▁par alle ls ▁in ▁mind , ▁Not ▁to ▁Dist urb ▁offers ▁fresh ▁laugh ter ▁and ▁ac erb ic ▁insight ▁into ▁conventional ▁ways ▁of ▁writing ▁about ▁the ▁hyp oc ris ies ▁of ▁master - serv ant ▁relationships . ▁Occ asion ally , ▁the ▁par ody ▁extends ▁to ▁other ▁Goth ic ▁nov els . ▁... ▁Not ▁to ▁Dist urb ▁has ▁the ▁clever ness ▁to ▁entertain ▁and ▁the ▁intelligence ▁to ▁prov oke ▁thought ; ▁but , ▁finally , ▁its ▁philosoph ical ▁myster ies ▁look ▁susp ici ously ▁like ▁pret