I read this over a week or so in early March, 2025.
Classic Douglas Adams, but with the mystery elements taken up to eleven. He particularly loves introducing lots of random threads and plot points, and then slowly combining and weaving into a cohesive whole.
The story is … hard to explain, but it’s got detectives, Cambridge college dons, ghosts, aliens, time travel, tech, and a healthy dose of that particular deadpan style that is Adams’ strength.
It takes a while to kick off, you gotta stick with it for the first third, but after that it kicks into high gear and the pieces start slotting together in your mind.