Sarah
I especially loved the character of the little girl in this book. She had such a forceful personality although she said maybe five words in the whole book. You don't have to read Atkinson's earlier Jackson Brodie mysteries to appreciate this one.
I like this series in general, but this book had some long passages explicating Mormon theology that took me out of the storyline. I also found it ridiculous that Linda wouldn't call her husband from the Carter compound right after the murder. The slightly convoluted mystery was interesting, though, and I think Harrison does a good job creating characters with depth and humanity.
Holy complicated plot! I like the mathematical proofs as applied to detective stories, but including each permutation as a short story within this novel packed it with far too much information (and characters, and storylines) to allow for an enjoyable read.
A good mystery that nearly escapes the genre to be a good novel. I like the rise in international mysteries and the light exposure to other countries and cultures, and look forward to the next in the series.
Quietly funny. I love the characters, but I'm not sure how much of the racism is attributable to the author's sense of the Victorian time period and how much is from the author herself.
Good, with more character development. Ninth House is tough to beat, for me, because it was an unexpected treasure. In the second book, the scene is set and therefore less powerful.
This was good - certainly on par with C.J. Box, etc., but I wish Florio had complicated the predators/”bad guys” a little bit more. Yay for good writing, strong women, calling out prejudices, and showing women, especially Native American women, affected by the fracking boom and the justice system.
So good!!! Some of the scope of Demon Copperhead, a dash of the intricate weavings of John Irving, and a sophisticated mystery a la Rebecca Makkai's I Have Some Questions for You.
This was my first Baldacci and I see the appeal, even if this book was more autobiographical than his thriller series. Lots of difficult and depressingly relevant subjects & language. I hope his massive authorial platform helps many readers to appreciate the contemporary parallels.
What was the point of this book? I really liked St. James's other book, The Sun Down Motel, but this book was just...nothing. There are few reveals or mysteries, so I suppose it's an extended character study, but it really fell flat for me.
Maybe it's my preference for golden age mysteries, but pulling rabbits and scarves from hats and sleeves at the end of a book, without any hint of droppings, fur, or bright colors early on, feels cheap instead of magical. It seems unfair to call this a locked room mystery when the reader has no hope of solving it.
I think I would have liked this more if I read it when it was first published. At this point in my mystery reading career, I'm over one-dimensional villains and have seen the key plot point/culprit's logic played out in plenty of other crime novels.
I quite enjoyed the first in this historical mystery series! Well crafted, with an excellent narrator for the audiobook.
A nice distraction, fun, with some slightly ridiculous characters. But this is what I can handle in a time of existential dread.
Good stuff! Engaging mystery, interesting characters looking forward to reading the next.
This was my first Lisa Jewell and I quite enjoyed it - suspenseful and engaging without veering into utter unbelievability or triteness.
