Scan barcode
the_novel_approach's review
4.0
Never let it be said I don’t love a good mystery. Also, never let it be said I don’t love a sassy journalist who likes to inner-monologue-narrate the events in his life—everything from a good news story to romanticizing his not-quite-fairy-tale romance with artist Nick Olson. Why did I love this? Because I’ve written more stuff in my head while doing the most mundane things than I can count, and, on some level, I could relate to Peter’s love of composing things that, in most cases, will never see the light of day. That along with his sense of humor were clinchers in my enjoyment of this set of novellas.
Set in the eclectic little city of Bellingham, in Washington state, a place that teeters between art community, salt-of-the earth farmland folk, and a rather less savory element, we first meet Peter on the stakeout that will change his life…for better or worse. Mostly better. When he enters the VitaMilk building with the dual purpose of getting a story and asking Nick on a date, he finds the artist-cum-boyfriend up to his elbows in a dead woman’s blood, which sets the tone for the rest of the series—not that Nick is continually suspected of murder but that Peter has a knack for continually finding himself in troublesome situations because he’s never met a mystery he didn’t want to investigate. I have to be honest and say that I thought Peter a bit of an arse at the outset of Primal Red—his “anything for a story” journalistic bent led him to be not altogether too straightforward with Nick, which didn’t do much to help that opinion, but these being novella length stories, it didn’t take him long to redeem himself or my estimation of his character. Then he was just snarky, and that I loved him for.
Each novella in this collection is a new mystery—mystery-lite, if you will, as the word count doesn’t allow for all sorts of deep and intricate intrigues—and once the perpetrator is collared, there isn’t a lot of wrap up to the crimes. I liked this about the books, though, because they fit the series setting. Bellingham isn’t a major metropolis. In fact, you get the feeling there’s only about six degrees of separation between the city’s entire population, so the smallish town mystery vibe rang entirely true. I loved Peter’s involvement in the investigation of the crimes, as a journalist for a left-leaning free newspaper run by a man who is himself a bit of a conspiracy theorist. I got the feeling that journalism ethics ran the gamut at The Hamster (short for The Bellinghamster), from never revealing a source to somewhat loosey goosey, which is why Peter’s shenanigans, and Nick’s constant need to play rescuer, made the crimes fun.
As for the relationship that develops between Peter and Nick, I wouldn’t classify this series as Romance, in that we don’t get a deep exploration of the growing feelings between them. In some ways, the two of them just kind of…are. They just suit each other so well, and though we don’t get hours of deep dialogue, or lingering looks into their feelings, or paragraphs and pages of emotional outpourings, Kimberling gives us enough to make their relationship real and believable. It’s their chemistry, plain and simple, and I loved them together as a team, both before and after they made it all legal.
I think there was a benefit to being able to read all these novellas back-to-back in this boxed set. Read individually and with months in between releases, I’m not sure that Peter and Nick would’ve grown on me in quite the same way because the stories are so short and the mysteries do take center stage. The same goes for Bellingham itself and all the side characters who make their way into and out of Nick and Peter’s lives—Peter’s BFF Evangeline is as great as Nick’s ex’s son Bradley is heinous. I did feel the editing could’ve been a little cleaner for stories that were so short, but apart from a niggle or two along the way, I’d say that if you like a little mystery, a little humor, a little eccentricity, and a couple of guys who fall in love while getting into and out of all sorts of trouble, Nicole Kimberling delivers.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-the-bellingham-mysteries-boxed-set-by-nicole-kimberling/
Set in the eclectic little city of Bellingham, in Washington state, a place that teeters between art community, salt-of-the earth farmland folk, and a rather less savory element, we first meet Peter on the stakeout that will change his life…for better or worse. Mostly better. When he enters the VitaMilk building with the dual purpose of getting a story and asking Nick on a date, he finds the artist-cum-boyfriend up to his elbows in a dead woman’s blood, which sets the tone for the rest of the series—not that Nick is continually suspected of murder but that Peter has a knack for continually finding himself in troublesome situations because he’s never met a mystery he didn’t want to investigate. I have to be honest and say that I thought Peter a bit of an arse at the outset of Primal Red—his “anything for a story” journalistic bent led him to be not altogether too straightforward with Nick, which didn’t do much to help that opinion, but these being novella length stories, it didn’t take him long to redeem himself or my estimation of his character. Then he was just snarky, and that I loved him for.
Each novella in this collection is a new mystery—mystery-lite, if you will, as the word count doesn’t allow for all sorts of deep and intricate intrigues—and once the perpetrator is collared, there isn’t a lot of wrap up to the crimes. I liked this about the books, though, because they fit the series setting. Bellingham isn’t a major metropolis. In fact, you get the feeling there’s only about six degrees of separation between the city’s entire population, so the smallish town mystery vibe rang entirely true. I loved Peter’s involvement in the investigation of the crimes, as a journalist for a left-leaning free newspaper run by a man who is himself a bit of a conspiracy theorist. I got the feeling that journalism ethics ran the gamut at The Hamster (short for The Bellinghamster), from never revealing a source to somewhat loosey goosey, which is why Peter’s shenanigans, and Nick’s constant need to play rescuer, made the crimes fun.
As for the relationship that develops between Peter and Nick, I wouldn’t classify this series as Romance, in that we don’t get a deep exploration of the growing feelings between them. In some ways, the two of them just kind of…are. They just suit each other so well, and though we don’t get hours of deep dialogue, or lingering looks into their feelings, or paragraphs and pages of emotional outpourings, Kimberling gives us enough to make their relationship real and believable. It’s their chemistry, plain and simple, and I loved them together as a team, both before and after they made it all legal.
I think there was a benefit to being able to read all these novellas back-to-back in this boxed set. Read individually and with months in between releases, I’m not sure that Peter and Nick would’ve grown on me in quite the same way because the stories are so short and the mysteries do take center stage. The same goes for Bellingham itself and all the side characters who make their way into and out of Nick and Peter’s lives—Peter’s BFF Evangeline is as great as Nick’s ex’s son Bradley is heinous. I did feel the editing could’ve been a little cleaner for stories that were so short, but apart from a niggle or two along the way, I’d say that if you like a little mystery, a little humor, a little eccentricity, and a couple of guys who fall in love while getting into and out of all sorts of trouble, Nicole Kimberling delivers.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-the-bellingham-mysteries-boxed-set-by-nicole-kimberling/
More...