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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Not my favorite Horowitz. I remember the earlier books in the series being so wonderfully clever about their meta-ness. (Although I read them a while ago now). This iteration felt less clever (or maybe there’s not too much more that can be done with the set-up) and so it was really just a rather unlikeable detective and a fairly pathetic/self-deprecating narrator trying to solve a crime. Hawthorne’s refusal to share anything with the narrator is just a bit too much — other detective pairs use their Watson as a sounding board or an eager student, because really Watson is the reader too. And the mystery itself? So-so.
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am having so much fun with this whodunit romp with a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective couple. I still find it extremely funny and original that the author wrote himself into the series as the Watson to the Holmes of this story. As they say: write what you know best, and this is exactly what Horowitz does. He writes about being a writer and about the whole publishing business, adding a "Sherlock Hawthorne" and a murder mystery to the mix. 😆
I figured half of the solution out pretty fast but the other half eluded me almost to the end. I managed to figure it out a bit before the full revelations, so I still feel quite the accomplished detective myself. Still had fun and the little red herrings weren't all easily untangled, so it was still very much a decent mystery. 😊
I figured half of the solution out pretty fast but the other half eluded me almost to the end. I managed to figure it out a bit before the full revelations, so I still feel quite the accomplished detective myself. Still had fun and the little red herrings weren't all easily untangled, so it was still very much a decent mystery. 😊
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a great continuation in the series. I was able to guess all the twists but one, so I'm very grateful for that one. (I blame the fact that I'm American, iykyk)
Anyway! The story itself was fun, and I LOVE an island setting. Its so fun to tell your audience "everyone is trapped in a finite space with a murderer". Never gets old. I think this book is definitely worth the read, but comparing it to the rest of the trilogy, it wasn't as exciting in my opinion. I did enjoy all the callbacks to other stories! Its like a reward for reading them in order!
Anyway! The story itself was fun, and I LOVE an island setting. Its so fun to tell your audience "everyone is trapped in a finite space with a murderer". Never gets old. I think this book is definitely worth the read, but comparing it to the rest of the trilogy, it wasn't as exciting in my opinion. I did enjoy all the callbacks to other stories! Its like a reward for reading them in order!
medium-paced
This one was a bit slower but I still really enjoyed the characters and the story!
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
I have really enjoyed this series. Interesting characters and fascinating the way he seems to intertwine real life and fiction so you are left wondering what is real and what isn’t. Very clever.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hawthorne and Horowitz find themselves on Alderney, a small island with a literary festival and a simmering local conflict over a planned power line. A prominent figure is found dead under mysterious circumstances, providing a sort-off locked-room mystery. The close-knit group of festival attendees, including a children's author, a celebrity chef, and a psychic, all become suspects. A decent whodunnit. It is unfortunate that Horowitz merely repeated his success recipe and failed to attempt something new.