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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It takes forever for anything to happen. Toby, the protagonist, is an oblivious turnip who has always had an easy time in life. This is an incredibly slow-moving story, but eventually a burglary and beat-down send him to the ancestral home with his pixie girlfriend in tow. His uncle is dying of brain cancer and the family seems to think Toby can be of some use while he's healing from his injuries. Finally, eventually, Cousin Susanna's kids find a human skull in the garden. This (and the rest of the skeleton) belonged to a guy Toby knew and thought was all right because he was nice enough to Toby, though other people have negative memories of being bullied. Finally, eventually, the killer is revealed and it's who I th0ught it would be.
I really loved the first two Dublin Murder Squad books when they came out, so I keep trying Tana French books and keep being disappointed.
I really loved the first two Dublin Murder Squad books when they came out, so I keep trying Tana French books and keep being disappointed.
I see that many people were disappointed in this one, since it differs from French's previous novels — the Dublin Murder Squad mysteries. But I've never read any of them, and I liked this fine. Really good writing, I thought. The book is long, but fortunately a page-turner.
3.5 I forgot how much of a bummer Tana French books are!! Followed the usual pattern; so not sure why I am surprised. Still, a pretty good mystery, just extremely depressing. Loved Hugo, very sad aboutafter all that, and wish that all of Agree it was overly long and drawn out, esp beginning.
Spoiler
the main character ruins their own life, is a pretty awful person, drives away their loving partner, etc.Spoiler
the ivy house getting soldSpoiler
Hugo's geneology work had a more meaningful tie-in with the story; maybe it was over my head... and I wish the way they found out the real killer was more than from just a confession.
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well written, but overly long and plodding
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It'd round up to four stars if not for the number of times I wondered at how it just didn't want to end.
tana french is annoyingly great at writing unlikeable main characters!
I didn't think I was ever going to get through this book. The actual story doesn't start until about a third of the way through. The first part deals with an event somewhat unrelated to the central part of the plot. Once the actual story begins, the book is actually quite good. While gathered at a family home, some children stumble across a skull in the backyard. It is up to Toby and his siblings to figure out who the skull belongs to and how it got there. This is the first book French has written that isn't from the point of view of a police officer. Toby, the main character, is utterly unlikable, which I think was the point. All of the characters are pretty insufferable, actually. The ending of the book is rather bleak, and left me feeling rather hopeless about human nature. It definitely left me with something to think about.
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.