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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
No worries if you not reading this in order as other than a few mentions of his past no tie in to the last book.
This is disconcerting for m me as I like to believe in any characters as reflecting real life!
How did he get here from where he was left at the end of the last book
This is disconcerting for m me as I like to believe in any characters as reflecting real life!
How did he get here from where he was left at the end of the last book
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An Audible book.
I love these stories. So well written so well edited and plotted. They’re a real pleasure to listen to, and the narrator is excellent
I love these stories. So well written so well edited and plotted. They’re a real pleasure to listen to, and the narrator is excellent
The mystery/plot is decent, but what is with the 400 pages of navel-gazing? I appreciate description and beautiful writing, but cap that at 10 pages, total, for the entire book. Also, every single person in every Dalgliesh book I've read so far has been disgusting and/or miserable. There is nobody who's ever non-maliciously happy, or quietly content, or even just not unhappy. Everybody oozes wretchedness. All of them. And what's with the incest? That's not a normal or usual or believable situation (my frustration on this front may be exacerbated by having just read from the Inspector Barnaby series, which is bizarrely fond of incest). I want to be happy that there's so much representation of gay couples, but it's done in such a token way that it's profoundly depressing, stereotypical, dismissive, smacks of pervasive homophobia, and is generally icky. And they're just as fucking wretched as everyone else.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The novel is divided into numbered sections and also into chapters. I struggled to get going in the first section. I found the wording a bit florid. Many characters were introduced, and it was hard for me to track which backstory went with each of them as the story continued.
It was an easier read in the second and subsequent sections. That's when the detective is introduced and gets to work solving the crime. However, I found myself frustrated at times when it was implied that I already should have figured out who the killer was and I hadn't.
One of the admirable things about this book is the way it demonstrates how social and family systems shape an individual. I didn't like most of the characters, but in some cases I could appreciate how their flaws came to be. Hurt people hurt people.
I am interested in reading something else by this author. I am unlikely to choose a mystery by her again.
It was an easier read in the second and subsequent sections. That's when the detective is introduced and gets to work solving the crime. However, I found myself frustrated at times when it was implied that I already should have figured out who the killer was and I hadn't.
One of the admirable things about this book is the way it demonstrates how social and family systems shape an individual. I didn't like most of the characters, but in some cases I could appreciate how their flaws came to be. Hurt people hurt people.
I am interested in reading something else by this author. I am unlikely to choose a mystery by her again.
dark
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A decent mystery. It took a while to grab me--there's a lot of description and scene setting throughout--but by the middle I really wanted to know what happened. The solution wasn't especially exciting, but there wasn't any problem with it.
dark
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:
No