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leigh_loves_books's review against another edition
I would have stopped after 100 pages but it was for book club. Halfway through and I just can’t continue. Pace is boring and it makes no sense.
tregina's review against another edition
2.0
When I first started reading, I thought this was it, I'd finally found the mystery that was going to hit all the right buttons for me, it was clever and quick and well written and featured a really interesting slant. Of course, for the first forty or fifty pages I also mistakenly thought the protagonist was a woman (I'm not sure how I got that notion in my head, and my opinion of the novel increased every time I slipped back into it). The reason that matters more than just my personal taste, is that all the actual female characters in the novel are...well, basically, they're prizes. They're conquests. On top of that, the pacing of the book felt very uneven. That flaw could definitely have been fixed with a bit of doctoring. The problem it seems to have with women...that might take a bit more fundamental work.
shion14's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
cradlow's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
pannapark's review against another edition
3.0
I’m sitting on the fence with my three star rating and I honestly could go either way. While I was less taken with all the vinyl record collecting info (plus details of all the gear used to play the LPs etc) I liked diving into charity shops and jumble sales with the main character and his femme du jour. I kind of got the obsession with the hunt for this particular set of jazz records produced by the Hathor label, but the intrigues and infighting between record producers, royalty rights and musicians left me shaking my head. I did appreciate the plot during the first half of the novel, but half way through when it felt like it should have ended there was another half left to read! Lastly, while I can appreciate a guy falling hard for a cat loving female, it was a bit of a stretch to think this same guy might have a second and similarly lovely lady fall into his lap so to speak. Oops, now that I’ve written this I think I’m leaning backwards to a 2.5 rating!
themanfromdelmonte's review against another edition
3.0
This is so obviously in Rivers Of London territory, I half expected Peter Grant to be one of the investigating officers. Although this is not a supernatural tale so the Folly wouldn’t take an interest.
However, the author fights to find his own voice. This starts to happen towards the end of the book but before that it feels a bit disjointed. The hero seems relatively undisturbed by the number of dead bodies that turn up in his wake. His new girlfriend is also slightly implausible. Outside of her contract she seems to have expensive tastes, but no visible means of income. We’ll see if any of the wrinkles get ironed out in the second instalment
However, the author fights to find his own voice. This starts to happen towards the end of the book but before that it feels a bit disjointed. The hero seems relatively undisturbed by the number of dead bodies that turn up in his wake. His new girlfriend is also slightly implausible. Outside of her contract she seems to have expensive tastes, but no visible means of income. We’ll see if any of the wrinkles get ironed out in the second instalment
jonathanrobert's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
trohnics's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? No
4.25
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
I have never heard of this author but I always enjoy discovering new ones. So glad I did with this author and book. I have listened to a few records from my parents. They owned a record player and it was from my parents that I was introduced to music and developed my love for some of the greats from artists like the Dobbie Brothers, Allman Brothers, and Alabama to name a few. However this does not mean I could relate to the love that the Vinyl Detective had as a connoisseur. Yet the more that I felt his love for music and finding that rare find I got more excited as well. He and Miss Warren were kind of like the Odd couple but they just worked well together and kept things entertaining. I appreciate music more after reading this book. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
Warning as the "f" word is used some in this book but in a tasteful way. Other then the use of the "f" word I would classify this book as a fun, koozy, cozy mystery.
Warning as the "f" word is used some in this book but in a tasteful way. Other then the use of the "f" word I would classify this book as a fun, koozy, cozy mystery.