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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up really enjoying this book. I'd highly recommend this to any fellow Agatha Christie fans!
not as good as the first one.. really convoluted with all the names and the characters based on those names and bizarre to ask susan to investigate lol but i also really enjoy the atticus pünd books!
Keeping with the theme of this series, a book within a book. This has to be so much work for Horowitz, not only coming up with one mystery but two! The reveal was long and for someone who realized (super late) that these were people's lives and she was acting like this was the "weekend crossword", it was a bit callus and off putting.
I definitely do not know whodunit until explained. The novel within a novel structure and the sheer volume of characters and storylines across 2 novels in this series overwhelms me - a non puzzler. Even when explained, all the clues and references to historical and literary figures/events seem obscure to me.
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
Good book, but I really have trouble getting through a mystery book that contains a whole other mystery book within it. Both of them are good, don’t get me wrong. Also the fact that the main murder plot revolves around gay BDSM is a bit too much for me.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Anthony Horowitz has an amazing ability to write a truly puzzling whodunnit! I love the book within a book aspect and it is very well done and kept me on my toes the whole time.
I waited too long between this book and the first so I had forgotten some references made throughout. Overall, it was interesting. I figured out one of the killers and the others had me going back and forth.
I gave this 3⭐ because of the intricacies of the story and how creative the story is, but to be honest, I cannot stand any of the characters. Even Susan Ryeland, the main character, is a pretentious, self absorbed know it all and I found myself just wishing she would stop talking (I was listening to the audio version).
This was a nice change from my normal reads but I don't see myself adding the third book in this series to my TBR.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Such a well thought out mystery, with incredibly clever reveals, though I felt it lacked the same magic as book one.
Again the Atticus Pund portion was the main attraction for me, although we see a lot more Susan Ryeland this time around. I'm not exactly sure where it fell flat, but I didn't become overly invested in the characters of either tale, and all that Susan became a bit "meh" after a while. Something that also felt a bit uncomfortable, was the depiction of more gay characters as being sadistic and seedy..
I thought things would pick up when Atticus Pund took over, and initially that was the case (ahem), but even still I found I was far more invested in the escapades of Magpie Murders.
Nonetheless l'd like to visit another book in this series. Pund is an excellent character, and the manner in which clues are planted by his dubious creator Mr Conway, are developed so well. I love the build up Horowitz has to the ultimate grand reveal, where connections you missed entirely take you by surprise (the lions in particular were a very nice touch).
3/5
Again the Atticus Pund portion was the main attraction for me, although we see a lot more Susan Ryeland this time around. I'm not exactly sure where it fell flat, but I didn't become overly invested in the characters of either tale, and all that Susan became a bit "meh" after a while. Something that also felt a bit uncomfortable, was the depiction of more gay characters as being sadistic and seedy..
I thought things would pick up when Atticus Pund took over, and initially that was the case (ahem), but even still I found I was far more invested in the escapades of Magpie Murders.
Nonetheless l'd like to visit another book in this series. Pund is an excellent character, and the manner in which clues are planted by his dubious creator Mr Conway, are developed so well. I love the build up Horowitz has to the ultimate grand reveal, where connections you missed entirely take you by surprise (the lions in particular were a very nice touch).
3/5