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lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I really struggled with how to rate this book. I hated some aspects of it and really enjoyed others. But overall, the negatives outweigh the positives for me.
On the plus side, it’s really well written with elements and wordplay woven through that are truly mind boggling. I really liked the story within the story.
But the present day mystery was such a bummer. Horowitz clearly wanted to tie the current murder back to the first story. But the aspect of Alan Conway’s life he chose to build out was his sexuality. And he did it by making all of the gay characters in the story terrible people who were terrible because they were gay. Right from the ghetto, having the murder victim be yet another gay man left a bad taste in my mouth. But the predators he turned the gay men into was totally unnecessary and sickening.
I almost didn’t finish the book. I should have listened to that intuition. The reveal only made the gay men into worse villains than they started as.
It’s a shame that such a well crafted book should rely on such hate.
On the plus side, it’s really well written with elements and wordplay woven through that are truly mind boggling. I really liked the story within the story.
But the present day mystery was such a bummer. Horowitz clearly wanted to tie the current murder back to the first story. But the aspect of Alan Conway’s life he chose to build out was his sexuality. And he did it by making all of the gay characters in the story terrible people who were terrible because they were gay. Right from the ghetto, having the murder victim be yet another gay man left a bad taste in my mouth. But the predators he turned the gay men into was totally unnecessary and sickening.
I almost didn’t finish the book. I should have listened to that intuition. The reveal only made the gay men into worse villains than they started as.
It’s a shame that such a well crafted book should rely on such hate.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
Minor: Murder
lzad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Homophobia, and Ableism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic relationship
finlaaaay's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I was already iffy about this book because I remember some things about the last works of Horowitz's that I read that put me off him. I gave it a go anyway because I thought the book-within-a-book conceit was enjoyable.
From the start it pissed me off because two of the three dead characters were gay men. Like honestly, that would be fine. Gay people die too, right? Not every instance of the bury-your-gays trope has to be negative, necessarily. But the ending royally pissed me off –it turns out that the husband of the murdered woman, who we've spent the entire book batting away from suspicion because he's obviously such a loving husband, was a former rent-boy trying to make ends meet in London and killed his former male lover in a fit of rage. He then kills his wife when she figures things out. Horowitz takes delight in describing how perverted and depraved the dead guy had been, as if to justify it. His former rent-boy character then runs off to commit suicide, i.e. he didn't face consequences for his actions. His main character Susan then comments in the very next chapter how delightfully unhomophobic society has become. Bleaugh. I can think of a thousand other ways this could have ended satisfactorially.
Oh also the narrator of the audiobook does such an atrocious Scottish accent for that character that I burst out laughing as she was describing how he got away with the murders. Fucking godawful.
From the start it pissed me off because two of the three dead characters were gay men. Like honestly, that would be fine. Gay people die too, right? Not every instance of the bury-your-gays trope has to be negative, necessarily. But the ending royally pissed me off –
Oh also the narrator of the audiobook does such an atrocious Scottish accent for that character that I burst out laughing as she was describing how he got away with the murders. Fucking godawful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
danmhar27's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Homophobia
katie_thompson's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Infidelity, Abortion, Ableism, Murder, Violence, and Bullying
Minor: Toxic relationship, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, and Suicide
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia and Addiction
Minor: Infidelity
birthisacurse's review against another edition
Too long, unlikable characters, problematic stereotypes, etc
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia
karachapp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
joeytruty's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
First off, both mysteries are very well done and mostly satisfying. The solution to the overarching mystery is a bit stretched, in my opinion, but I'm willing to overlook it because the ride to get their was filled with enough happy solutions.
However, it is shocking to me that this author continues to dance along the edge of good and bad LGBT representation. This is now the second series (the first being The Word is Murder) where portrayal of gay relationships, people, and plot threads falls flat more often than I was comfortable. It's a complicated issue and one that I think, mostly, comes from a place of good intention. I will 100% continue reading this series and the other mentioned, but I'm not sure how far down this line Horowitz can go.
However, it is shocking to me that this author continues to dance along the edge of good and bad LGBT representation. This is now the second series (the first being The Word is Murder) where portrayal of gay relationships, people, and plot threads falls flat more often than I was comfortable. It's a complicated issue and one that I think, mostly, comes from a place of good intention. I will 100% continue reading this series and the other mentioned, but I'm not sure how far down this line Horowitz can go.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, and Alcoholism