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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
hward's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Infidelity, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Car accident, and Death of parent
atalea's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Death, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Xenophobia, Ableism, Blood, Sexual harassment, Car accident, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Outing, and Pregnancy
saniyamuz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: 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
jodar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.0
Another very well-written and intriguingly complex murder mystery from Horowitz.
There is a novel embedded in the novel, but it is not a story within a story. The solution the MC is trying to unravel is the puzzle within the puzzle of the embedded novel of the dead author whose works the MC was an editor of.Scandal of sexual predation by the powerful against the susceptible is at the core of the mystery – it seems even with today’s easygoing attitudes to sexual morality there are limits to social acceptability.
My one regret is not noting down the characters, as there are quite a few to keep track of. But actually, I largely enjoyed it for the settings and characters – especially the woman MC – rather than in trying to puzzled out who did it. I liked having an MC who was happy in her relationship but also frustrated and struggling to work through her personal issues.
There is a novel embedded in the novel, but it is not a story within a story. The solution the MC is trying to unravel is the puzzle within the puzzle of the embedded novel of the dead author whose works the MC was an editor of.
My one regret is not noting down the characters, as there are quite a few to keep track of. But actually, I largely enjoyed it for the settings and characters – especially the woman MC – rather than in trying to puzzled out who did it. I liked having an MC who was happy in her relationship but also frustrated and struggling to work through her personal issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, and Infidelity
Minor: Medical trauma and Gore
danmhar27's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Homophobia
not_another_ana's review
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? No
3.25
3.25/5
I was here because I'd been asked to read a book which might or might not be connected to a murder that had taken place eight years before.
After the events of Magpie Murders retired publisher Susan Ryland is living in Greece running a hotel with her partner Andreas. It should be paradise but exhaustion and doubts begin to creep in, so when people show up looking for her and offering her a new job she's ready to dive deep into the mystery. The Trehernes, a wealthy couple who own a boutique hotel, want her help locating their missing daughter Cecily. The connection? Right before disappearing Cecily was reading an Atticus Pünd novel and was convinced there were clues in it that exonerated a man convicted of a murder that happened in the hotel. The family is certain that by reading the book and solving the crime they might find their daughter. Armed only with a copy of the novel and her wits, Susan will do her best to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Just like in the first book this contains a tale within a tale, a full cozy detective novel sandwiched between a current mystery. I liked Magpie Murders more, my problem with this one is that I had issues suspending my disbelief. Susan made sense as a protagonist in the previous one because she had a realistic goal, finding the last chapter of the Atticus Pünd book, that intersected with solving the murder. Here she starts too removed from the central premise and gets dragged into it in a way that wasn't convincing to me. Yes, these books aren't 100% grounded in reality, yet I believe that if more time had passed since the disappearence it would make sense for the Trehernes to desperately think a retired editor with zero policing experience could help them. Susan isn't my favorite protagonist, I find her a bit dry and I do not care for her interpersonal issues.
The writing is still good, Anthony Horowitz can make the longest of books easy to digest. I was quite surprised when I realized it was 600 pages long, it never felt like a long heavy book. The mystery is still quite juicy, probably my favorite part of this whole thing. I did get there in the end but there were a couple of twists that had me second guessing myself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia and Suicide attempt
siobhanward's review against another edition
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
3.0
I had a lot of fun with Magpie Murders and this book was the same. I love what Horowitz does in creating a book within a book. The connections between the books are so clever and well thought-out. The mystery in this one was solid and kept me guessing, although I'm still not sure I get the side plot with Andreas - it just seemed irrelevant. Unfortunately, the book loses a couple of stars for the uncomfortable homophobia. The tying of morality to sexuality was bad enough throughout, but the long rant at the end really just did me in and did not add anything to the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
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