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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
On the whole, I really enjoyed this. Horowitz strikes a great balance with this series: it's not entirely a cozy mystery, but neither is it a super-gritty 'realistic' modern detective story. One of the things I appreciate the most is that the main character isn't a dark, brooding police detective with a tragic past that makes them really sad/angry all the time. My main complaint is that the novel-within-the-novel wasn't written as well as the framing narrative. Horowitz probably did that intentionally to create a different voice and style, and he succeeded really well, but I still rather struggled through that portion.
A few minor gripes:
- both the murder victim in the first book of the series and the murder victim in this book are gay men. They're both perverts. There is only one other gay character in the books, and he's extremely camp.
- the only Black character in both books is a Black police officer. He's described multiple times as 'angry' and in this book even 'always on the edge of violence'. That's not a great look, Mr. Horowitz.
Aside from that, I had a great reading experience, and will be looking forward to book three in the series.
A few minor gripes:
- both the murder victim in the first book of the series and the murder victim in this book are gay men. They're both perverts. There is only one other gay character in the books, and he's extremely camp.
- the only Black character in both books is a Black police officer. He's described multiple times as 'angry' and in this book even 'always on the edge of violence'. That's not a great look, Mr. Horowitz.
Aside from that, I had a great reading experience, and will be looking forward to book three in the series.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-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
Another enjoyable murder mystery within a murder mystery by Anthony Horowitz. Somehow not as much fun as the first.
This book - actually it’s a book within a book - is a lot of fun to read despite grisly murders and some truly unhinged characters.
Must say I enjoyed the Atticus Pünd story more than the more modern story. I’d like to see Pünd as a standalone series.
Must say I enjoyed the Atticus Pünd story more than the more modern story. I’d like to see Pünd as a standalone series.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved Magpie Murders more, but I’m a huge fan of his writing and look forward to the next. Very Agatha Christie with a modern setting - odd cast of characters, locked room mystery, set in a hotel. Love that the main character is a woman in this one. Highly recommend as a fun escape!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was another stellar murder mystery! Three years after editor Susan nearly died after solving the death of Alan Conway, she is living in Crete with her partner Andreas not-so-happily running a failing hotel. So when a British couple reach out asking for her help to find their missing daughter, Susan jumps at the chance. Alan Conway allegedly wrote his novel Attic Pünd Takes the Case based on a murder at the hotel, and the missing woman claims the wrong man was imprisioned based on the book. With Alan dead, only Susan knows the book well enough to unlock its secrets and figure out what really happened.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is just so charming. I loved the story-within-a-story parts as well as the main story. The who-done-it kept me guessing right until the end and the narrators of the audio version are terrific. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
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