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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
It's funny because early on in this book I would have said I liked it less than Magpie Murders, but the reason was mostly that I kind of preferred that Magpie Murders started with the Alan Conway/Atticus Pünd novel and then later went to Susan Ryeland, whereas here we got Susan first.
I thought Susan's mystery was somewhat less interesting in Magpie Murders than the fictional Conway plot, but in this one I think it really redeemed itself by the end, even if initially I just wanted to get to Atticus Pünd already! I think it makes sense that it was written as it was, I just needed a bit more patience.
I thought Susan's mystery was somewhat less interesting in Magpie Murders than the fictional Conway plot, but in this one I think it really redeemed itself by the end, even if initially I just wanted to get to Atticus Pünd already! I think it makes sense that it was written as it was, I just needed a bit more patience.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow!!
After reading the first book in the Susan Ryland series, Magpie Murders and giving that book 5 stars, I had such high expectations! But ultimately, I don’t believe it was quite as good.
Pros
I love our narrator Susan, she is smart, sharp, and I love how we get to walk through her mind as she’s figuring out and solving these mysterious murders.
The settings, an old British castle or the island of Crete, Anthony Horowitz really makes the atmosphere come alive!
I love some the authors takes on reading and books in general… He has a way of phrasing things that truly get at the heart of what it means to be “reader”.
Cons
While I truly do love some of the mysterious, whodunnit parts….. at least in this book it seems like we hardly got any clues until the very end, maybe the last 30 or 40 pages… Wish we could’ve had a few more Easter eggs/clues.
The reveal felt a little too on the nose.
Maybe this is just a me thing, but in both this book and the last I found myself loving the small town mysteries FAR more than the modern day ones!! I wish I could have a whole series just about Atticus Pund going about solving crime/mysteries in rural 1950s England…That would be truly wonderful!!!
PS the audiobook is wonderful 👍🏻
Cawpile 6.71
After reading the first book in the Susan Ryland series, Magpie Murders and giving that book 5 stars, I had such high expectations! But ultimately, I don’t believe it was quite as good.
Pros
I love our narrator Susan, she is smart, sharp, and I love how we get to walk through her mind as she’s figuring out and solving these mysterious murders.
The settings, an old British castle or the island of Crete, Anthony Horowitz really makes the atmosphere come alive!
I love some the authors takes on reading and books in general… He has a way of phrasing things that truly get at the heart of what it means to be “reader”.
Cons
While I truly do love some of the mysterious, whodunnit parts….. at least in this book it seems like we hardly got any clues until the very end, maybe the last 30 or 40 pages… Wish we could’ve had a few more Easter eggs/clues.
The reveal felt a little too on the nose.
Maybe this is just a me thing, but in both this book and the last I found myself loving the small town mysteries FAR more than the modern day ones!! I wish I could have a whole series just about Atticus Pund going about solving crime/mysteries in rural 1950s England…That would be truly wonderful!!!
PS the audiobook is wonderful 👍🏻
Cawpile 6.71
The sheer homophobia of this book is offensive and horrifying. AIDS as a plot device, rent boys, infidelity: it’s all in here to show you how morally bankrupt gay men are to this author. Skip this book.
I read a LOT of this book before deciding to quit (around 450 pages). It was written well, and I’m sure Horowitz stuck the landing plot-wise. However, after finishing the smaller book within the overall book, I had spent so little time with the characters in the real story that I didn’t care what happened to anybody. The characters were already pretty lifeless, and the lack of time with them made it so that no matter how intricate and perfectly plotted the book ended up being, I could never be invested enough to be satisfied.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Enjoyed this sequel to Magpie Murders. I like the convention of a story within a story.
3.75 - It’s clever to have a murder mystery inside a murder mystery. Enjoyed the premise and the main character. Look forward to more.
This is a 1970s era fictionalized account of the island of Oahu during a time of rapid change, written by a professor of microbiology. 1850s Honolulu is dusty, crowded, and drunken. The aftermath of battle between the ruling chiefs of Oahu and the Kamehameha dynasty is given an interesting and detailed treatment. Also, disease is ravaging the native Hawaiian population. Interestingly, a vaccine for smallpox is available and gives some protection, that is if you don’t die from infection. Christianity and the indigenous religion are in a somewhat uneasy compromise but already the difference between Christian “values” and indigenous ways is apparent. The loss of the kapu system has had serious consequences for not only the sacred but the everyday lives of Hawaiians. The author had an intimate knowledge of the places and place names of Oahu especially the historically significant windward coast, so the book is worth reading for the lore of place alone. Told from two different perspectives, a native Hawaiian from the upper class and a white settler rancher who has suffered a grievous loss, the book is both funny and tragic.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated