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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
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:
No
A detective murder mystery where 2 mismatched personalities are forced to work together, with humorous consequences. The abuse they gave each other was consistent but the pair warmed to each other a little more by the end. The story was good overall and had a steady progression. It didn't have an obvious ending either, so you kept guessing all the way through.
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed the dynamic between McGray and Frey. With one being an uptight, rigid Englishman and the other a laid back sarcastic Scot, they make a good fun duo. And there were some good action scenes. But that mystery was bad, just bad. To not introduce the murderer until near the end is just crazy lazy. Part of the murder mystery fun is finding out who did it and not introducing that person isn’t fair play. So I will not be continuing this series.
Guter Auftakt zu dieser Krimi-Reihe. Spannend, mit witzigen und eigenwilligen Charakteren. War genau das Richtige zur Entspannung zwischendurch.
The pacing of this book is horrendous; it starts out so slow and it’s only once you’re past the halfway mark that you have even an idea of what direction it will go in. Towards the end of the book it then becomes extremely fast, suddenly not a page can go by without something happening. The minute I read the authors note for this I knew it was going to be a bit ableist and there’s smatterings of ableism throughout. Thankfully at the end one of the characters criticises the ableism of other characters within the book but the main character seems to not have a care in the world about it and even adds his own comments rooted in ableism. I understand that this book is meant to be set in the 1800’s so there will be very little understanding expressed by characters but to see something that is so rooted in ableism written fairly recently doesn’t sit right with me. Good crime books can be written without playing into ableist tropes or ideologies.
Ian Frey is sent packing from his job with Scotland Yard, seemingly under a black cloud and in disgrace, but also quietly on an errand for the Prime Minister himself. Brought up in the sure belief that the Scots were second-hand citizens and not to be trusted, Frey finds himself on assignment in Edinburgh for a ghost-fearing detachment run by the infamous Nine-Nails McGray. They take an instant dislike to each other while investigating a mysterious and gruesome case featuring marks of the devil and a cursed violin. Can they put their mutual distrust aside long enough to figure out what is going on? Is there redemption ahead or will Frey never be able to show his face again in polite society?
Loved it!
Loved it!
Entertaining and enjoyable read, though the end was a little disappointing, feeling over too fast.
I enjoyed the character building of the two main characters and the mystery plot was clever -the way that the murderer killed was especially inventive!
I liked the main characters voice but in terms of solving the mystery I felt he did very little and the constant bickering between him and McGray was sometimes a little annoying.
Will probably be forgettable, but I enjoyed it while reading.
I enjoyed the character building of the two main characters and the mystery plot was clever -the way that the murderer killed was especially inventive!
I liked the main characters voice but in terms of solving the mystery I felt he did very little and the constant bickering between him and McGray was sometimes a little annoying.
Will probably be forgettable, but I enjoyed it while reading.
adventurous
dark
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one was surprisingly good! I went into this with 0 expectations and kind of expected it to be mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised! The reveal was not one I ever saw coming, and the characters were super nicely developed too. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series!