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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
3.5 out of 5...the Gothic atmosphere was great and the story moved along at a good pace, the characters were a bit stereotypical for the first half but improved towards the end. Not sure how I feel about the ending, not bad but not what I expected. Will definitely read the second in the series to see how the characters progress.
I am totally guilty of judging a book by its cover. I picked this up randomly at the bookstore because it just looked super freaking cool. Violins, Scotland, black magic, Scotland, locked-room mystery, lunatic asylums and SCOTLAND?! Sold, sold, sold! Besides, I had a quiet weekend ahead, which generally means I will find a comfy spot, fix myself a cocktail and read; no further excuses needed.
I didn’t expect much, I confess it. But the book proceeded to completely blow my mind! I loves me some Gothic mysteries, I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and if you add weird occult stuff into the mix, I just go gaga. “The Strings of Murder” had all those elements, but it had so much more. It was fun, fast-paced (it was seriously hard to put down; I finished it over the weekend), the characters of Frey and McGray have the most awesome chemistry and banter (try to read this without giggling or snorting), the creepy-meter was turned up to 11 and well… it’s set in Victorian Scotland!
If every book I picked up on a whim turned out as awesome as this one, I would be a very happy, very broke bookworm. I can’t believe this is Oscar de Muriel’s debut! I heard that Frey and McGray will be back in another book, and that makes me so very happy! The amazing personality conflicts of the snobby Brit and the gruff Scot makes me delirious with glee and I want more!
If you have the same tastes I do, enjoy mysteries, have a latent Anglo-creep streak and love good, entertaining and addictive writing, just get your hands on this book. Like right now. Also, give me the sequel. Right now.
I didn’t expect much, I confess it. But the book proceeded to completely blow my mind! I loves me some Gothic mysteries, I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and if you add weird occult stuff into the mix, I just go gaga. “The Strings of Murder” had all those elements, but it had so much more. It was fun, fast-paced (it was seriously hard to put down; I finished it over the weekend), the characters of Frey and McGray have the most awesome chemistry and banter (try to read this without giggling or snorting), the creepy-meter was turned up to 11 and well… it’s set in Victorian Scotland!
If every book I picked up on a whim turned out as awesome as this one, I would be a very happy, very broke bookworm. I can’t believe this is Oscar de Muriel’s debut! I heard that Frey and McGray will be back in another book, and that makes me so very happy! The amazing personality conflicts of the snobby Brit and the gruff Scot makes me delirious with glee and I want more!
If you have the same tastes I do, enjoy mysteries, have a latent Anglo-creep streak and love good, entertaining and addictive writing, just get your hands on this book. Like right now. Also, give me the sequel. Right now.
It seemed like it was going to be pretty good and the first few chapters were promising. Then it seemed to lose its way and didn't really know what it was doing. It didn't really focus on the locked room mystery and just kept plodding along. The ending was a total let down.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Very good series in Edinburgh 1800s. Was infested from the very first page.
Told my husband this book was about a haunted violin. I am both wrong and right! I enjoyed this story and look forward to more. If you like quirky detectives and a whole slew of murdering but set in a different time, this could be for you.
This book was hilarious but like in a way where I was laughing at it. The main character suffers from severe main character syndrome and looks down at everyone all the time. He is the archetype of snooty Londoner who has fallen on dark times. His xenophobia was crazy but I think the author wanted that for comedic effect so take that as you will. The other main character just fills the Scottish stereotypes and it was annoying but I could deal with it because he was actually a nice guy (especially compared to the Londoner mc). Every character filled some sort of stereotype and all in all I didn’t care for it.
The only thing that kept me going was the plot. I was very intrigued and just kept picking the book up. The big reveal was a bit of a let down but I enjoyed the journey and the audiobook does a great job of being spooky. Also the narrator makes the Scottish accent so jarring at times ESPECIALLY the Scottish women. I had to turn to the physical copy at times because of how grating it got.
Giving it just a little bit more than half of five stars because the plot was interesting.
The only thing that kept me going was the plot. I was very intrigued and just kept picking the book up. The big reveal was a bit of a let down but I enjoyed the journey and the audiobook does a great job of being spooky. Also the narrator makes the Scottish accent so jarring at times ESPECIALLY the Scottish women. I had to turn to the physical copy at times because of how grating it got.
Giving it just a little bit more than half of five stars because the plot was interesting.
adventurous
dark
funny
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:
Yes
This book may have its problems but I must say I loved it none-the-less. The story is intriguing, embracing the macabre and noir feeling of much of the writing of the time (which includes Stoker's Dracula) and that is prevalent in Gothic writing even today. The story is tied to a violin and a seemingly deadly curse that grips the upper echelons of Edinburgh society just as Jack the Ripper is prowling the streets of London. The mystery is weaved well and flows from one death to another sweeping the reader from the foggy streets of London to the drizzle soaked streets of Edinburgh, so much so that you can hear the hustle and bustle as if you were right in the middle of it all. Sadly, I'm less convinced by the characters, particularly the lead character of Frey and McGray. I found them a little stereotypical, playing to type in a somewhat predictable manner until somewhere in the last third of the book where they both began to find a bit more depth and started to become rather intriguing. I hope this continues through the rest of the series and I can't wait to see how the series progresses.