Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Viper for this ARC.
In October 2024, Dominic Eastwood approaches TV production companies about making a true crime documentary about the case of his aunt and uncle Sue and Mal Eastwood, formerly the landlords of the pub "The Case is Altered" in Hertfordshire. When one company bites, he sends them various documents including emails, letters, texts, one star restaurant reviews, WhatsApp messages, quiz sheets, interview transcripts and police statements. The case starts in September 2019, when, after the popular weekly pub quiz, one man is killed and his body found in the water behind the pub a month later.
An isolated pub, a body in the river, a mysterious new quiz team that wins every time - the story starts interesting but then we get a separate timeline from 2014 when Sue and Mal, who used to be police officers, are part of Operation Honeyguide, investigating the kidnapping case of two young women, one with rich parents they are sent to comfort. For the longest time we have no idea how those storylines are connected, as we always go back to the quiz nights, and frankly, boring quiz teams texts, plus talks with other landlords belonging to the Ye Olde Goat Brewery emporium.
I found the story dragged plus the multi media writing style was irritating because it contained so much useless material that was just filler. I'm not a quizzer and I found that some of those team members take the quizzing way too seriously. I actually liked the small-town community and if that had been the book I'd have lapped it up, but as part of a complicated crime plot it just didn't fit.
Towards the end it speeds up and we get a lot of good twists and turns but by then I had pretty much lost interest in this convoluted story. The twists turned the whole story on its head, just when I'd warmed to Sue and Mal. A lot of people will love this but it wasn't for me. I had to read this on the NetGalley shelf app as it didn't download to my Kindle, and what was only two days felt like a hundred years.
In October 2024, Dominic Eastwood approaches TV production companies about making a true crime documentary about the case of his aunt and uncle Sue and Mal Eastwood, formerly the landlords of the pub "The Case is Altered" in Hertfordshire. When one company bites, he sends them various documents including emails, letters, texts, one star restaurant reviews, WhatsApp messages, quiz sheets, interview transcripts and police statements. The case starts in September 2019, when, after the popular weekly pub quiz, one man is killed and his body found in the water behind the pub a month later.
An isolated pub, a body in the river, a mysterious new quiz team that wins every time - the story starts interesting but then we get a separate timeline from 2014 when Sue and Mal, who used to be police officers, are part of Operation Honeyguide, investigating the kidnapping case of two young women, one with rich parents they are sent to comfort. For the longest time we have no idea how those storylines are connected, as we always go back to the quiz nights, and frankly, boring quiz teams texts, plus talks with other landlords belonging to the Ye Olde Goat Brewery emporium.
I found the story dragged plus the multi media writing style was irritating because it contained so much useless material that was just filler. I'm not a quizzer and I found that some of those team members take the quizzing way too seriously. I actually liked the small-town community and if that had been the book I'd have lapped it up, but as part of a complicated crime plot it just didn't fit.
Towards the end it speeds up and we get a lot of good twists and turns but by then I had pretty much lost interest in this convoluted story. The twists turned the whole story on its head, just when I'd warmed to Sue and Mal. A lot of people will love this but it wasn't for me. I had to read this on the NetGalley shelf app as it didn't download to my Kindle, and what was only two days felt like a hundred years.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail