Scan barcode
maureenmccombs's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent book by Rotenberg. I have to again remark that I am surprised he is not a more well known author. His characters and plots are believable, his writing style is smooth and unforced, and his story holds up from beginning to end. Can't wait for his next book. Heartily recommend!
dusang's review against another edition
4.0
A fast, engaging read. Excellent debut, I'm intrigued to read more.
lizzicyrus's review against another edition
1.0
Very slow book, 200 pages in and i didnt care who killed her. This is the first book I have been unable to finiah. I skipped 100 pages and the killer wasnt a shock.
stevemozza's review
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
krisrid's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this. Unfortunately, it did not draw me in, or hang onto my attention, and I did not finish it.
As other reviewers have noted, the feature of having each chapter narrated by a different character from their POV is an interesting approach. It could have worked, but for me it didn't. That's mainly because the connection to the main story - the murder - was not clearly drawn with each chapter. Too much of the chapters after the first, where the murder is discovered, focused only on that one individual person and their own story. While I understand that we need to know who these other people are, I personally also wanted a stronger understanding of why we are meeting them, and how they will intersect with the murder investigation. That was not clear to me in the succeeding chapters after the first, and I felt bogged down in the minutiae of these people's lives without any motivation to care why they have too many ties, or don't want to meet their parents downtown to look at The Bay's holiday windows. It just wasn't enough to hold my attention and I very quickly started to lose interest.
One of the reasons I picked this up from the library was that it is written by a Torontonian, and set in Toronto with lots of mentions of local people, places and things. I love my city and I thought it would be fun to read a book set here for once. And there were lots of those local references which was fun. They were not, unfortunately, enough of a draw to keep me reading this when the main plot - the murder - just wasn't sharp and focused enough to hold my attention.
I feel like this was a creative idea for a murder mystery that wasn't quite there in how it is delivered. This was a miss for me and will be going back to the library.
As other reviewers have noted, the feature of having each chapter narrated by a different character from their POV is an interesting approach. It could have worked, but for me it didn't. That's mainly because the connection to the main story - the murder - was not clearly drawn with each chapter. Too much of the chapters after the first, where the murder is discovered, focused only on that one individual person and their own story. While I understand that we need to know who these other people are, I personally also wanted a stronger understanding of why we are meeting them, and how they will intersect with the murder investigation. That was not clear to me in the succeeding chapters after the first, and I felt bogged down in the minutiae of these people's lives without any motivation to care why they have too many ties, or don't want to meet their parents downtown to look at The Bay's holiday windows. It just wasn't enough to hold my attention and I very quickly started to lose interest.
One of the reasons I picked this up from the library was that it is written by a Torontonian, and set in Toronto with lots of mentions of local people, places and things. I love my city and I thought it would be fun to read a book set here for once. And there were lots of those local references which was fun. They were not, unfortunately, enough of a draw to keep me reading this when the main plot - the murder - just wasn't sharp and focused enough to hold my attention.
I feel like this was a creative idea for a murder mystery that wasn't quite there in how it is delivered. This was a miss for me and will be going back to the library.
pussreboots's review against another edition
3.0
I have to admit that I ended up skipping most of the POVs that weren't from either of these points of view. There's really to the other scenes that are crucial for understanding the flow of the plot or the unfolding of the investigation or trial.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comments_03/old_city_hall.html
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comments_03/old_city_hall.html
canada_matt's review against another edition
4.0
Sensational debut novel with a great Canadian flavour. Rotenberg even knows his hockey!
canadianbookworm's review
4.0
This is an absolutely outstanding mystery. It has it all, great characters, great plot, great setting, good pace. And the audio version is great with the narrator's voice slightly gravelly and just perfect for the book.
Radio personality, Kevin Brace, the "voice of Canada", meets his newspaper delivery person every morning with a slice of orange and and smile, while drinking his today. Except for one morning, where he isn't there right away and when he appears, he has blood-covered hands and confesses to murdering his wife.
After that Brace stops talking and won't say a word, even to his lawyer, whom he communicates with in writing only. A conviction seems certain.
The police investigating the case include a seasoned homicide detective and a fairly new police officer (who turned to the police from a career as a lawyer after his brother's murder remained unsolved). They are both good at noticing things and both look at the aspects of the case very closely, finding new things to think about as the case moves forward. Also on the case is a fairly new Crown attorney, for whom this is his first homicide case. He also has his own thoughts about his role, and how that is played out for the best outcome. So very many interesting characters, with so many interesting things going on in both their personal and professional lives.
A wonderful read, with good humour as well.
Radio personality, Kevin Brace, the "voice of Canada", meets his newspaper delivery person every morning with a slice of orange and and smile, while drinking his today. Except for one morning, where he isn't there right away and when he appears, he has blood-covered hands and confesses to murdering his wife.
After that Brace stops talking and won't say a word, even to his lawyer, whom he communicates with in writing only. A conviction seems certain.
The police investigating the case include a seasoned homicide detective and a fairly new police officer (who turned to the police from a career as a lawyer after his brother's murder remained unsolved). They are both good at noticing things and both look at the aspects of the case very closely, finding new things to think about as the case moves forward. Also on the case is a fairly new Crown attorney, for whom this is his first homicide case. He also has his own thoughts about his role, and how that is played out for the best outcome. So very many interesting characters, with so many interesting things going on in both their personal and professional lives.
A wonderful read, with good humour as well.
northstar's review
3.0
Maybe a 3.5--this is a better-than-average page-turner about a radio host accused of murdering his wife. The twist is that he already confessed, but not everyone believes him.
I cannot believe I am saying this but this mystery had almost too many plot twists. Still, it was a fun read and I plan to read another by this author. The Toronto setting was fun for me because I just visited that city in May.
I cannot believe I am saying this but this mystery had almost too many plot twists. Still, it was a fun read and I plan to read another by this author. The Toronto setting was fun for me because I just visited that city in May.