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alibrarymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I like Ann Cleeves’ mysteries a lot, but Vera hits a little differently to her other detectives in a way that almost didn’t land? I liked the aspect of cozy mystery to this one with Rachel and her mother, but felt the investigation (while realistic) should have taken off a bit more than it had.
Instead, Vera felt a bit dismissive until things really started coming together. Ultimately, it’s accurate to how many investigations would have gone, but the characters weren’t likable enough that this was a bit easier to put down than others. However, it was very engaging and I’d find myself reading large chunks at a time when I did pick it up. So it was a well-balanced book with an interesting mystery and some likable characters, but it just didn’t exactly come together and the ending was a bit anticlimactic because she didn’t want to spoil the mystery too soon.
Instead, Vera felt a bit dismissive until things really started coming together. Ultimately, it’s accurate to how many investigations would have gone, but the characters weren’t likable enough that this was a bit easier to put down than others. However, it was very engaging and I’d find myself reading large chunks at a time when I did pick it up. So it was a well-balanced book with an interesting mystery and some likable characters, but it just didn’t exactly come together and the ending was a bit anticlimactic because she didn’t want to spoil the mystery too soon.
tessa52's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
mogffm3's review against another edition
2.0
Too many characters with long tedious stories. I did finish it, but it was at 2x speed via audio.
marlisenicole's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
tracey78's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sharonxx's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Slow and convoluted. I didn’t care by the end and the written character of Vera is annoying and rude.
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this. First mystery I've read in a while that I've enjoyed all the way through. I'd never read Ann Cleeves and thought it was time I remedied that - and it turned out to be a very good idea. Enjoyed all the characters, as difficult as they were. She switched point of view so you saw the world from three main characters before it switched over to the lead detective - and that was very helpful not to get engrossed in just one person's point of view. Excellent.
trudyd's review against another edition
4.0
The Crow Trap was a wonderful thriller, sucking me into the story dying to know who done it. I have a new idol in Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope. She is the female Colombo but has compassion. Rumor has it the is a TV series. I can't wait to check it out after I read the rest of the books first.
gabmc's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this first book in the Vera Stanhope series. The first half of the book sets the scene. We meet three women: Racheal, Anne and Grace, sharing a small cottage as they do a survey to see what a proposed new quarry will do to the land. Racheal is the team leader and her expertise is birds, Anne is a botanist and Grace focuses on small mammals. The three women are very different and the first part of the book explores their lives and their reasons for doing the survey. When Racheal first arrives at the cottage she is horrified to discover the body of her neighbour, Bella, who has apparently committed suicide. Racheal finds Bella's death very puzzling and can't believe that she would have taken her own life. As the book develops though we realise that maybe Racheal didn't know Bella as well as she thought she did. It is only when another death occurs that Vera enters the story. I 'know' her personality from watching the TV show the book is based on and it was great to get to know her better in book form. Vera certainly has a very unconventional investigative style, which sometimes involved her telling the characters what I thought was too much about the case. As they body count continues to increase, the women wonder who is safe and who is at risk.
beccamonster44's review against another edition
2.0
After reading the Shetland Island series I was really excited to try this one out but unfortunately it was not for me. The characters were not very compelling or at all likable and the story was so forgettable that every time I picked it up after a reading break I forgot what was happening. I made myself push through only to get to an ending that was not satisfying in the least. I don’t think I’ll be continuing this series.