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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Entertaining tale with many twists and turns. An enjoyable read.
I expected so much more from this book. It was slow, and I was not entertained. I read a lot of murder mysteries and love them.
I wish I could’ve live this as much as I wanted to
I wish I could’ve live this as much as I wanted to
medium-paced
A re-read. Not sure why I never read the rest of the series. I had read the vampire one, and I loved the Shakespeare mystery series, and I really love her current Gunnie Rose books. I would say this is younger somehow and more light in overall tone.
Pretty good mystery. The characters need a little more character. Roe isn't very likable. She isn't dislikable either. Just rather boring. No I didn't figure out who done it.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
N/A
I watched some Aurora Teagarden mysteries last winter because they're cozy and a good distraction from the cold. This winter, I decided I'd read one.
Maybe the others in this series are better, but there is no redeeming quality to this book except that the story moves at an appropriate pace.
It can't decide if it's a bloody thriller about a town full of semi-psychopathic people, or a low-stakes cozy mystery with a love triangle. The writing is exceedingly simplistic. There's little characterization and no scene-setting unless you count constantly describing Roe's fashion choices and makeup. The dialogue and monologues leave much to be desired. Any interest generated by the mystery plot is overshadowed by everything that's wrong with this book.
Oh, and it's unironically racist and homophobic to boot. At one point, Roe points out that because no black candidate is running for mayor the candidates are getting to focus on the issues. 😶 And one of the male side characters has a male friend that Roe can't resist italicizing and mentally sneering passive-aggressively about multiple times, wondering if "friends" is really all they are. 🤦♀️ Is either of these things relevant to anything else in the book? Nope. I'm sure the author has become more aware of this over time, but in this book, she had not been conscious of bias, or how to make these judgments seem like a character's rather than her own that she just couldn't help inserting into the text.
The movies are pretty cute (even for someone who's not really a Hallmark fan), and really have none of the above problems. Maybe just watch those.
Maybe the others in this series are better, but there is no redeeming quality to this book except that the story moves at an appropriate pace.
It can't decide if it's a bloody thriller about a town full of semi-psychopathic people, or a low-stakes cozy mystery with a love triangle. The writing is exceedingly simplistic. There's little characterization and no scene-setting unless you count constantly describing Roe's fashion choices and makeup. The dialogue and monologues leave much to be desired. Any interest generated by the mystery plot is overshadowed by everything that's wrong with this book.
Oh, and it's unironically racist and homophobic to boot. At one point, Roe points out that because no black candidate is running for mayor the candidates are getting to focus on the issues. 😶 And one of the male side characters has a male friend that Roe can't resist italicizing and mentally sneering passive-aggressively about multiple times, wondering if "friends" is really all they are. 🤦♀️ Is either of these things relevant to anything else in the book? Nope. I'm sure the author has become more aware of this over time, but in this book, she had not been conscious of bias, or how to make these judgments seem like a character's rather than her own that she just couldn't help inserting into the text.
The movies are pretty cute (even for someone who's not really a Hallmark fan), and really have none of the above problems. Maybe just watch those.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Roe's First Mystery
3.5 stars - This is my first book from this author and I will be coming back for more. While I like the updates that Hallmark included in the made-for-TV series, I did enjoy the original story. There are several murders with just as many suspects as there are victims. I enjoyed all of the twists and turns and various potential love interests.
I borrowed a library copy of the audio book. The narrator is Therese Plummer. She did a good job as the narrator. My one editing comment is that this was obviously taken from a books on tape / CD recording. It was weird to hear the breaks to switch discs in the digital age.
Story: 3.5 stars
Narration: 3.5 stars
3.5 stars - This is my first book from this author and I will be coming back for more. While I like the updates that Hallmark included in the made-for-TV series, I did enjoy the original story. There are several murders with just as many suspects as there are victims. I enjoyed all of the twists and turns and various potential love interests.
I borrowed a library copy of the audio book. The narrator is Therese Plummer. She did a good job as the narrator. My one editing comment is that this was obviously taken from a books on tape / CD recording. It was weird to hear the breaks to switch discs in the digital age.
Story: 3.5 stars
Narration: 3.5 stars
I liked the first book in the Aurora Teagarden mysteries, but I am finding that as much as I hate to say it I am liking the movies better than the books. The movies just add a lighter tough to the stories. I also don’t like the Aurora book character as much as I enjoy the movie portrayal of the same character.
Great mystery story with an ending that managed to surprise me! I'll definitely continue with this series.