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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Audible version: This wasn't a terrible book. I kept listening, but the MC was dull and annoying, and none of the other characters were interesting either. It wasn't really a cozy in that it gave too many gory details, and it wasn't very realistic in that people just kept going about their normal happy lives even after 4 people had been hacked to death or bludgeoned, along with an attempted poisoning. I won't be moving on to the next ones in this series.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book, but I admit I was hoping for an Aurora that would be more "sleuth" and less frightened of everything around here. I enjoyed the remainder of the characters, specially Arthur.
This book was recommended to me as a "cozy" mystery, and I don't think it quite fits that category. it's close, but the murders are much more gruesome than I've come to expect in that genre. Possibly it deserves more than three stars in its real genre? But, three are all I can muster.
The writing is generally decent. The mystery remained mysterious. But, the characters weren't quite my cup of tea. Aurora's willingness to date two men at the same time, without explicitly telling them, rubbed me the wrong way. The chemistry for neither romance really gelled for me, and I came away thinking both men could (and should) do better for themselves.
The ending, however, really wasn't that great. Aurora didn't solve the mystery so much as stumble into the final crime scene and get caught herself. What kind of parent Priorities!
Audiobook narrator Therese Plummer gets a solid four stars.
The writing is generally decent. The mystery remained mysterious. But, the characters weren't quite my cup of tea. Aurora's willingness to date two men at the same time, without explicitly telling them, rubbed me the wrong way. The chemistry for neither romance really gelled for me, and I came away thinking both men could (and should) do better for themselves.
The ending, however, really wasn't that great. Aurora didn't solve the mystery so much as stumble into the final crime scene and get caught herself. What kind of parent
Spoiler
is so desperate to attend a CONFERENCE with their spouse that they send their first grader to stay with a woman who has received poisoned CANDY in the mail only a few days ago and who knows three people who have been murdered in the past week, in fact, has found the bodies(!)? A woman who then lets the six year old play outside in a parking lot unsupervised, then lets him go outside alone again after dark!?Audiobook narrator Therese Plummer gets a solid four stars.
mysterious
fast-paced
Quaint little mystery with the same humor you would expect if you read the Sookie Stackhouse books and a great little twist on the who of the hodunnit genre. It is a quick read and was enjoyable enough to get me to continue with the series.
Aurora Teagarden is a librarian in a small town in Georgia. She and other true crime afficionados have created a Real Murder club where they meet and discuss real historic murders like Lizzie Borden, re-evaluating the evidence, etc. As the book opens, Aurora is on her way to the VFW for the current meeting, where she will be presenting the Julia Wallace Murder for discussion. Unfortunately, an actual murder happened at the VFW and is staged to mirror that of Julia Wallace and to be found just as the Real Murder Group is gathering. Aurora and her fellow group members are embroiled in the case, as well as a rapid series of murders all reflecting famous murders.
This is the first in a mystery series written by Charlaine Harris that predates her Sookie Stackhouse series, having been published in 1990. This series has also been made into a Hallmark Mystery Movie series staring Candace Cameron Bure and that fact made reading this a little tricky -- as I don't like the series, and Bure is nothing like the Aurora portrayed in the book IMHO. I did get past this finally, in part because I had no idea whodunit, only getting a glimmering just before the end. That's a major plus in a cozy as I do tend to solve them by about chapter 3 or 4.
Will I read more of this series? Not so sure. I did not find any of the characters all that engaging, but I did enjoy the murder mystery. I rather enjoyed also being back at a time where no one had a mobile phone, the internet wasn't at everyone's fingertips, and things were typed on typewriters that police actually are able to trace and use as evidence.
This is the first in a mystery series written by Charlaine Harris that predates her Sookie Stackhouse series, having been published in 1990. This series has also been made into a Hallmark Mystery Movie series staring Candace Cameron Bure and that fact made reading this a little tricky -- as I don't like the series, and Bure is nothing like the Aurora portrayed in the book IMHO. I did get past this finally, in part because I had no idea whodunit, only getting a glimmering just before the end. That's a major plus in a cozy as I do tend to solve them by about chapter 3 or 4.
Will I read more of this series? Not so sure. I did not find any of the characters all that engaging, but I did enjoy the murder mystery. I rather enjoyed also being back at a time where no one had a mobile phone, the internet wasn't at everyone's fingertips, and things were typed on typewriters that police actually are able to trace and use as evidence.
Great book to listen to while doing menial labor :D.
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So......you know that saying that the book is always better than the movie? Well I actually disagree in this case. Granted, it could be because the Aurora Teagarden mysteries are my favorite on Hallmark's Movies and Mysteries channel. Could be because I have watched ALL of them so in my head I am comparing the character's representations to what I have watched. (I spent most of the book being like "I prefer Sally as Roe's best friend.....not some older lady.)
What is fun is that this is a librarian who is an amateur sleuth. I identify a lot with Roe being a fan of real murders and true crime. I have to have it in small dozes but it is a favorite thing for me. But in all honesty, when I want in the world of Aurora Teagarden and Lawrenceville....I will be sticking to the movies.
What is fun is that this is a librarian who is an amateur sleuth. I identify a lot with Roe being a fan of real murders and true crime. I have to have it in small dozes but it is a favorite thing for me. But in all honesty, when I want in the world of Aurora Teagarden and Lawrenceville....I will be sticking to the movies.