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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I enjoyed the book but think I put too much hope that this would be The Thin man. It has many similar elements but I hyped it too much in my head. I hope there will be more.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wealthy tech heiress solves murder mysteries in space. God, I wanted so much to like this and didn't. It should have been a sci-fi Miss Fisher, but the heroine was whiny, not as clever, and lacked the sense of humor of my other favorite lady detectives. The disability and support dog aspect were too obtrusive.
A fun world, some attention to the science in sci-fi. There was a lot of drinking, including recipes for cocktails at the top of the chapters. Perhaps not out of place in a detective novel, but I found it a little distracting.
A fun world, some attention to the science in sci-fi. There was a lot of drinking, including recipes for cocktails at the top of the chapters. Perhaps not out of place in a detective novel, but I found it a little distracting.
An isolated closed circle mystery in space?? Usually my absolute fav, but not in this case. Tesla Crane is an entitled character who throws money around to get what she wants. Her physical disability is only a thing when she needs it to be, otherwise she just turns off her pain receptors and goes about doing whatever it was she needed to do with seemingly no repercussions. I quickly grew tired of her attorney with her snarky comments and name calling that made her sound like a middle schooler. Also, the use of her service dog, not as an actual service / support animal but simply another thing Tesla can flaunt around to get what she wants. I had been looking forward to trying The Calculating Stars but after this disaster, not so much.
I often rate books based on how much I feel like abandoning them. I never felt that way with this book, and found myself picking it up every chance I got, so 5 stars. Maybe it’s more of a 4 star book compared to my absolute favorites, but sometimes books on here need a little boost from some unwarranted 1-star reviews from others.
I think a few of the poor ratings might be fans of the author who are disappointed? I try to avoid goodreads ratings when picking a new book because some of my absolute favorites have reviews that imply the book is the worst thing ever. I might never have picked this one up if I saw some of these reviews beforehand. When you start averaging a book a week or more, your life will be so sad if you expect every book to be your favorite. Lol
Maybe the ending wasn’t the most satisfying, but I sure didn’t see it coming, and that is amazing! It’s hard to get a mystery by me like that!
I think a few of the poor ratings might be fans of the author who are disappointed? I try to avoid goodreads ratings when picking a new book because some of my absolute favorites have reviews that imply the book is the worst thing ever. I might never have picked this one up if I saw some of these reviews beforehand. When you start averaging a book a week or more, your life will be so sad if you expect every book to be your favorite. Lol
Maybe the ending wasn’t the most satisfying, but I sure didn’t see it coming, and that is amazing! It’s hard to get a mystery by me like that!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a fantastic, relatively quick paced read of a novel that combines a great murder mystery, a space cruise, a female tech leader/inheritor who actually deals with chronic pain and PTSD, and fantastic cocktail (and zero proof!) recipes as chapter headers. (I was lucky enough to get space at Mrs. Robinette Kowal's table talk at World Con, and she actually went deeper into the science of deep brain stimulation specifically in the context of her mother's Parkinson's disease and how it's now expanding into chronic pain trials, which was absolutely fascinating.) Combine the main characters having a Westie emotional support dog, the husband being an ex private investigator who ends up teaming up with his wife and plenty of drinks and canoodling, and you have a delightful read. Would love to see more of the Cranes, if MRK is so inclined.
medium-paced
A famous inventor and her spouse, a retired detective, go on honeymoon on a spacecraft traveling between planets when someone is murdered and her spouse is arrested as the prime suspect.
This is the first murder mystery/thriller I've read that takes place in space and I must say it was a fun experience!
As for the good and the bad...
➕ Gimlet was seriously cute
➕ Already established relationship
➕ Good dose of humor throughout
➕ Kept me guessing
➕ Super cool 1930s vibe mixed with sci-fi
➕ I got so many cocktail tips omg
➖ Was a bit repetitive at times
➖ As a result also lost its pacing a bit from 20%-60% (wasn't too bad though)
➖ Many many names (that are also science fiction-y, so definitely take notes)
➖ I kept seeing a car in my head whenever I read our female lead's name (it's Tesla)
➖ Still don't know what a gamer's belly is
Worth noting as well is that our female lead is disabled (spinal injury, she also occasionally uses a cane) and also has PTSD - Gimlet is her service dog!
Overall 4/5⭐
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
This is the first murder mystery/thriller I've read that takes place in space and I must say it was a fun experience!
As for the good and the bad...
➕ Gimlet was seriously cute
➕ Already established relationship
➕ Good dose of humor throughout
➕ Kept me guessing
➕ Super cool 1930s vibe mixed with sci-fi
➕ I got so many cocktail tips omg
➖ Was a bit repetitive at times
➖ As a result also lost its pacing a bit from 20%-60% (wasn't too bad though)
➖ Many many names (that are also science fiction-y, so definitely take notes)
➖ I kept seeing a car in my head whenever I read our female lead's name (it's Tesla)
➖ Still don't know what a gamer's belly is
Worth noting as well is that our female lead is disabled (spinal injury, she also occasionally uses a cane) and also has PTSD - Gimlet is her service dog!
Overall 4/5⭐
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review