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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
Loved the setting, writing, dog, representation, and that not too many hints were dropped in the mystery. Knocked half a star for the main character’s entitlement — constantly throwing her fame around and calling her lawyer — and she never seemed to recognize it or have any growth.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
If a celebrity solving a murder mystery on her honeymoon while on a spaceship cruise to Mars sounds fun to you- pick this one up. It was was heavy on the fun and doesn’t require a strong interest in sci-fi to enjoy.
Not a bad book, though not a great one. My main issue with it is the dialogue, which clanged a bit to my ear. The prose here is serviceable, like in The Lady Astronaut series, and it's a very readable book, but I left it feeling a bit dissatisfied.
That said, Gimlet is a great name for a service dog, which accounts for the fourth star here.
That said, Gimlet is a great name for a service dog, which accounts for the fourth star here.
The pitch for this book was obviously "Nick and Nora in space". And that's what we get. The actual mystery is sufficiently baroque that the reader can't really participate in solving it, there just isn't enough information. But it is a good read overall. It would be tempting to read it with the cocktails described for each chapter, but even with several non-alcoholic cocktails, it would be even harder to follow the story.
Extra points for a great depiction of a service dog. The only thing that wasn't in line with the Canine Companions dog our son had (and the Canine Companions puppy we are raising and training right now) was barking at deliveries to the door. We work very hard to eliminate alert barking. Everything else was spot on for a dog trained for both medical alert and PTSD.
Extra points for a great depiction of a service dog. The only thing that wasn't in line with the Canine Companions dog our son had (and the Canine Companions puppy we are raising and training right now) was barking at deliveries to the door. We work very hard to eliminate alert barking. Everything else was spot on for a dog trained for both medical alert and PTSD.
3 1/2 stars. Rounding up because it really drew me in and kept me reading, despite some drawbacks. This was a fun read in my favorite genre mashup (sci-fi detective), plus I love the Thin Man series so I was already on board with the idea. There are a couple of things that aren't explained as well as they might have been, so after the end I still had questions (about things pertaining to the immediate situation, not things that might lead to a sequel). It was a fast and enjoyable read, but not totally satisfying.
Spoiler
I think I would have liked it better with fewer 'almost had them' chases and encounters and fewer times that Tesla is stretched way past her limits (Shal too, for that matter). Also, I wasn't wild about how often she allows her service dog to be 'off' service for sometimes what seems very little reason.
I have a feeling this book might go up to a five star next time I read it. I had just enough second-hand anxiety from some of the situations that the first time through was a bit more stressful than I anticipated from Nick & Nora In Spaaaace
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this because of my love for the Lady Astronaut series. Murder mystery isn't really my genre, but I thought I'd give it a go. I liked the book, and still love the author, but have solidified my stance on murder mystery not being my genre.