Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Murder on the Red River by Marcie R. Rendon

4 reviews

rready's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Alcohol, and Sexual violence

ash_bees's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Colonisation, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Suicide, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexism, Alcohol, and Fire/Fire injury

yaoipaddle's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

I found Cash's personal life and story more interesting than the mystery/crime. I worry that her characterization is a little repetitive, but I would be willing to give the further books a chance.

I never felt like I was interested in trying to solve the crime myself or guess much of the motive since it seemed like... well we already know what it'll be. The book has a clear message it wants to share with the reader and the crime is a vehicle for that message.

I would recommend this book for someone looking to read more books with indigenous characters and culture. It also has a nice female lead even though at times she is a lil bit "not like other girls". If you solely want it for mystery/crime then I wouldn't really recommend this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Abandonment, Grief, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, Car accident, Death, Child abuse, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death of parent, Colonisation, Alcohol, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, and Sexism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Kidnapping

Minor: Rape

jourdanicus's review against another edition

mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This is another one I was so looking forward to reading... A murder mystery with an Indigenous main character sounded like my jam, especially since I really enjoyed Winter Counts when I read it in 2021. Unfortunately for me this plot panned out far too slowly and the story really did not hold my attention well. I'm usually more than fine with a character driven novel, but I needed something deeper than step-by-step descriptions of Cash doing her laundry, driving back and forth from her apartment, and so on.

This book had potential. I felt that the characters were believable and the plot had potential but it wasn't developed enough; it unfolded too slowly and without enough tension building especially for what was supposed to be a murder mystery. I did like the setting and time period, I feel the 70s don't get enough attention in fiction. I liked Cash as a character and was rooting for her! I am looking forward to more in the series, hopefully the author's writing style continues to grow.

Edit: Oh yeah, and there was a bit about Cash having sort of...visions or dreams of what happened to the murder victim and his family. I desperately wanted more of that! It was disappointing that it was only a small piece of the story, and like I said, more time was spent on descriptions of housework and baths :(

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Murder, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Misogyny

Minor: Medical content and Sexual content