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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Joe sounded as if he could hardly believe what he was hearing. This was like the most dramatic form of television drama."
I feel for you, Joe Ashworth.
There were hints of the solution as the mystery went on. Often, if you ask yourself "Who's a character that's introduced apparently for no reason, and what motive might they have: love, lust, money, or revenge?", you can figure out a mystery, and I should have been able to deduce it that way. Only, as Joe says at the end when Charlie and Vera do the big reveal, if you're expecting a more realistic plot to go with the lovingly detailed description of the landscape, then you'll be fooled by this one.
Vera often keeps her thoughts to herself, but as one other reviewer noted, here she takes that to an extreme. Joe is usually her sounding board; here, she sends him away from the main action just as they're about to catch the killer. I wonder if that's in the service of future office tensions between Joe and Rosie or whether it's just out of character for her. (What is in character is the title, which like most of her titles has nothing to do with the actual murder, a tic she shares with other notable authors but which I find annoying.)
I'll read pretty much anything Ann Cleeves writes, but what I enjoyed about this book was the introduction of a new character, Rosie Bell, and her fresh point of view; more glimpses into Vera's past and a side of her personality we haven't seen before; and insights into her boss, Katherine Willmoore (both as a political player and as a mother). As you can tell, it was not my favorite installment in the series, and yet it was very much worth reading.
I feel for you, Joe Ashworth.
There were hints of the solution as the mystery went on. Often, if you ask yourself "Who's a character that's introduced apparently for no reason, and what motive might they have: love, lust, money, or revenge?", you can figure out a mystery, and I should have been able to deduce it that way. Only, as Joe says at the end when Charlie and Vera do the big reveal, if you're expecting a more realistic plot to go with the lovingly detailed description of the landscape, then you'll be fooled by this one.
Vera often keeps her thoughts to herself, but as one other reviewer noted, here she takes that to an extreme. Joe is usually her sounding board; here, she sends him away from the main action just as they're about to catch the killer. I wonder if that's in the service of future office tensions between Joe and Rosie or whether it's just out of character for her. (What is in character is the title, which like most of her titles has nothing to do with the actual murder, a tic she shares with other notable authors but which I find annoying.)
I'll read pretty much anything Ann Cleeves writes, but what I enjoyed about this book was the introduction of a new character, Rosie Bell, and her fresh point of view; more glimpses into Vera's past and a side of her personality we haven't seen before; and insights into her boss, Katherine Willmoore (both as a political player and as a mother). As you can tell, it was not my favorite installment in the series, and yet it was very much worth reading.
Weak 4* rating. Josh, a worker at a home for troubled teens, is found dead. One of the residents, Chloe, has disappeared. Is she the perpetrator or does she know who it is and is hiding out of safety concerns? Vera is on her tails!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced