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teelii's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

I loved this book! It was written so well! When is the last time you found a murder mysterious actually funny? My favorite thing about this was the main character constantly breaking the fourth wall and talking to us directly. 

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booksthoughtsandtea's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

The big reveal really got me.

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justlikeothergirls's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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maryconney's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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dkamada's review

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challenging funny informative lighthearted mysterious
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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joxinabox's review against another edition

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funny mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely ADORE this book, I think it's my favorite mystery novel I've ever read.

Ernest and his family feel like incredibly real people, all of them are flawed but extremely lovable. Ernie has this witty narration style that pokes fun at the mystery genre without dipping into outright insulting it, instead many of the jabs feel loving and lighthearted towards the typical tropes of a mystery novel. There's a lot of clever clues and build ups to the big twists, this is absolutely a novel you'll want to read/listen to several times. You'll pick up on so much on your other read throughs. I like them so much I refuse to mention spoilers in this review less I give it all away for someone who gets a little too nosy before they read the book. Go read this right now.

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tabea1409's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25


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choirgirl171's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.75


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maljacks87's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love both the author's writing style and the plot. Only problems were:

1) the occasional use of GD;

2) the technical aspects of the big reveal, specifically the pictures, were hard to follow and seemed too technical for the time period everything originally occurred.
How did their dad get the Rolex in the first place, where did he get the tools and technology 35 years prior to somehow carve 16 pictures into a microdot on the watchface, and why there to begin with? How did Michael did the tools and technology he needed a day out of prison to repeat the process and somehow connect it to a literal piece of paper with ink and leave something so essential to complete chance the paper wouldn't be lost or destroyed?
 

3)
why the kidnapping victim's dad killed her in the first place and then staged the kidnapping, no motive or explanation provided, just that he staged the kidnapping to cover up the murder. It was another, last second big reveal, but there wasn't enough there to really finish it off.

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oxfordcommas91's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an amazing cozy mystery that really hit the sweet spot of Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit with some fun twists along the way. In this unique book where our narrator helps authors write mystery novels (amazing mystery novel inception here…) and frequently breaks the fourth wall to talk to the reader, we are engulfed in the family drama of the Cunninghams, all of whom have killed someone. But this book isn’t quite what it appears to be on the surface. With dark humor and plenty of red herrings along the way, this book sped to its satisfying and gasp-worthy conclusion. I read this book in only a few sittings - I honestly had a hard time putting it down. This isn’t a twisty psychological thriller that will keep you up at night and instead relies on pretty straightforward murder mystery mechanics that are really good for a reason! This book just works. Can’t wait to read Stevenson’s 2024 sequel!

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