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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
While the core mystery to this book was pretty decent, it had a few flaws. The characterization was weak - which made it even more difficult to remember the plethora of characters. The only interesting person at all was Vida, but she was only the sidekick - who really did most of the work. The beginning of the book was also very slow going, though it improved the second half, which leaves me some hope for the sequels.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book. It was such an easy thing to get into. Yes, it was a little confusing at first with all the names and the family tree, but after a few pages everything pretty much cleared itself up. Highly recommend this book if you like mystery’s and who-done-it type stories.
This is a good start to a series. I did get a little confused trying to keep up with the characters because some had similar names. It will be interesting to see how the characters develop in future books. The mystery was interesting and had many layers. I didn't figure out who did it, but I did figure out that .
Spoiler
one murder was a case of mistaken identity
This book is what I consider unreadable. The grammar is awful from the first page. I made it through one chapter before moving on to something else.
”“The town thrived, if that’s the word, from the pre-World War I era until the Depression when it should have folded and disappeared, like other railroad semaphore spots along the old Great Northern route, such as Tonga and Korea.”
What is she even trying to say? Why do we care about Euro-Asian railroads in Seattle?
“Orientals” is not a term used to describe Chinese immigrants. I am normally not offended by the misuse- but this is a journalist who knows that being PC is critical.
I have a fondness for any author willing to seek out obscure words, but shudder when the author of a book written at a 4-6th grade level intersperses these words at random. It’s unnecessary and obvious. This actually stops the reader’s flow and may cause them to misunderstand or look up the words.
I was disappointed in this book, because it was exactly what I was looking for. I won’t be finishing the series, nor could I recommend it to another reader.
”“The town thrived, if that’s the word, from the pre-World War I era until the Depression when it should have folded and disappeared, like other railroad semaphore spots along the old Great Northern route, such as Tonga and Korea.”
What is she even trying to say? Why do we care about Euro-Asian railroads in Seattle?
“Orientals” is not a term used to describe Chinese immigrants. I am normally not offended by the misuse- but this is a journalist who knows that being PC is critical.
I have a fondness for any author willing to seek out obscure words, but shudder when the author of a book written at a 4-6th grade level intersperses these words at random. It’s unnecessary and obvious. This actually stops the reader’s flow and may cause them to misunderstand or look up the words.
I was disappointed in this book, because it was exactly what I was looking for. I won’t be finishing the series, nor could I recommend it to another reader.
Different enough from the B&B Series she writes to keep your interest, although you can still see glimmers of Judith and Renie in here. Gertrude too. It was a good read, good characters...I'm interested to see where this goes.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The first book in the Emma Lord series. A middle aged woman buys a weekly newspaper in a small town in Washington state and ends up solving a multiple murder. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the story--which I didn't, it wasn't that I figured out the mystery in the first third of the book--which I did, it was more that I wanted to slap several of the major characters--repeatedly. I read this book as part of the Read the USA challenge on goodreads. Maybe the next books in the series are better. I hope so.
medium-paced
It was difficult for me to follow the cadence of her writing - it just didn't flow. The plot wasn't predictable or silly and I really had no idea who the muderer was or even what the motive, but still, this book just left a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe it was just that the characters lacked warmth. It kept me reading until the end, but even two days later I am struggling to remember the details of the plot. Reading this kind of mystery after Dorothy Sayers is like settling for cheese in a can when you live on a dairy farm.