Reviews

Psycho by the Sea by Lynne Truss

menziesreads's review

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

4.0

Fun , clever and totally silly. Worth seeking out the audio version.

annieb123's review

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4.0

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Psycho by the Sea is the fourth book of a procedural mystery series set in 1950's Brighton. Based on Lynne Truss' BBC Radio 4 series with some of the same characters, this novelization is a decidedly odd & farcical lampooning of post-WW2 police procedurals. Released 9th Nov 2021 by Bloomsbury on their Raven imprint, it's 320 pages and available in hardcover, ebook and audio formats. Paperback format out in August 2022.

The author has an unerring ear for dialogue and setting. The book really reads exactly like it was written contemporaneously for the time in which it's set. The pacing is superb and it moves along at a good clip. I never found my interest flagging. Ms. Truss has a deft touch with characterizations (she's been writing these characters for a while for audio plays, and it shows). There's a decidedly "keystone cops" element to the characterisations, with the lead policemen being naive and/or dim, whilst the criminal elements of Brighton attempt to exterminate one another with one of the chief underworld bosses actually working in the police department facility as a charwoman.

That being said... for an almost cozy read, there is a prodigious amount of violence (much of it gratuitous). People are constantly being stabbed, bashed with rocks, shot, throttled, run over, and otherwise mutilated. There is a disconcerting amount of *glee* in the descriptions.

The language is way over the top. The violence is omnipresent. I personally loved the denouement, but readers who need everything to be tied up in a neat bow with the good guys the unequivocal winners by page 298 are going to be driven mad by the end.

Four stars. Worth a read, but definitely different. Not a cozy, and not precisely a procedural.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

amyharrow20's review against another edition

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

3.75

menniemenace's review

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5.0

#A Book That Sparks Joy

The only problem with loving a series that isn't extremely popular is that it's so hard to find (In audio, that is. Most libraries have the ebook but the audiobook is so good.)

Finally, after about a year of waiting, I got my hands on the audio version!

Was it worth the wait? yes.
Did I love this? Also yes.
Am I scared of the possibility of me not being able to read the next book? Y. E. S.

I also appreciate the nod to the hidden persuaders. I'm probably going to read it just because it was featured here.

While I don't think this is my favourite installment, it's still pretty good.

jmatkinson1's review

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5.0

A rainy September in 1950s Brighton and both the criminals and the police are concerned about events. A prominent member of a local gang (and triple agent) has disappeared, a lunatic who decapitates policemen has escaped from Broadmoor and an eminent professor has been shot dead in local department store. Inspector Steine has returned to Brighton after being lauded a hero because of his killing of a gangland leader and he has a new secretary who has asked Mrs Groynes, police charlady and criminal mastermind, to keep out of the office and do the work she is paid for. A planned Christmas heist is now under threat.
This is the next in a very entertaining series set in Brighton. Truss has managed a wonderful 'faux-naif' way of writing which suits the preposterous plots and and lends a knowing innocence to the narrative. All together these books are delight, light but with hidden depths.

jonathanrobert's review

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funny lighthearted mysterious 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

kmg365's review against another edition

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4.0


I think I very nearly understand what happened in this book, but what with all the zebra crossings, penguins, French onion sellers, lack of available nuns, pneumatic tubes, Geoffrey Chaucer, and enough female ne'er-do-wells to populate a dozen normal crime fiction series, I can't be sure. The Constable Twitten books are far from normal, and delightfully so. The afterword makes me think that this might be the end of the series. That makes me sad, but I get it. Better to leave people wanting more.

annarella's review against another edition

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4.0

I never know if I'm going to like the stories in this series or not as it's a bit of hit/miss for me. I liked this one and had a lot of fun in reading it.
The plot is well developed, flows and kept me reading. The quirky characters are fleshed out and funny.
There's plenty of humor and there's a weird mystery that I liked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

mayarelmahdy's review

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5.0

#A Book That Sparks Joy

The only problem with loving a series that isn't extremely popular is that it's so hard to find (In audio, that is. Most libraries have the ebook but the audiobook is so good.)

Finally, after about a year of waiting, I got my hands on the audio version!

Was it worth the wait? yes.
Did I love this? Also yes.
Am I scared of the possibility of me not being able to read the next book? Y. E. S.

I also appreciate the nod to the hidden persuaders. I'm probably going to read it just because it was featured here.

While I don't think this is my favourite installment, it's still pretty good.

mccluskey's review

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

4.5