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amlibera's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe 3.5 stars, charming classic style murder mystery set in the post-war Riviera. Very British, very much a puzzle mystery. For some reason it felt much longer (and took much longer for me to read) than it's actual page count.
krobart's review against another edition
3.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/04/05/day-878-death-on-the-riviera/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/04/05/day-878-death-on-the-riviera/
mckeanja's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
orangeagogo's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
Not as good as a Christie, but very similar. Too many subplots
ilariam's review
3.0
Per chi come me ama i gialli classici (omicidio --> indagine --> soluzione) il fatto che gran parte di Morte in Costa Azzurra sia dedicata alla ricerca di un falsario e al blocco di un traffico di contrabbando non è esattamente il massimo. In questo lungo percorso, però, piccole molliche di pane vengono abbandonate qua e là, lasciando presagire che prima o poi ci sarà pane per i denti anche per l'amante del giallo ad enigma, ed infatti l'attesa viene infine premiata. Bisogna ammettere che quanto seminato in precedenza fa facilmente intuire quale sia davvero la soluzione, cosa che non rende il "giallo" particolarmente entusiasmante, ma la lettura è comunque piacevole e scorrevole, quindi romanzo promosso anche se con un punteggio non esaltante.
amberpoppyhope's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
3.0
markusirl's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the plot but he seemed to have changed his writing style which I didn't like.
shanaqui's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Death on the Riviera isn't one of the best of the British Library Crime Classics series, but it's a solid one. Bude's plots and writing tend to the workman-like, and his detective is mostly a blank with no real personality (though his subordinate had a bit more of a personality here, with his love affair with someone involved in the case).
All of which is not to say that I didn't enjoy this, because Bude's books are absolutely archetypical for a certain period of crime fiction, and thus very relaxing. You know what to expect, and you get it -- after a fair amount of puzzling things out, a few red herrings, and a dead end.
I have to admit, I missed a couple of the hints here, and had to flip back to see if I thought they were really telegraphed. Maybe not quite, there was one thing that isn't really foreshadowed well (and I don't think it would've given the game away to make it a little clearer), but it all comes together in the end.
If you're looking for the best writing or the best plotting, this won't be it! But it is solid for what it is, and exactly what I wanted (though E.C.R. Lorac delivers a similar experience with a better sense of place and character).
All of which is not to say that I didn't enjoy this, because Bude's books are absolutely archetypical for a certain period of crime fiction, and thus very relaxing. You know what to expect, and you get it -- after a fair amount of puzzling things out, a few red herrings, and a dead end.
I have to admit, I missed a couple of the hints here, and had to flip back to see if I thought they were really telegraphed. Maybe not quite, there was one thing that isn't really foreshadowed well (and I don't think it would've given the game away to make it a little clearer), but it all comes together in the end.
If you're looking for the best writing or the best plotting, this won't be it! But it is solid for what it is, and exactly what I wanted (though E.C.R. Lorac delivers a similar experience with a better sense of place and character).