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emily_loves_2_read's review against another edition
4.0
A Beginner’s Guide to Murder
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 7/5/22
Author: Rosalind Stopps
Publisher: HQ
Pages: 368
Goodreads Rating: 3.65
TW ⚠️: Child abuse, child trafficking, and mental illness.
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and HQ and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Grace, Meg and Daphne, all in their seventies, are minding their own business while enjoying a cup of tea in a café, when seventeen-year-old Nina stumbles in. She’s clearly distraught and running from someone, so the three women think nothing of hiding her when a suspicious-looking man starts asking if they’ve seen her. Once alone, Nina tells the women a little of what she’s running from. The need to protect her is immediate, and Grace, Meg and Daphne vow to do just this. But how? They soon realise there really is only one answer: murder.
My Thoughts: The story begins in the current with Nina running into the cafe, and then backtracks all of their own stories and how we got to that point. Each of the ladies, Grace, Meg, Daphne, and Nina narrates, alternating, from their own perspectives. Even the story starts with a bang, there are some slow parts in the first half of the story as the foundation is built. The characters are well developed, with depth, growth, inventive, and is just really works for this story. The author does a fantastic job at the plot, it is dark and disturbing, which fills you with horror and suspense, but is not graphic, it is just done in a very mysterious tasteful way. The author’s writing style is thought provoking, has complexity in layers, creative, and intriguing. I enjoyed this book and would read other books by this author.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 7/5/22
Author: Rosalind Stopps
Publisher: HQ
Pages: 368
Goodreads Rating: 3.65
TW ⚠️: Child abuse, child trafficking, and mental illness.
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and HQ and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: Grace, Meg and Daphne, all in their seventies, are minding their own business while enjoying a cup of tea in a café, when seventeen-year-old Nina stumbles in. She’s clearly distraught and running from someone, so the three women think nothing of hiding her when a suspicious-looking man starts asking if they’ve seen her. Once alone, Nina tells the women a little of what she’s running from. The need to protect her is immediate, and Grace, Meg and Daphne vow to do just this. But how? They soon realise there really is only one answer: murder.
My Thoughts: The story begins in the current with Nina running into the cafe, and then backtracks all of their own stories and how we got to that point. Each of the ladies, Grace, Meg, Daphne, and Nina narrates, alternating, from their own perspectives. Even the story starts with a bang, there are some slow parts in the first half of the story as the foundation is built. The characters are well developed, with depth, growth, inventive, and is just really works for this story. The author does a fantastic job at the plot, it is dark and disturbing, which fills you with horror and suspense, but is not graphic, it is just done in a very mysterious tasteful way. The author’s writing style is thought provoking, has complexity in layers, creative, and intriguing. I enjoyed this book and would read other books by this author.
zeeohee's review against another edition
3.0
Three elderly women who know each other purely through a Pilates class are pulled into a young girls life when she stumbles into a coffee shop and asks for their help. From there both hilarity and some dark stuff goes down. The book goes back and forth between the present and several months previous to show how events end up as they do. Mixed in are memories from the three elderly women and their lives.
This book might’ve been higher rated for me but I think I was thrown off. I thought I was getting something more akin to a cozy mystery and instead got something that deals with some darker aspects of humanity. It is a solid 3 stars for the below reasons.
Overall, the book was a fun read and I really loved that the main characters were all older women and how we got to know their inner lives and see them as people (which often doesn’t happen when elderly people, especially women identifying, are portrayed).
I do think I got a little lost in the middle and lost some interest. Like it could’ve ended a bit earlier. No spoilers but there’s a repetitive thing that happens that felt like it dragged a little.
Lots of funny quips, interesting nods to world events/ideas, and solid writing.
POV jumps around quite a bit and I sometimes got a little confused but mostly stayed with it.
Would not recommend to my mom. Would recommend to someone who loves true crime.
This book might’ve been higher rated for me but I think I was thrown off. I thought I was getting something more akin to a cozy mystery and instead got something that deals with some darker aspects of humanity. It is a solid 3 stars for the below reasons.
Overall, the book was a fun read and I really loved that the main characters were all older women and how we got to know their inner lives and see them as people (which often doesn’t happen when elderly people, especially women identifying, are portrayed).
I do think I got a little lost in the middle and lost some interest. Like it could’ve ended a bit earlier. No spoilers but there’s a repetitive thing that happens that felt like it dragged a little.
Lots of funny quips, interesting nods to world events/ideas, and solid writing.
POV jumps around quite a bit and I sometimes got a little confused but mostly stayed with it.
Would not recommend to my mom. Would recommend to someone who loves true crime.
puri's review against another edition
3.0
This book did initially grab my interest. It touches on some very serious topics which are juxtaposed with cozy/quirky interactions between the characters, and it sometimes took me a second to shift gears between the seriousness and the quirkiness.
I felt like some of the characters weren’t fully fleshed out. The author did a good job introducing us to Nina and encouraging our investment in her story and outcome, but I thought she fell short when it came to the older ladies. That interest in Nina kept me reading to see how everything turned out for her, but I didn’t feel as invested in Daphne, Grace, and Meg’s stories.
There were also couple of characters introduced toward the end of the the book, Gordon and Susannah, who were superfluous. Their presence didn’t change or advance the story in any significant way so I was a bit confused about their addition.
The cast of characters is diverse and I enjoyed watching those relationships develop between people not only of different races, but also different ages, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Overall, it was an okay read.
I felt like some of the characters weren’t fully fleshed out. The author did a good job introducing us to Nina and encouraging our investment in her story and outcome, but I thought she fell short when it came to the older ladies. That interest in Nina kept me reading to see how everything turned out for her, but I didn’t feel as invested in Daphne, Grace, and Meg’s stories.
There were also couple of characters introduced toward the end of the the book, Gordon and Susannah, who were superfluous. Their presence didn’t change or advance the story in any significant way so I was a bit confused about their addition.
The cast of characters is diverse and I enjoyed watching those relationships develop between people not only of different races, but also different ages, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Overall, it was an okay read.
heatheradoresbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.25⭐
Three lonely, 70 year old ladies ~ Meg, Grace and Daphne work together to help a young girl, Nina, hide from a dangerous man.
This was a darker read than I thought it would be ~ human trafficking, rape, physical abuse
I love that it's told in each of the four characters perspectives, but this was just okay for me. I actually skimmed some of the backstory of the ladies lives. Maybe that was supposed to be a way to toughen up these old ladies to show us what they have lived through, but meh, I wasn't feeling it. I did enjoy how it was all wrapped up as it stepped up the suspense towards the end. One thing is for sure, Nina made a good choice by seeking out the help from these ladies. Never underestimate the power and wit of the older generation because looks can be deceiving.
I do have Rosalind's other book in my queue, so I'm hoping that one is more up my alley.
*Thanks to Harper 360, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
More reviews here ➡ Heather Adores Books
Three lonely, 70 year old ladies ~ Meg, Grace and Daphne work together to help a young girl, Nina, hide from a dangerous man.
This was a darker read than I thought it would be ~ human trafficking, rape, physical abuse
I love that it's told in each of the four characters perspectives, but this was just okay for me. I actually skimmed some of the backstory of the ladies lives. Maybe that was supposed to be a way to toughen up these old ladies to show us what they have lived through, but meh, I wasn't feeling it. I did enjoy how it was all wrapped up as it stepped up the suspense towards the end. One thing is for sure, Nina made a good choice by seeking out the help from these ladies. Never underestimate the power and wit of the older generation because looks can be deceiving.
I do have Rosalind's other book in my queue, so I'm hoping that one is more up my alley.
*Thanks to Harper 360, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
More reviews here ➡ Heather Adores Books
joo13's review against another edition
4.0
Three old ladies are sat having a cup of tea in a cafe when a young girl runs in. As she hides in the toilets a man comes looking for her and looks like he's trouble.
Grace, Daphne and Meg decide they need to help Nina and kill the toady looking man. As the story unfolds it is written from a first person perspective with each of the women taking a chapter. This helps to describe the now and the previous.
I enjoyed this story, both the past and the present and the supporting characters.
Grace, Daphne and Meg decide they need to help Nina and kill the toady looking man. As the story unfolds it is written from a first person perspective with each of the women taking a chapter. This helps to describe the now and the previous.
I enjoyed this story, both the past and the present and the supporting characters.
sophir's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.75
not what I thought this book would be like at all. a good book but really not for me, too sad and upsetting
sashachauhan's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
deirdreanais's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0