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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
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
DNF'ing. Only got to 6%, yet it felt like more than that (without anything really intriguing happening); it unfortunately hadn't hooked me at all.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5 stars, this started out a bit confusing, but the characters and plot grew on me and I ended up really liking it. There are strong feelings around family and religion and hidden secrets turned up, so it's not cozy like the cover might lead you to believe. I couldn't quite figure out why our narrator was comfortable dropping an F bomb but had to say "a very bad word starting with B" a few times, that was funny.
This is a fun cozy, set in the iCaribbean immigrant community of England, revolving around a traditional financial arrangement called a Pardner, necessitated by the unwillingness of the British old-guard business community to provide financial support to blacks. The Pardner is a serial borrowing ring, with one person in charge of the record-keeping. In the early 1960s, a young woman who has immigrated to be near her sister and to study to become a nurse is elected the executive of the Oardner, and during the time she runs it, she has an informal detective avocation based on the internal knowledge of the community. She is not above using a fake I.d. or picking a lock to help fill in gaps of knowledge about malfeasance within the community, but after a tragic event tied to her detecting causes the death of a dear friend, she backs out of the Pardner and her information seeking. That is, until old age begins to take a toll on the members of the Pardner, and young, ruthless people of the second generation get involved, and Hortense feels it is necessary to uncover the old secrets. The fun of the book is the immigrant community, and for me, the variations on island patois.
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It’s just way too action packed for me. Also I’m not a fan of the detective being very emotionally invested in the case
adventurous
dark
funny
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:
No
I picked this up after a Bookriot host recommended it alongside "Detective Aunty," which I also read and enjoyed. Both books feature amateur detectives who are older women of color and immigrants.
I listened to the audiobook and loved the narration, although it was hard to keep all the characters and flashbacks straight on audio. I like Pennant's writing style, which has a lot of subtle humor. The ending seems to set up a sequel, and I would definitely read more!
I listened to the audiobook and loved the narration, although it was hard to keep all the characters and flashbacks straight on audio. I like Pennant's writing style, which has a lot of subtle humor. The ending seems to set up a sequel, and I would definitely read more!
Not sure if it was the narrator, or i just wasn't in the mood.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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:
Complicated
Cozy murder mystery is one of my favourite genres and so I had high hopes for this book, and it didn't disappoint.
I struggled a little with the volume of characters and how they all fit together - it would have been helpful to have a more detailed character list at the start with the pardner members families.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed following Miss Hortense around Bigglesweigh and look forward to her next adventure.
I struggled a little with the volume of characters and how they all fit together - it would have been helpful to have a more detailed character list at the start with the pardner members families.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed following Miss Hortense around Bigglesweigh and look forward to her next adventure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Suicide, Murder