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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted to like this so bad; I love whodunit stories! However there were so many characters to keep track of so early on - it was tough. It was even worse because the POVs switched in every chapter to be people who weren't very relevant to the story, except as a plot device. The chapters lengths were very random; which I'm usually okay with BUT it would switch abruptly in the middle of scenes. I couldn't follow what was actually supposed to be going on besides some key "evil"/ bad mind people.
The plot idea was great, but I couldn't even feel bad or anxious for the Main Character (who is supposed to be Ms Hortense) because we never really got to know Ms. Hortense. Whodunit books are supposed to feed characters certain clues and characteristics that weren't provided to us.
I wanted to love this book but I barely like it. I would be interested to see another concept by this author developed further though.
The plot idea was great, but I couldn't even feel bad or anxious for the Main Character (who is supposed to be Ms Hortense) because we never really got to know Ms. Hortense. Whodunit books are supposed to feed characters certain clues and characteristics that weren't provided to us.
I wanted to love this book but I barely like it. I would be interested to see another concept by this author developed further though.
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Star Rating to come!
I'm unfortunately going to have to pause reading this one and wait for it to hopefully come out on audio. Dialect heavy books are really hard for me to read but I love listening to them.
I didn't get very far but the story was compelling and the characters seemed very interesting! I can see this story will have a bunch of secrets to uncover and twists and turn and I can't wait to continue in the future.
I received this story as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm unfortunately going to have to pause reading this one and wait for it to hopefully come out on audio. Dialect heavy books are really hard for me to read but I love listening to them.
I didn't get very far but the story was compelling and the characters seemed very interesting! I can see this story will have a bunch of secrets to uncover and twists and turn and I can't wait to continue in the future.
I received this story as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to John Murray Press | Baskerville for granting me access to the ARC. While reading, I couldn't help but feel that this book will resonate with fans of Richard Osman, whose work I admire greatly. One character that truly captivated me was Miss Hortense. She is sort of a Jamaican Miss Marple, infused with a unique and iconic attitude. I also appreciated the exquisite details woven throughout the narrative, particularly those that highlight the rich culture of the immigrant communities surrounding Miss Hortense. Is a solid good read I recommend to people who like to read crime
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
MIss Hortense is one heck of a formidable woman. A stalwart of the Jamaican community in Bigglesweigh, a matriarchal figure, of sorts, to many, much to the chagrin of one or two of her former neighbours. She was one of the founding members of the community Pardner network, a kind of Jamaican co-op system that helps out its members though a kind of savings and loan arrangement, she has long been ousted from her position there, but stills sees it as her duty to advise its remaining committee members on the safety of certain proposed investments - surreptitiously, of course. When one of the aforementioned committee members, her greatest nemesis and her the person who orchestrated Miss Hortenses' removal from the Pardner, is found dead, Miss Hortense instinctively knows there is more to her demise than meets the eye. When a second body is found soon after in the dead woman's home, MIss Hortense is forced to face a part of her past that she'd sooner forget, one that could prove to be deadly.
I really quite liked MIss Hortense as a character. She has a straight talking, no messing about personality. The kind of woman the phrase 'doesn't suffer fools' was designed to describe. She has a natural instinct and intuition when it comes to people who aren't acting on the straight and narrow, and whilst she may at times appear intolerant, she is actually a very compassionate women, even when it comes to those who would do her harm. Apart from Constance Brown, her nemesis and the reigning 'Pardner Lady'. She has a ind of Miss Marple esque awareness of what is going on around her, and a fearlessness, but with a decidedly Jamaican air.
I'll admit that I did struggle initially to settle into the book. The author quite rightly uses patois in the conversations between many of the characters, particularly those who emigrated from Jamaica in the 1960s as you would likely expect. There is a sense of authenticity derived from including this closeness, an almost closed door community, and use of the language that would come most naturally to them. My brain always, always, tries to translate any speech in local dialect, to English-English when I read, but when I switch off my inner duolingo and just let myself fall into the rhythm and patterns of their conversations, it all flows perfectly. The author does a great job in explaining some of the more traditional aspects of the Jamaican community, such as what a pardner is, which is necessary for those of us completely ignorant, and this makes the first half of the book feel like a different pace to the latter half, where we, and Miss Hortense, get to the crux of the investigation.
The book as a feel of classic amateur sleuth investigation akin to an Agatha Christie story but with a vibrant and passionate Jamaican heart. The more I was drawn into the story, the more curious I was about what it was in Miss Hortense's past that saw her thrown out of the pardner she created, and what was the cause of such deep regret. The story delves into the past of the characters, giving a glimpse of those early days in the 1960s to allow us to establish all of the main characters, although the majority of the action takes place in the present. There is a darker side to the book, although the toughest part of the story are told after the fact in a more respectful way, not forcing readers to live through what could otherwise be quite a difficult scene to read about. There is no doubting the impact of what happens in the past, or how it informs and reflects upon the present, but it is handled with full sensitivity by the author.
The final scenes take place in a very Miss Marple like way with all of the key suspects gathered in one place whilst Miss Hortense completes the big reveal. Whether everyone who deserves it gets their just deserts, I'll leave you to decide. But I am intrigued by that ending and the promise of more to come. Miss Hortense definitely has the smarts and I get the feeling that the community of Bigglesweigh hasn't given up all of its secrets yet. Definitely recommended for fans of a Christie Classic with a very modern, and more culturally inclusive, slant.
I really quite liked MIss Hortense as a character. She has a straight talking, no messing about personality. The kind of woman the phrase 'doesn't suffer fools' was designed to describe. She has a natural instinct and intuition when it comes to people who aren't acting on the straight and narrow, and whilst she may at times appear intolerant, she is actually a very compassionate women, even when it comes to those who would do her harm. Apart from Constance Brown, her nemesis and the reigning 'Pardner Lady'. She has a ind of Miss Marple esque awareness of what is going on around her, and a fearlessness, but with a decidedly Jamaican air.
I'll admit that I did struggle initially to settle into the book. The author quite rightly uses patois in the conversations between many of the characters, particularly those who emigrated from Jamaica in the 1960s as you would likely expect. There is a sense of authenticity derived from including this closeness, an almost closed door community, and use of the language that would come most naturally to them. My brain always, always, tries to translate any speech in local dialect, to English-English when I read, but when I switch off my inner duolingo and just let myself fall into the rhythm and patterns of their conversations, it all flows perfectly. The author does a great job in explaining some of the more traditional aspects of the Jamaican community, such as what a pardner is, which is necessary for those of us completely ignorant, and this makes the first half of the book feel like a different pace to the latter half, where we, and Miss Hortense, get to the crux of the investigation.
The book as a feel of classic amateur sleuth investigation akin to an Agatha Christie story but with a vibrant and passionate Jamaican heart. The more I was drawn into the story, the more curious I was about what it was in Miss Hortense's past that saw her thrown out of the pardner she created, and what was the cause of such deep regret. The story delves into the past of the characters, giving a glimpse of those early days in the 1960s to allow us to establish all of the main characters, although the majority of the action takes place in the present. There is a darker side to the book, although the toughest part of the story are told after the fact in a more respectful way, not forcing readers to live through what could otherwise be quite a difficult scene to read about. There is no doubting the impact of what happens in the past, or how it informs and reflects upon the present, but it is handled with full sensitivity by the author.
The final scenes take place in a very Miss Marple like way with all of the key suspects gathered in one place whilst Miss Hortense completes the big reveal. Whether everyone who deserves it gets their just deserts, I'll leave you to decide. But I am intrigued by that ending and the promise of more to come. Miss Hortense definitely has the smarts and I get the feeling that the community of Bigglesweigh hasn't given up all of its secrets yet. Definitely recommended for fans of a Christie Classic with a very modern, and more culturally inclusive, slant.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes