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lumbermouth's review against another edition
4.0
Suspense drama mystery intrigue magic!! Post WWII Brighton! Don't fucking underestimate the women! Edgar, you are still an extreme dumdum about women.
nocto's review against another edition
3.0
I went straight onto this after finishing Smoke & Mirrors, only being slightly derailed by the change of narrator. He's made Edgar's accent rougher than I felt it should be, but on the whole I think he was better at the range of voices required for an audiobook.
The plot here was distinctly ropey - it's 1953 and there are Coronation upsetting schemes afoot. The scale of the book never seemed quite right, was it going to turn out to be a small murder mystery or an international anarchist conspiracy? Edgar gets a side trip to New York that seemed a bit strange and out of place. I didn't feel it was adequately explained by the plot and I wondered what was being set up here. Nothing came of it in this book. I know from her other series that Elly Griffiths likes to have her side stories play out over multiple books so maybe something more will happen in the future. There is also an intrigue being set up with regards to Ruby and Emma, and I think I know what's going to happen with those two but the characters were ignorant to it in this book.
The weakest in the series so far, but it's got me invested in the characters and I'll be onto the next book to find out what happens next all the same.
The plot here was distinctly ropey - it's 1953 and there are Coronation upsetting schemes afoot. The scale of the book never seemed quite right, was it going to turn out to be a small murder mystery or an international anarchist conspiracy? Edgar gets a side trip to New York that seemed a bit strange and out of place. I didn't feel it was adequately explained by the plot and I wondered what was being set up here. Nothing came of it in this book. I know from her other series that Elly Griffiths likes to have her side stories play out over multiple books so maybe something more will happen in the future. There is also an intrigue being set up with regards to Ruby and Emma, and I think I know what's going to happen with those two but the characters were ignorant to it in this book.
The weakest in the series so far, but it's got me invested in the characters and I'll be onto the next book to find out what happens next all the same.
verityw's review against another edition
3.0
Clever and interesting. Maybe not quite as good as the previous one, but still very good.
jenpsz's review against another edition
5.0
Don’t know why I put off reading this series. It’s excellent.
camillam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emlilley's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really like this series, and this third book is even stronger thank the first two. The backdrop of Elizabeth II’s coronation coupled with the advent of television and commercial air travel added lots of fun midcentury historical detail, and all the characters got some added depth and action. Enjoyed the espionage and Romany aspects to the story, and getting a bit of the true but sad history of the way non-English people living in Britain were mistreated during the war in the name of safety. Happy to see the progression of both Emma and Ruby’s characters beyond a love triangle, as well as the professional growth both get to experience.