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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
A Glimmer of Death by Valerie Wilson Wesley is the debut of the Odessa Jones Mysteries. Odessa “Dessa” Jones is a widow who is still grieving the loss of her beloved husband. They had a catering business together, but Dessa has not felt like cooking since her husband’s death. This is what led Dessa to get her realtor’s license and begin working at Risko Realty. Dessa was hoping for a cozy work atmosphere where she would make friends, but that is not the case at Risko Realty. Charlie Risko has a temper, and the atmosphere is tense. Odessa inherited the family “gift”, but she is wary of it and has never learned to use it. We learn more about Odessa, her deceased husband, her “gift”, and her family as the book progresses. A Glimmer of Death is told in the first-person point-of-view, so we are privy to all of Odessa’s thoughts (which can be rambling and repetitious). I was not a fan of Odessa nor many of the other characters in this book. The exception is Odessa’s two aunts. The murder of Charlie Risko has Odessa questioning her fellow realtors in hopes of revealing the killer. She uses baked goods as a way to get into their homes and ask questions. There are a handful of unlikeable suspects all with motive to kill Charlie (he was an odious man). Most readers will have no problem solving this whodunit long before the reveal. I had hoped it would be more of a challenge since there were so many suspects. The clues were a bit too obvious. I do want to let readers know there is, unfortunately, some mild foul language in the book. I like the potential love interest for Odessa. He is a kind man who is a former cop who now runs a killer barbecue joint. He is also helpful to Odessa’s investigation. I wanted to like A Glimmer of Death, but it is a lukewarm read for me. I could not get into the book. I found it a dull read (boring, unlikeable characters, sluggish pacing, and an easy to solve mystery). The paranormal element was light and confusing. The story needed more excitement and action. It is classified as a cozy mystery, but it lacked that cozy feel (charming small town with friendly residents). The ending was anticlimactic and rushed. This is the first book in the series, so I am hoping for improvement in the next Odessa Jones Mystery.
annahf's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
henrygravesprince's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This book was an easy read and a solid, compelling enough cozy mystery. The found family aspect is interesting; I liked that it’s a very fragile sense of found family that our protagonist is somewhat hesitant to engage in that develops over the course of the story. Often I’m skeptical of that label because so frequently it’s applied to stories where the found family aspect isn’t well-developed or even present; this book definitely delivers on it and does so in an interesting way (this is maybe a bizarre comparison but it takes me back to the found family development of Dragon Age 2). Definitely interested in seeing where the rest of the series goes moving forward.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Racism, Infidelity, Trafficking, and Gun violence
Minor: Misogyny, Fatphobia, and Homophobia
kittey2ng's review
3.0
Liked it but not enough to continue series. Will try other books by author thoigh
princesscinna's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
michellethebookcritic's review
3.0
A Glimmer of Death is a short, sweet cozy mystery revolving around a death of a cruel con man who had many enemies (need I say so myself).
It was an emergency goal of mine to look for the quickest entertainment I could find. After all, life does get boring, ya know? ;-;
Anyway, it was slow, (but) addicting to read. I finished it in a week and here are my thoughts that I've gathered:
Dessa is a good main character, she's not like your typical detective. She isn't smart asf and that's what makes her relatable. I gotta say as much as I love smart people and smartness in general, I couldn't understand them sometimes. It's just that feeling.
The mystery was kinda boring... I already sensed that the author would do that certain technique where she makes a certain person look guilty and then make it someone else entirely. This happens in most mystery books so I'm not surprised. I wasn't into it.
All in all, I rated it three stars because it was a decent book. Ofc not a masterpiece but not absolute trash either. Definitely pick it up if you're bored and you have nothing to do.
EDIT: The ending is actually pretty bad! Don't expect things to be resolved slowly- the ending is like 3 pages long and that's it. I honestly think the author could have done better.
After all, everyone seemed sus. It wasn't surprising to have the murderer be one of the sus people.
Too short of an ending and just not of a good one...
It was an emergency goal of mine to look for the quickest entertainment I could find. After all, life does get boring, ya know? ;-;
Anyway, it was slow, (but) addicting to read. I finished it in a week and here are my thoughts that I've gathered:
Dessa is a good main character, she's not like your typical detective. She isn't smart asf and that's what makes her relatable. I gotta say as much as I love smart people and smartness in general, I couldn't understand them sometimes. It's just that feeling.
The mystery was kinda boring... I already sensed that the author would do that certain technique where she makes a certain person look guilty and then make it someone else entirely. This happens in most mystery books so I'm not surprised. I wasn't into it.
All in all, I rated it three stars because it was a decent book. Ofc not a masterpiece but not absolute trash either. Definitely pick it up if you're bored and you have nothing to do.
EDIT: The ending is actually pretty bad! Don't expect things to be resolved slowly- the ending is like 3 pages long and that's it. I honestly think the author could have done better.
After all, everyone seemed sus. It wasn't surprising to have the murderer be one of the sus people.
Too short of an ending and just not of a good one...
mochimustreads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Suicide
emilyilyily's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5