Reviews - Napuklo ogledalo

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1.14k reviews for:

Napuklo ogledalo

3.84 AVERAGE

carolinerd's review against another edition

3.0

mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Miss Marple investigates the murder of a local woman at a charity fête hosted by a celebrated film star who has moved into the area. Why would anyone kill the slightly annoying but essentially kind Mrs Heather Badcock? Was the poison intended for someone else?

It's all very intriguing and Miss Marple, despite her advancing years and increasing reliance on carers to help with her physical needs, is as mentally sharp as ever. I was fascinated by the character of Marina Gregg, the volatile and in some ways rather tragic middle aged actress and I was curious to find out more about her, so it was very easy to keep turning the pages.

Despite there being a few too many coincidences, it's an inspired plot and the ending really packed quite a punch. I was literally in the final few pages when I 'solved' the mystery. An enjoyable read.

Content Warnings

avl_book_girl's review against another edition

3.75

medium-paced

samschnell19's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I like a slow mystery but this one was extra slow. I enjoyed listening to it as background noise but I did have to rewind a couple times when it lost my attention. I don’t think I would have finished it quickly if it had my full attention.

millamoi's review against another edition

4.75

mysterious

mxinky's review against another edition

5.0

I found this to be entertaining and I also enjoyed the "villain's" motive.

bibliofeel's review against another edition

3.25

mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

snoozingbookworm's review against another edition

5.0

Miss Marple never ceases to amaze me.

hjrey's review against another edition

3.0

dark lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A joke that had somehow gone wrong - that had proved dangerous, done by a person who never dreamt that it would be dangerous...

About: A famous actress moves into Miss Marple's village and when she hosts a charitable fete the whole community show up, eager to take a glimpse at celebrity. However when one lifelong fan ends up dead, it appears they've been poisoned - but the poison seems to have been meant for another...

The Good

I enjoyed the mystery being cloaked in the glamour and scandal of a Hollywood actress's life. All the love affairs, secret children and dramatics on set I thought were well included into the intrigue. I also really loved the atmosphere of the pivotal moment: when actress Marina Briggs sees something that freezes her in place, and then moments later a guest is poisoned. There's a real element of horror to the moment and when we find out later that the poison was from her glass - that she was the intended victim, it really dramatizes it further. We're desperate to know who or what she was looking at.

The Bad

The pace is very cosy and slow, which is not necessarily a bad thing as it is enjoyable to read, it's just not gripping. I found a lot of the conversations, while realistic and adding to the charm of an old country life, were repetitive. Everyone says the same thing about what kind of person the victim was and most people's observations were similar in nature so you don't think you're learning anything particularly new.

The Somewhat Iffy

I loved the reveal of why Mrs Badcock died that day, but I'm very confused why the later victims did. They didn't seem to know anything and one of them appeared to be blackmailing the wrong person.

There was also conversations around the secretary being in love with Jason Rudd but before this is told to us I don't even remember them being in a scene together and even when they are later one, I tried to see what hints there were of any attraction and I still didn't see it.

What a massive and random coincidence that Mr Badcock was who he was.

Overall

A cosy murder mystery that has great atmosphere but is a bit slow paced and has a few unnecessary twists.