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barry_x's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Had a bit of a search around for some giallo-inspired fiction recently and picked up this and the excellent Dead Girl Blues. Where 'Dead Girl Blues' wears it's influences proudly, I would say, 'Five Deaths for Seven Songbirds' is very much a homage to the giallo, rather than a work strongly influenced by it. I guess everyone reading this book knows what they are getting though. I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy the book, because I did, but it isn't a brilliant book and I guess there is a lot of 'paying tribute to influences' a little too strong.
From the yellow cover to the number and animals in the title straight away you know you are leaning heavily into giallo tropes (I'd have given a bonus point if the title made no sense whatsoever rather than describe to a tee what happens). The story is about an American student called Eve who wins a place at an exclusive music conservatory in Ghent. When she's there, she joins an extra-curricular jazz group whose members start turning up dead.
Straight away the reader can see 'Suspiria' - the American girl, thousands of miles away from home in a dark, gothic, exclusive elite school. The Eyrie is quite a brilliant location. It's always dark and in shadow, the lift never works, it has a cruel superintendent type figure and also a stoic 'Igor' like caretaker. It always feels unsettling and old and shrouded in darkness. Everson always makes this place feel sinister, dangerous, unwelcoming.
And then there are those 'crazy Europeans' - you kind of see this with US writers, the Europeans are sex-obsessed, drinking all the time, for the American girl far from home they seem unfriendly and yet quite liberal in their attitudes (or what I would say 'normal adulting' considering some American attitudes seem to think people are still children until they are 25 or something). We're told the story starts in late August, but I think that's so that every female character can be written wearing skimpy tops and shorts.
Generally speaking though, the tropes are being lined up - murders happen, getting increasingly more gruesome and sleazy as the book moves on. Madness plays a role, where the central character doubts her own sanity and roll in the killings (have you still got your giallo ticksheet?). What the book does quite well is line up a whole range of potential suspects, bringing some in later in the novel and letting others sit in the back for a while. Again, this is giallo 101 and I smiled throughout spotting the tropes and recognising the set up. I did work it out quite early who was the killer but to be honest that didn't spoil my enjoyment because I liked how the different suspects were lined up and even at the reveal how the mystery could have conceivably pointed at another character.
Still got your giallo ticksheet out? Because you're going to need it. The book feels very cinematic. Many scenes in the book I was imagining how they would be filmed, and I guess it would have made quite a good giallo to be fair. We have the black gloved and masked killer of course, we have a number of set pieces (including ones that could have been lifted straight out of Argento's best work) - the thing on the piano and the second person in the lift would look great on film. I mentioned about the murders getting more extreme - towards the end of the book we are in Fulci at his best / worst level. I'd also say we also veer into the 'sexy gialli' trope too, with seemingly every female character getting naked, sleeping with someone, doing other sexy stuff. I was getting a bit bored reading it, but at the same time I could see the influences and what Everson was nodding too. It would be better on film I guess.
Music is at the heart of this book too, and there are moments where you just have to imagine all those amazing scores from gialli - from smooth lounge music and jazz to discordant orchestral terror and foreboding and menace. There's a scene where Eve is playing alone late at night and I can hear the sadness and emotion as she plays - and yet I can see the voyeur, the watcher as the camera looks from afar (that isn't even in the book, but damn I can see the shot!). There is even a Morriconi scholarship!
The cops in the book are completely ineffectual and stupid (they are called Martino and Gastaldi which brought a smile to myself), and Eve herself is stupid - doing inconceivable things regularly. One kind of has to leave their brain at the door a bit (but again I could say all these things are straight from the genre).
I also smiled when the victims surnames were revealed and they are all of amazing lead actresses in giallo (but there should have been a Fenech!)
All this makes it hard to give a fair score. There's a homage and the odd easter egg, and then there is littering every page with them and putting in every trope imaginable. I don't think Everson is a particularly good writer - sometimes the writing seems clunky and whilst I was winking at the tropes I never felt scared. There are few genuine suspenseful moments. The over-arching mystery is a good one but there are a few things poorly explained (is that a trope too?). I found I didn't like Eve much either, or any of the other characters. Despite that it was fun.
I'd say knock a star off if you're not a giallo fan but if you are, you'll have fun with this (even if it would be better on film!)
From the yellow cover to the number and animals in the title straight away you know you are leaning heavily into giallo tropes (I'd have given a bonus point if the title made no sense whatsoever rather than describe to a tee what happens). The story is about an American student called Eve who wins a place at an exclusive music conservatory in Ghent. When she's there, she joins an extra-curricular jazz group whose members start turning up dead.
Straight away the reader can see 'Suspiria' - the American girl, thousands of miles away from home in a dark, gothic, exclusive elite school. The Eyrie is quite a brilliant location. It's always dark and in shadow, the lift never works, it has a cruel superintendent type figure and also a stoic 'Igor' like caretaker. It always feels unsettling and old and shrouded in darkness. Everson always makes this place feel sinister, dangerous, unwelcoming.
And then there are those 'crazy Europeans' - you kind of see this with US writers, the Europeans are sex-obsessed, drinking all the time, for the American girl far from home they seem unfriendly and yet quite liberal in their attitudes (or what I would say 'normal adulting' considering some American attitudes seem to think people are still children until they are 25 or something). We're told the story starts in late August, but I think that's so that every female character can be written wearing skimpy tops and shorts.
Generally speaking though, the tropes are being lined up - murders happen, getting increasingly more gruesome and sleazy as the book moves on. Madness plays a role, where the central character doubts her own sanity and roll in the killings (have you still got your giallo ticksheet?). What the book does quite well is line up a whole range of potential suspects, bringing some in later in the novel and letting others sit in the back for a while. Again, this is giallo 101 and I smiled throughout spotting the tropes and recognising the set up. I did work it out quite early who was the killer but to be honest that didn't spoil my enjoyment because I liked how the different suspects were lined up and even at the reveal how the mystery could have conceivably pointed at another character.
Still got your giallo ticksheet out? Because you're going to need it. The book feels very cinematic. Many scenes in the book I was imagining how they would be filmed, and I guess it would have made quite a good giallo to be fair. We have the black gloved and masked killer of course, we have a number of set pieces (including ones that could have been lifted straight out of Argento's best work) - the thing on the piano and the second person in the lift would look great on film. I mentioned about the murders getting more extreme - towards the end of the book we are in Fulci at his best / worst level. I'd also say we also veer into the 'sexy gialli' trope too, with seemingly every female character getting naked, sleeping with someone, doing other sexy stuff. I was getting a bit bored reading it, but at the same time I could see the influences and what Everson was nodding too. It would be better on film I guess.
Music is at the heart of this book too, and there are moments where you just have to imagine all those amazing scores from gialli - from smooth lounge music and jazz to discordant orchestral terror and foreboding and menace. There's a scene where Eve is playing alone late at night and I can hear the sadness and emotion as she plays - and yet I can see the voyeur, the watcher as the camera looks from afar (that isn't even in the book, but damn I can see the shot!). There is even a Morriconi scholarship!
The cops in the book are completely ineffectual and stupid (they are called Martino and Gastaldi which brought a smile to myself), and Eve herself is stupid - doing inconceivable things regularly. One kind of has to leave their brain at the door a bit (but again I could say all these things are straight from the genre).
I also smiled when the victims surnames were revealed and they are all of amazing lead actresses in giallo (but there should have been a Fenech!)
All this makes it hard to give a fair score. There's a homage and the odd easter egg, and then there is littering every page with them and putting in every trope imaginable. I don't think Everson is a particularly good writer - sometimes the writing seems clunky and whilst I was winking at the tropes I never felt scared. There are few genuine suspenseful moments. The over-arching mystery is a good one but there are a few things poorly explained (is that a trope too?). I found I didn't like Eve much either, or any of the other characters. Despite that it was fun.
I'd say knock a star off if you're not a giallo fan but if you are, you'll have fun with this (even if it would be better on film!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Sexual violence
mgcalder's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
A gripping book that twists and turns until the very end
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, and Suicide
aflogive's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
John Everson's new book, FIVE DEATHS FOR SEVEN SONGBIRDS, offers an homage to the gruesome, violent, and immensely beloved giallo genre. Reminiscent of films like Argento's SUSPIRIA (1977) and OPERA (1987), the story follows Eve Springer, a talented young pianist from New York who begins her first semester at the prestigious Royal Conservatory in Belgium. Unfortunately, Eve's dream of starting her musical career stops short when she stumbles into a string of murders. As she continues to meet her new peers and professors, everyone soon becomes a suspect.
Everson clearly admires the history and traditional features of giallo. As with many of the classic books and films, the killer hides behind black leather gloves, dark sunglasses, and a mask. In FIVE DEATHS, we also get creative, tense, and often psychosexual kill-scenes with students dying by the same instruments they practiced in life. The story succeeded in keeping me on my toes and setting up a puzzling mystery where I did not guess the killer's identity until the very end. I had my suspicions, of course, but that is the purpose of a giallo — for the audience to solve a puzzle alongside the book or film's characters.
FIVE DEATHS lives up to the expected fast pace and page-turning plot of any thriller. Each time the point of view changed to the murder victim, I knew to anticipate some kind of chase scene that would leave me anxious to see what happens next. Overall, the action-focused writing and short chapters made this a quick, casual read.
Unfortunately, the focus on action left, for me, a huge gap in character development. For most of the book, I struggled to pinpoint the characters' motivations. The first part that raised an eyebrow was the school's reaction to the murders. Everyone responded so casually, as if they just heard that the cafeteria wouldn't be serving their favorite meal anymore. There was no sense of urgency, danger, or extreme loss, which didn't seem like a believable response to murder.
I also felt disappointed with the portrayal of female and LGBTQ characters in this book. Although most of the characters felt sort of one-dimensional, I couldn't help but feel the women were the least thought-out. Most of the women seem totally self-absorbed and focused primarily on sex and romance. For example, Eve (as well as most of the other women) seemed to quickly succumb to intense jealousy whenever she felt her new romantic relationship was threatened. This happened so often that jealousy seemed to override every other emotion for the first half of the book, including fear or sadness caused by the murders.
I understand that slashers in general don't have the best reputation when it comes to representing women, but I really hoped that a "modern giallo" would fight to empower its characters rather than fall into outdated stereotypes.
For readers drawn more to complex characters in their books, maybe grab something else off your TBR shelf for now. But if you frequently return to Argento, Fulci, Bava, Martino, or any of the greats for your weekly movie night, FIVE DEATHS FOR SEVEN SONGBIRDS offers a treasure trove of hidden-giallo-gems any superfan would appreciate.
Thank you to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for an advanced review copy! FIVE DEATHS FOR SEVEN SONGBIRDS is scheduled for release on February 22, 2022.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Blood
Minor: Suicide, Bullying, and Lesbophobia
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