Scan barcode
dieseidelmine's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Witty conversation, likeable main characters and plot that ties together nicely in the end. Enjoyed reading this
quirkilybookish's review against another edition
mysterious
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? Yes
2.5
an engaging mystery and a decent quick holiday read. turns tropes on their head and is progressive in some ways, enough so that some dated language didn’t bother me too much. still, a side effect of making everyone look suspicious means they are written quite inconsistently and none are particularly likeable. this undermines a lot of the interesting social commentary as most male characters have near constant misogynistic thoughts but are constantly lecturing each other for them. still, the women are arguably the most well developed and interesting characters, and the novel challenges a lot of sexist crime tropes so I can see why the blurbs applaud it as a progressive debut in the genre at the time.
Graphic: Rape and Child abuse
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Violence, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Sexism
Minor: Eating disorder and Car accident
homohobia/lesbophobia:alrey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lisaeirene's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed most of this book. I felt like the character development was superb. I liked the dialogue. The ending fell flat for me.
jaee_s's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thomas_wright's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
i loved this book ive enjoyed all minette Walters books that ive tried so far i obviously can't mention anything about it as i don't want to give spoilers but i can't wait to see the tv mini series adaptation
saramicholas's review against another edition
2.0
had to check to see if this was written by a woman….just so much to unpack here. could’ve been a really good mystery without the misogyny and homophobic shit.
also only read this in my pursuit to read all the books on my bookshelf – most of which i didn’t buy myself but was given because of a garage sale happening in my neighborhood when i was a kid. thank god i waited like ten years to read this one.
also only read this in my pursuit to read all the books on my bookshelf – most of which i didn’t buy myself but was given because of a garage sale happening in my neighborhood when i was a kid. thank god i waited like ten years to read this one.
kalkie's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting read and a good "whodunnit". Minette Walters keeps the pace of the book going, with just enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing the ending too quickly. Sometimes I felt a little bogged down in details, but on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It's not too taxing, but perfect as a holiday read or for curling up in front of the fire with one night.