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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
A clever puzzle of a book, likely to be catnip for fans of Agatha Christie or other classic British mysteries. Sad to say I've never been drawn to such titles: human drama and deep character development have always moved me more than intellectual puzzles.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
slow-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:
No
It's fairly hard going, but the pay off is worth it. Plus you can skim read towards the end, which I found myself doing as there was a lot of writing (if that makes sense) before the conclusion. The way the book was written was enjoyable, I liked the novel within a novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cancer, Suicide
Minor: Abandonment
Such a strange and interesting plot. Decent characters, a little long.
3.5 stars
Had some structural issues, I forgot about the first mystery by the time the final chapter was revealed.
Had some structural issues, I forgot about the first mystery by the time the final chapter was revealed.
I bet this is a good mystery whodunnit book. I just don’t like those kinds of books. It’s gonna be a 2 for me so I remember not to try again.
3 stars
An editor investigates the apparent suicide of her agency's best-selling author. Within the book is the supposed final book in that author's best-selling detective series. A homage to the classic Christie novels, the modern half of the book also analyses mystery writers and their self-concept. Not really a puzzle-mystery in terms of a how-dunnit but does well in analysing character motivations and reading undercurrents in the room.
Notes:
- A well-written novel that feels pretty weightless, and a plot I more admired for its tight plotting than perhaps I really enjoyed. The novel-within is pretty inessential fare, and the external novel does well in characterising the victim as both a frustrated writer and a real asshole who hurts those around him.
- Although the novel was extremely easy to read, I still felt it dragged at parts when Horowitz investigated all of the red herrings that he has included. This felt very tedious when the characters largely were fairly uninteresting small-village British people. The book discusses the propensity for murders to be set in villages, noting that the intimacy of a village writes large the petty tensions within it. But nevertheless, the tension feels petty and uninteresting (to me).
- The motive of the external murderer works quite well. The contrast of the happiness other people derive from the Atticus Pund novels and the disdain the author has for his own characters is a theme that you do hear about somewhat often, and there is some sense of tragedy when someone thinks his real talent is passed over for what he thinks to be slop.
An editor investigates the apparent suicide of her agency's best-selling author. Within the book is the supposed final book in that author's best-selling detective series. A homage to the classic Christie novels, the modern half of the book also analyses mystery writers and their self-concept. Not really a puzzle-mystery in terms of a how-dunnit but does well in analysing character motivations and reading undercurrents in the room.
Notes:
- A well-written novel that feels pretty weightless, and a plot I more admired for its tight plotting than perhaps I really enjoyed. The novel-within is pretty inessential fare, and the external novel does well in characterising the victim as both a frustrated writer and a real asshole who hurts those around him.
- Although the novel was extremely easy to read, I still felt it dragged at parts when Horowitz investigated all of the red herrings that he has included. This felt very tedious when the characters largely were fairly uninteresting small-village British people. The book discusses the propensity for murders to be set in villages, noting that the intimacy of a village writes large the petty tensions within it. But nevertheless, the tension feels petty and uninteresting (to me).
- The motive of the external murderer works quite well. The contrast of the happiness other people derive from the Atticus Pund novels and the disdain the author has for his own characters is a theme that you do hear about somewhat often, and there is some sense of tragedy when someone thinks his real talent is passed over for what he thinks to be slop.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
A love letter to Agatha Christie and fans of the mystery genre. A challenging story-within-a-story, this book is a fun double mystery.