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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Loved this! It’s a story within a story and such a unique mystery blending Agatha Christie with a twist. So many red herrings to keep me guessing
Read the first half and listened to the second half
dark
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This book was just delightful! From the quirky character names to the backdrop, this mystery is a nod to Agatha Christie. I just loved it! Bravo!
Pretty good. A mystery novel about the writing of a mystery novel which we also get to read. I actually liked that story-within-the-story best. The "outer" story seemed to go on too long, losing tension in the process. (And I wasn't completely sold on that part's denouement, either.) But it showed some creativity, which I appreciate.
I don't think I have ever read such a long and boring book.
I mean for goodness' sakes, it's a murder mystery, but it's just so dreadfully boring. I had to force myself to finish and I'm someone who likes quiet, cozy whodunnits.
I think Horowitz jumped the shark making this a two in one book. He doesn't have the skill to pull off a novel within a novel and the result was the reader not caring particularly about either of the stories.
There's also some odd misogynistic undertone to all of this. It's not just in the characters themselves, but there's something about the way Horowitz writes women that left a bad taste in my mouth. He didn't do particularly well with different racial groups either.
So all in all this one is 1/5. Do not recommend.
I mean for goodness' sakes, it's a murder mystery, but it's just so dreadfully boring. I had to force myself to finish and I'm someone who likes quiet, cozy whodunnits.
I think Horowitz jumped the shark making this a two in one book. He doesn't have the skill to pull off a novel within a novel and the result was the reader not caring particularly about either of the stories.
There's also some odd misogynistic undertone to all of this. It's not just in the characters themselves, but there's something about the way Horowitz writes women that left a bad taste in my mouth. He didn't do particularly well with different racial groups either.
So all in all this one is 1/5. Do not recommend.
4.5/5 - without giving away anything… a thoroughly entertaining whodunnit!
I first picked this up because of the title - I was hoping it would be another birder murder along the lines of those I've been reading by Steve Burrows. But it turns out the reference to magpies is the old nursery rhyme, One for sorrow, two for joy... So bait and switch, but it turned out to be a good read anyway.
This isn't like other mysteries I've read - it's not as "cozy". This is a story within a story, and it's more meta, discussing the process of writing a murder mystery, and the connections the stories have to real life - which might explain why this book is 500 pages long. The next book in the series is over 600 pages. I'm not sure I need to read it.
This isn't like other mysteries I've read - it's not as "cozy". This is a story within a story, and it's more meta, discussing the process of writing a murder mystery, and the connections the stories have to real life - which might explain why this book is 500 pages long. The next book in the series is over 600 pages. I'm not sure I need to read it.
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No