Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very clever and original - a cliche murder mystery within a wild and crazy modern one - two for one!
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Like a 3.5. I really liked the idea of a mystery within a mystery, but one was much more compelling than the other. Also the ending of one of the two was very disappointing.
I have been listening to the Magpie Murders audiobook in small installments for ages, and it was a great one to leave and re-visit again. A true love note to whodunnit fans who can enjoy the earnest, old-fashioned case in the inner story and the self-aware and therefore more modern case in the outer story.
A fun read that’s not quite going where you expect. Editor Susan Ryeland begins reading the latest manuscript by her publishing house’s star novelist Alan Conway, author of the Atticus Pund mysteries. Partway through she recognizes uncomfortable parallels between art and life, and concludes there’s more going on in the book than is immediately apparent. This story-within-a-story isn’t quite a page turner, but it’s fun to come back to.
Well, it's perfectly lovely when a book club selection fits exactly into a category on this year's Read Harder Challenge. I did have to GTS to find out what "cozy mystery" meant, but this one in it's shout-outs to old-school British murder mysteries seems to fit the category well. While I went through an Agatha Christie phase in high school, it's been many, many years since I've read an actual mystery novel. This one was unique with its novel-in-a-novel setup, parallel characters, word plays, and call-outs to other mysteries and genre authors, and after I got my footing, I enjoyed the ride very much. Did I have it all figured out? Not really, no. Could I keep track of all the clues and red herrings? Not even a little bit. Did I have fun reading this while riding on airplanes and sitting in airports? Yes, absolutely yes.
(RH 2019 Challenge: A cozy mystery)
(RH 2019 Challenge: A cozy mystery)
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
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:
Complicated
I enjoyed this immensely, and often found myself insisting on reading just another chapter before going to bed. I had already watched the Leslie Manvillle BBC adaptation but I hadn't remembered much.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No