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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
It was fun! Frustrating at times and made my head hurt with all the details.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
A clever whodunit that embeds a mystery within a mystery. Alan Conway is a crime writer who draws inspiration from writers such as Agatha Christie. He has made a fortune from his Atticus Pund novels, which feature a German detective solving mysteries in England (sound familiar?). His editor, Susan Ryeland, is reading his latest - and as it turns out, last - Atticus Pund instalment when she realises that the last chapter is missing. Where the missing chapter and how does Atticus Pund solve the mystery? And did Alan Conway really commit suicide or was he murdered? Truth be told, I felt the Atticus Pund plot line was the stronger one and I rather wish that there actually was an Atticus Pund series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No