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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Couldn’t finish this one and I was half way through it! The switching of the book’s mystery at this halfway point to the publisher’s perspective after the death of the author was just too much. I didn’t care enough to finish at that point. May the author RIP.
What a weird little book within a book. Horowitz is clearly VERY familiar with mystery tropes. Interesting to see how he’s fiddling with them in this one.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
I found the story within the story a bit slow, I was hoping for more interjections from the main narrator, to get her reaction, to cut through the the book within the book, but without that, I found the rhythm too strange. Read the end, am satisfied, don't feel like I want to read the middle.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I had SUCH high hopes for this book! I love Agatha Christie so I figured I would love this. But here's the thing--the problem with writing books set in the 40s or 50s in the 2020s means that you have to be very careful not to write with a modern sensibility. Did I love that the village had a woman doctor? I did! But that would have been extremely unlikely in 1955--even more unlikely that she would be the primary breadwinner. Talk about a brother with Down's, hints of autism--those things were not talked about back then. Reading about these took me right out of the book within a book.
Sure, the idea is interesting with the book within a book idea but neither captivated me. The main character, Susan, was okay but rather flat. Alan, the author, infuriated me--what a dick.
The reason it is getting even 2.5 stars is because of the novel (ha ha) idea and the peek into the world of publishing, a dying industry.
Sure, the idea is interesting with the book within a book idea but neither captivated me. The main character, Susan, was okay but rather flat. Alan, the author, infuriated me--what a dick.
The reason it is getting even 2.5 stars is because of the novel (ha ha) idea and the peek into the world of publishing, a dying industry.
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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:
No
What a great whodunnit within a whodunnit! I’m not sure why it took me so long to get to this book, but I finally read it and loved it! Horowitz, creator of Midsomer Murders (a new favorite show of mine), creates a modern Agatha Christie type mystery about the “suicide” of an author writing his final novel. I got two mysteries for the price of one: a mystery novel within a mystery novel. It was all around well-written, the twist was authentic and creative, and overall I enjoyed the journey.