Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Torstain murhakerho by Richard Osman

30 reviews

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Charming cozy mystery set in an upscale retirement community. Aside from the murder-mystery aspects, it touches on grief and loss in ways I was not expecting. I have already recommended it to several friends.

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Firstly, Lesley Manville was the perfect narrator to tell this story - she expertly captured the dry, British humour and made each character distinct. This version also featured a Q & A at the end with Marian Keyes; I do not like any of her books but she was delightful and did a good interview. I do agree with Marian that Bogdan and Joyce were my favourites too.

I did find that although the book made me smile a lot and was interesting, the tying together of all the loose ends becomes quite convoluted. I had to rewind a few times because I kept thinking "huh?" And then realised that yes, it was confusing with a lot of threads running at the same time that did and didn't overlap. Perhaps red-herrings but not quite. I eventually got it all but let me tell you, 10 mins after finishing the book, I couldn't tell you all the ins and outs without getting muddled again!

I found the regular references to DCI Chris' weight, his body and what he eats problematic. It was in no way sympathetic or necessary; it felt like casual fat shaming for the sake of some outdated comedy.  Donna pretending the elevator wasn't working so he had to walk, Steven saying he could he could help him fix his belly at his gym when Chris was not even asking! I could go on and on. Don't get me wrong, we readers want to know our characters but I found this relentless and served no purpose;  I wanted to protect him from further scrutiny from Richard Osman's pen!

Having worked in aged care for many years, I loved how thoughtful, realistic and unpatronising Richard Osman made his characters. Overall a pleasant read. 

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

The characters were lovely.  I imagine I will pick up the next in the series at some point because I thought it was a charming read, even though it wasn't my usual cup of tea.

Also, I know it's a murder mystery but I wasn't expecting so much casual death.  Was a bit grim at times.

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

It starts off slowly but the characters suck you in ❤️ I found myself verklempt time and time again at the end. 

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emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

The main group of this book is so lovable! I really enjoyed getting to know each character and experiencing the case through them.

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emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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