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kappafrog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved the 1940s Brooklyn setting. That's where half my family lived in the 1940s so it was really fun to see it in fiction. I LOVED the two detectives, Parker and Pentecost. Parker was a very funny protagonist who was easy to root for in spite of her flaws. I was impressed at how well a male author wrote all the women in this book, including the queer women. There were some really tender moments with queer characters that felt very real.
Pentecost and Parker played off each other really well. I loved their found family relationship. And can I just say, it was really moving and exciting for me to read a character as badass as Ms. Pentecost who walks with a cane and has a dynamic disability that makes her require lots of rest and slur her words. I have chronic daily migraine and not MS, but I related with her so much and felt seen and represented in a way that felt really good - and really unusual. Hats off to the author for impressing me so much with the representation in this novel!
The mystery itself was really fun. I loved how we followed along as Parker and Ms. P figured things out. There were a lot of things that I was slowly piecing together. I liked how the book didn't have the protagonists overlooking obvious clues but had the detective pair constantly pointing out suspicious details and speculating, putting just what I was thinking into words. And yet, many aspects of the ending took me completely by surprise!! Even when this book employed classic tropes of the hard-boiled noir, I ate it all up.
I loved the complexities opened up by the final few chapters.
Graphic: Biphobia, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, and War
thestarlesscasea's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment
sapphicsoilscientist's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Homophobia
janin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
that being said, i never found myself super excited about the story and so maybe the wow factor of the reveal(s)/conclusion was lost bc too much time passed while i was reading and i wasn’t invested.
Moderate: Chronic illness and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Suicide
snips17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Biphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Medical content
snowie0_0's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness and Vomit
nanoauthor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and War
rainbowbrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Cancer and Chronic illness
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
clownonthemoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Homophobia
yaboywillyshakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia
The rising homophobia of the late 1940s is intergral to the plot of this book, and the main character is hate-crimed around 75%-80% through the book, and that has a fairly direct effect on the rest of the book. In my opinion, both of these things could not have been dealt with better, but if you're looking for an escape from homophobia, this isn't the book for you.