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david_l's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
ian's review
4.0
Con Job is not your typical murder mystery. Set in a convention for cosplayers, anime nerds, and geek culture, the main character, Jacob, must use some of his geek cred to help the police solve the crime.
The setting is very fun. I very much felt I was *there* at a fan convention, right along with Jacob. The writing is crisp and in the moment, and immersed me completely. At times I would have liked a bit more description about certain costumes, but overall Baugh does an admiral job of detailing the setting.
My main complaint is that the story doesn't really get any tension involved until the later part of the book. What I mean by this is that for the first couple murders, Jacob is just investigating for the fun of it. He isn't in any danger. He isn't being accused of anything.
The second half of the story ramps the tension up, which helped immensely with the tone of the book. Up until that point I'd kinda been meandering along, not really too concerned with finishing the book in a timely manner.
However, once the lynch pin piece fell into place and made it personal for Jacob, I couldn't put the book down - I stayed up until O'dark thirty to finish it, despite needing to be at work early the next morning.
This is an awesome book for anyone who enjoys attending fan conventions, but due to the slow start I can't give it more than four stars.
The setting is very fun. I very much felt I was *there* at a fan convention, right along with Jacob. The writing is crisp and in the moment, and immersed me completely. At times I would have liked a bit more description about certain costumes, but overall Baugh does an admiral job of detailing the setting.
My main complaint is that the story doesn't really get any tension involved until the later part of the book. What I mean by this is that for the first couple murders, Jacob is just investigating for the fun of it. He isn't in any danger. He isn't being accused of anything.
The second half of the story ramps the tension up, which helped immensely with the tone of the book. Up until that point I'd kinda been meandering along, not really too concerned with finishing the book in a timely manner.
However, once the lynch pin piece fell into place and made it personal for Jacob, I couldn't put the book down - I stayed up until O'dark thirty to finish it, despite needing to be at work early the next morning.
This is an awesome book for anyone who enjoys attending fan conventions, but due to the slow start I can't give it more than four stars.
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