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kdurham2's review
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Marjorie Trumaine lives on a functioning farm and also works as an indexer of books for extra money. She has an invalid husband and lives far away from most people. When her closest neighbors are found murdered she gets swept up into finding the killer and the motive.
I LOVE a story where an amateur sleuth is trying to solve a murder - it is my favorite mystery sub genre! Marjorie was such a fun character to follow down this rabbit hole and I loved how she used her indexing of a book skills to use when trying to catch a killer.
Marjorie Trumaine lives on a functioning farm and also works as an indexer of books for extra money. She has an invalid husband and lives far away from most people. When her closest neighbors are found murdered she gets swept up into finding the killer and the motive.
I LOVE a story where an amateur sleuth is trying to solve a murder - it is my favorite mystery sub genre! Marjorie was such a fun character to follow down this rabbit hole and I loved how she used her indexing of a book skills to use when trying to catch a killer.
usbsticky's review
3.0
I read #3 in this series and really liked it so I decided to try the first one in the series. I still remember what I wrote was that the mystery part wasn't that great but I really enjoyed the characters and the setting of rural North Dakota in the 60's.
Turns out the first book was a bit similar. I thought the mystery part was very meh. The murderer was just a straight reveal, without any deduction or suspense and a forced twist at that. What I liked a lot about the first book: the life of a housewife in rural N. Dakota was also pretty meh in this book. So overall the book was a disappointment. I had already reserved #2 in the series to read but now I'm going to give that a pass.
I would only recommend this book if you like a the-way-we-were theme of rural farming America and only want a mildly entertaining mystery.
As an aside, I've been finding a lot of mystery series like this, a mystery series that is only sustained by the characters and setting. I'm finding out how hard it really is to write a suspenseful mystery.
Turns out the first book was a bit similar. I thought the mystery part was very meh. The murderer was just a straight reveal, without any deduction or suspense and a forced twist at that. What I liked a lot about the first book: the life of a housewife in rural N. Dakota was also pretty meh in this book. So overall the book was a disappointment. I had already reserved #2 in the series to read but now I'm going to give that a pass.
I would only recommend this book if you like a the-way-we-were theme of rural farming America and only want a mildly entertaining mystery.
As an aside, I've been finding a lot of mystery series like this, a mystery series that is only sustained by the characters and setting. I'm finding out how hard it really is to write a suspenseful mystery.
isabelledonahue's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
patrickkanouse's review
4.0
Read it! Seriously, a well-crafted mystery with a unique spin on the investigator.
suzze's review
3.0
I received an advance copy of this ebook from Edelweiss and Seventh Street Books.
A good mystery with a strong female main character. I think this may be the beginning of a really popular mystery series.
I was intrigued by Marjorie's job as an indexer of non-fiction books.
A good mystery with a strong female main character. I think this may be the beginning of a really popular mystery series.
I was intrigued by Marjorie's job as an indexer of non-fiction books.
irishannie's review
1.0
Marjorie Trumaine is whiny with a chip on her shoulder because didn't go to college. There's so much redundancy in this book about Hank, her husband, Shep, the dog who shouldn't be living in the house, Marjorie's sneaking cigarettes, Marjorie's lust for Guy, Marjorie's wardrobe from Montgomery Ward's. I know that Sweazy wanted the reader to feel North Dakota in the 1960s, but eroding the reader is not the way.
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