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betholomew's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Maybe the real character development was the friends we made along the way
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Homophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
alisonvh's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A solid homage to Holmes and Watson, especially if Holmes had been a manipulative prick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Body horror, Misogyny, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Gore
tweesee_93's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, and Car accident
Moderate: Murder, Homophobia, and Torture
Minor: Suicide
md11's review against another edition
mysterious
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
2.0
The mystery elements there are ok but only if you can stomach an unapologetically homophobic Sherlock and a judgemental, snooty Watson. Every description of another human drips with condescension. Why the author decided to write himself into this story that way is probably the bigger mystery. Also, the fact that character Horowitz is only concerned about Hawthorne's homophobia to the extent it causes public backlash and makes his gay friends not want to talk to him anymore was an interesting choice by author Horowitz. And in a weird meta moment, he even acknowledged Hawthorne is a terrible MC. Don't know if either MC becomes more redeemable, but putting up with unchecked homophobia is enough of a real life thing where I can escape to fiction with other characters I actually enjoy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
xxkatastrophe's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia
pipcorn's review
I'm so sad this didn't do it for me. I loved Magpie Murders and really enjoyed Moonflower Murders, and so was excited to read another mystery by this author. This is certainly interesting-- the author IS the main character of this book and I unfortunately really did not enjoy his internal dialogue. There were a lot of tangeants and anecdotes that did not feel relevant to the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
caedycon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A good, solid mystery. I enjoyed how Horowitz made it feel autobiographical, to the point where I had to google what actually happened in real life (basically nothing). Using yourself as a main character in a fictional novel was interesting to me, especially with how he handled the moral dilemmas in the story (ie, when he discovered that Hawthorn was homophobic) - when you're the main character, I would imagine it means more, what comes out of that character's mouth and how he represents you in the story.
I liked the mystery overall - It was cleverly done. However, I don't think I'll be continuing to read these stories, mainly because Hawthorne is pretty damn unlikeable. The homophobia is a real bummer - I feel like Horowitz could have made him difficult to deal with in a way that was...easier to deal with haha.
I liked the mystery overall - It was cleverly done. However, I don't think I'll be continuing to read these stories, mainly because Hawthorne is pretty damn unlikeable. The homophobia is a real bummer - I feel like Horowitz could have made him difficult to deal with in a way that was...easier to deal with haha.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Suicide and Murder
momoclouds's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
asirenawrites's review
mysterious
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? It's complicated
2.0
I stayed up until 2AM to finish this book and was severely disappointed with the ending. A mystery isn't entirely fun if the author withholds pivotal information. I guessed the twist but it was more clichéd than my guess. The major portion of the mystery was intriguing but a vast majority of the story is spent chasing the red herring, which feels like a cheap shot and waste of time.
I also found the protagonists a bit too self-involved. I normally don't mind reading unlikable characters, but entire consecutive pages are dedicated to Tony's extensive film knowledge and experience. It's just bragging that's poorly masqueraded as character development.
I also found the protagonists a bit too self-involved. I normally don't mind reading unlikable characters, but entire consecutive pages are dedicated to Tony's extensive film knowledge and experience. It's just bragging that's poorly masqueraded as character development.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia