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4 reviews for:
Roanoke Ridge: A Creature X Mystery (Creature X Mysteries, #1)
Jeff Dupuis, J.J. Dupuis
4.0 AVERAGE
4 reviews for:
Roanoke Ridge: A Creature X Mystery (Creature X Mysteries, #1)
Jeff Dupuis, J.J. Dupuis
4.0 AVERAGE
Even if it's a bit slow paced a not a lot happens I had a lot of fun in reading it.
It's entertaining, well written and with a cast of interesting characters.
The mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's entertaining, well written and with a cast of interesting characters.
The mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Full disclosure: This was a book that my manager asked the publisher for on my behalf, despite me telling her not to.
This was a pleasantly satisfying mystery with bonus cryptid content! It’s tightly written and plotted, just as long as it needed to be, and it goes in some interesting directions. I was not expecting as much actual science fact as I got, for instance, or as much nuance when it came to Bigfoot believers. It wasn’t a perfect book (see below) but it was entertaining and I’m hooked enough to look for the sequel when it comes out.
This was a pleasantly satisfying mystery with bonus cryptid content! It’s tightly written and plotted, just as long as it needed to be, and it goes in some interesting directions. I was not expecting as much actual science fact as I got, for instance, or as much nuance when it came to Bigfoot believers. It wasn’t a perfect book (see below) but it was entertaining and I’m hooked enough to look for the sequel when it comes out.
While Dupuis is honestly great at setting, and good at sketching out secondary characters, mannerisms, voice, and all, I found Laura, our narrator/sleuth, to be kind of bland. She’s distinct enough to be her own person, but I never got a real sense of who she was, just what she was interested in or was doing at the moment, with enough backstory to explain her presence in the story. Otherwise, she was just kind of there to be the protagonist, if that makes sense?
The other thing that said “debut novel” is some plotting quirks. For the most part, I liked that this followed the usual mystery beats but never really felt like it did, and that Dupuis continues that off-beatness with the obligatory romantic subplot. (Okay, maybe especially that.) I also liked that there was a missing person and a murder and the question of Bigfoot, so that I was constantly guessing on some front. But it did also feel like some things got dropped in favour of others, most notably that Laura’s partly there to support the missing researcher’s wife but then she’s driving around town instead of keeping her company or even checking in at night.
All in all, this was a well-done mystery that, for its flaws, was just good enough to keep me going, though I’m not sure that would still be the case if “cryptids” and “cozy mystery” weren’t both so much my thing. It’s a good small-press debut, I have hopes for the sequel, and I’m actually glad my boss ignored me because I enjoyed the read.
To bear in mind: may be somewhat dodgy on the mental illness front but I’m not versed enough in the issues with the specific rep to truly weigh in
6.5/10
This one has been around for a couple of years, and has a number of helpful reviews. Since I can't add much more of value, I'll just recommend this to mystery fans. The author has a nice writing style and a good imagination. 3.5 stars.
I really appreciate the ARC for review!!
I really appreciate the ARC for review!!