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the_peg's review against another edition
3.0
Leaning between 2 & 3 stars. It was okay but not great. It's a fast paced crime mystery set in an instantly interested setting of an abandoned asylum that has all of the hallmarks of a haunted place. I appreciated the scene setting and how as the investigation progressed we opened more questions. It was gratifying that almost all of the questions raised were answered.
My only compliant was that while there were relatively few characters, they were REALLY intertwined. You really did have to pay attention to who was who, who was sleeping with who, who was whose father/mother/sister/cousin/child, who killed who and why... etc. So while the end was twisty and validating to get to the conclusion... there were a couple of loops that frankly felt unnecessarily and complicated for the sake of having "another twist".
I didn't realize that this was the first of a series when I started, so it makes sense that that we ended on more of a cliff hanger about the detective that felt wholly unnecessary at the time. I don't know if I'll return to the series, but it was a quick and captivating read.
My only compliant was that while there were relatively few characters, they were REALLY intertwined. You really did have to pay attention to who was who, who was sleeping with who, who was whose father/mother/sister/cousin/child, who killed who and why... etc. So while the end was twisty and validating to get to the conclusion... there were a couple of loops that frankly felt unnecessarily and complicated for the sake of having "another twist".
I didn't realize that this was the first of a series when I started, so it makes sense that that we ended on more of a cliff hanger about the detective that felt wholly unnecessary at the time. I don't know if I'll return to the series, but it was a quick and captivating read.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
"Things get forgotten over the years - even extraodinary things. Out of sight, out of mind."
A great mystery but there's a lot going on. It was almost hard to keep all the story lines and mysteries straight. Dealing with the asylum's mysteries from the past, the unusual death of Connie's sister Sarah and then the present day mysteries and deaths were...a lot to take in. There were also a lot of players to keep track of and, with different timeframes, not always easy to remember who was who and how they tied to each other. It was funny that at times this town felt much smaller than it maybe really was. All in all, though, the mystery was great and I really loved Sweet, Connie and Kirby. It definitely seems set up for there to be a book 2 and I'm absolutely in for reading it!
A great mystery but there's a lot going on. It was almost hard to keep all the story lines and mysteries straight. Dealing with the asylum's mysteries from the past, the unusual death of Connie's sister Sarah and then the present day mysteries and deaths were...a lot to take in. There were also a lot of players to keep track of and, with different timeframes, not always easy to remember who was who and how they tied to each other. It was funny that at times this town felt much smaller than it maybe really was. All in all, though, the mystery was great and I really loved Sweet, Connie and Kirby. It definitely seems set up for there to be a book 2 and I'm absolutely in for reading it!
3mangos's review against another edition
3.0
A bit of a slower burn, but that's okay - I don't mind those. Enjoyed the story anyway.
julianav's review against another edition
4.0
Balances the thriller portion and the detective portion extremely. Definitely an above average thriller. Looking forward to more
abbienk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
thewitcherreads's review against another edition
2.0
Like many others, I really wanted to like this. The description had me so pumped and the opening had me ready. I always need to know ten whodunnit so I couldn’t just shelf this. I was curious as to where the characters would lead me and I was a little less than impressed. *Spoiler* Raymond and Connie’s break ins? Never mentioned again. Creeper? Kaplinsky. Where did he fit in to all of this and why is he moving things around. Did he kill Connie’s sister? Just didn’t make any sense to me to put so much around this creeper.
sophiegallagher98's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rustlngpages's review against another edition
5.0
this was a comforting and very enjoyable read. i love a good mystery, especially a british procedural and this was the perfect one. it had a great pace, very engaging with a host of lovable characters. i can’t wait to read more from this author!