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sleepy_0wl's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sunnyanni's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
noirverse's review against another edition
3.0
Another enjoyable book in the series! This one struck a better balance between keeping me on my toes while being able to follow each twist of the plot. We didn't get to see very much of Frey and McGray's interactions here, but what we did get was funny and entertaining.
lisas_library_factory's review against another edition
5.0
Ich bin nahezu sprachlos darüber, wie sehr mich diese Serie in den Bann zieht!
Wie ich bereits in den letzten beiden Rezensionen zu den ersten zwei Teilen der Reihe erwähnte, hat mich das "McGray & Frey"-Fieber gänzlich gepackt und ich fiebere mittlerweile jeder Minute entgegen, in der ich mit der Reihe weiter voranschreiten kann.
Dieses Mal befinden wir uns erneut in Edinburgh und treffen auf eine Reihe, nicht allzu unbekannter, Akteure, von denen sich der Autor hat inspirieren lassen.
Es hat mir großen Spaß gemacht, in die Theaterwelt einzutauchen und die dortigen Abgründe zu entdecken.
Und natürlich zählen McGray und Frey mittlerweile zu meinen absoluten Lieblingcharakteren in der Literaturwelt. Ihre Geschichten und ihre Freundschaft (wobei wir wohl eher von Hass-Liebe sprechen müssen) weiter zu ergründen, ist einer der Hauptmotive, die mich beim Lesen antreibt.
Wie ich bereits in den letzten beiden Rezensionen zu den ersten zwei Teilen der Reihe erwähnte, hat mich das "McGray & Frey"-Fieber gänzlich gepackt und ich fiebere mittlerweile jeder Minute entgegen, in der ich mit der Reihe weiter voranschreiten kann.
Dieses Mal befinden wir uns erneut in Edinburgh und treffen auf eine Reihe, nicht allzu unbekannter, Akteure, von denen sich der Autor hat inspirieren lassen.
Es hat mir großen Spaß gemacht, in die Theaterwelt einzutauchen und die dortigen Abgründe zu entdecken.
Und natürlich zählen McGray und Frey mittlerweile zu meinen absoluten Lieblingcharakteren in der Literaturwelt. Ihre Geschichten und ihre Freundschaft (wobei wir wohl eher von Hass-Liebe sprechen müssen) weiter zu ergründen, ist einer der Hauptmotive, die mich beim Lesen antreibt.
ilsesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
adam_weasel's review against another edition
5.0
The best of the series thusfar. I tore through this one. Very, very entertaining - atmospheric, clever use of historical figures, compelling story. A very fun read!
anna_mangnus's review against another edition
4.0
4.5, I really liked this!
The characters are all very *chef's kiss* even if most of them aren't super likeable.
I also really liked the incorporation of real people, places, and historical events. The 1880's are a very fun time to read imo and I liked being able to recognise places in Edinburgh, as well as some celebrities mentioned (Carroll, Wilde, Sargent, to name a few).
(This could have been a enemies-to-friends-to-lovers between Frey and Stoker if Oscar de Muriel hadn't been a coward) (this is mostly a joke because I also wouldn't be comfortable writing a fictitious relationship involving a real person, but I'm just saying...the potential was there)
(This book has also tempted me to finally read Dracula)
The characters are all very *chef's kiss* even if most of them aren't super likeable.
I also really liked the incorporation of real people, places, and historical events. The 1880's are a very fun time to read imo and I liked being able to recognise places in Edinburgh, as well as some celebrities mentioned (Carroll, Wilde, Sargent, to name a few).
(This could have been a enemies-to-friends-to-lovers between Frey and Stoker if Oscar de Muriel hadn't been a coward) (this is mostly a joke because I also wouldn't be comfortable writing a fictitious relationship involving a real person, but I'm just saying...the potential was there)
(This book has also tempted me to finally read Dracula)
faitelle's review against another edition
3.0
This instalment didn't quite live up to the previous Frey & McGray books. My opinion might be a bit skewed by my dislike of fictionalising real people, given the host of historical figures who pop up in this edition 3.5*
auntie_terror's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If this is how the author represents a favourite author of his (Oscar Wilde - had to read the notes in the back to figure out he doesn't have an immense dislike for him and his writing), I don't want to see what he'd to to authors he doesn't like. And that for no good reason at all - the book would have worked just as well without him, and it even seems to open up a plot hole.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
3.0
1889 and Henry Irving has brought his production of Macbeth to Edinburgh. Ticket sales are not going well but when leading actress Ellen Terry finds a blood-soaked parcel in her dressing room and a banshee's howl is heard across the town followed by a prophecy written in blood, the theatre is suddenly inundated. Detectives Frey and McGray investigate the supernatural and corporal goings-on, trying to find out whether or not there is a threat to the production. however between madness, scandal and personal problems for both, it is difficult to separate crime from theatrical embellishment.
Apparently this is the third novel in a series but this is the first that I have read. The basic premise of the book is interesting. Sir Henry Irving and Dame Ellen Terry were long-term collaborators and former lovers, each carried plenty of scandal with them, the theatre manager at the time was Bram (Dracula) Stoker. By weaving these historical characters into a fictional plot, Muriel is intriguing the reader. The setting in Victorian Edinburgh is interesting and very atmospheric, the plot is complicated and draws many threads together. That, however, is where my enjoyment started to wane. the plot is exceptionally complex and reliant on the reader having more knowledge of the back-story of the characters than was supplied in this instalment. The actual perpetrator and the bones of the plot seemed to come rather out of left-field in the final stages, taking quite a detour from what had been set up originally. This wasn't a bad book by any means.
Apparently this is the third novel in a series but this is the first that I have read. The basic premise of the book is interesting. Sir Henry Irving and Dame Ellen Terry were long-term collaborators and former lovers, each carried plenty of scandal with them, the theatre manager at the time was Bram (Dracula) Stoker. By weaving these historical characters into a fictional plot, Muriel is intriguing the reader. The setting in Victorian Edinburgh is interesting and very atmospheric, the plot is complicated and draws many threads together. That, however, is where my enjoyment started to wane. the plot is exceptionally complex and reliant on the reader having more knowledge of the back-story of the characters than was supplied in this instalment. The actual perpetrator and the bones of the plot seemed to come rather out of left-field in the final stages, taking quite a detour from what had been set up originally. This wasn't a bad book by any means.