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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
"Sea Fever" follows George and Molly Palmer-Jones who are asked to go on a sea excursion to find a man (Greg Franks) who won't contact his family. Both are reluctant to take the case, but because George is bird mad he agrees and gets caught up on looking at birds. Greg goes missing and then is found roped onto the boat and apparently murdered. George and Molly investigate who would have the motive to kill the young man and why.
Well this one definitely had a better resolution/ending than the last book in the series. I know that I am supposed to be enjoying George and Molly as a husband and wife detective team, but this and the last book makes it seem like they don't even like each other. And Molly gets caught up trying to prove George wrong all the time. The dynamics make me not really enjoy these books that much. The first two in the series I thought worked and I liked how they worked together to solve mysteries. George and Molly both had strengths and used them throughout the book. George is often on the wrong track it seems and Molly always seems to know who did what and why.
This book has another character we follow throughout this named Claire. She's a detective investigating the murder on the boat, and George was a hero of hers. I think that brought a welcome perspective to these books because George and Molly are both exhausting.
I do enjoy reading these books since these are Cleeves first works and it's interesting to see her turn from this series to others where I think her plot and character development worked so much better.
I read this book for CBR17bingo, "Favorite: A reread of a favorite book, a book by a favorite author, a book in a favorite genre, or about a favorite topic." Ann Cleeves is definitely a favorite author of mine.
Well this one definitely had a better resolution/ending than the last book in the series. I know that I am supposed to be enjoying George and Molly as a husband and wife detective team, but this and the last book makes it seem like they don't even like each other. And Molly gets caught up trying to prove George wrong all the time. The dynamics make me not really enjoy these books that much. The first two in the series I thought worked and I liked how they worked together to solve mysteries. George and Molly both had strengths and used them throughout the book. George is often on the wrong track it seems and Molly always seems to know who did what and why.
This book has another character we follow throughout this named Claire. She's a detective investigating the murder on the boat, and George was a hero of hers. I think that brought a welcome perspective to these books because George and Molly are both exhausting.
I do enjoy reading these books since these are Cleeves first works and it's interesting to see her turn from this series to others where I think her plot and character development worked so much better.
I read this book for CBR17bingo, "Favorite: A reread of a favorite book, a book by a favorite author, a book in a favorite genre, or about a favorite topic." Ann Cleeves is definitely a favorite author of mine.
"Sea Fever" by Ann Cleeves is a captivating mystery novel that immerses readers in the atmospheric world of the Shetland Islands. Cleeves weaves a compelling narrative filled with intricate characters and a plot that keeps you guessing until the very end. The vivid descriptions of the rugged landscape and the close-knit community enhance the overall reading experience. With its suspenseful twists and well-crafted storytelling, "Sea Fever" is a must-read for mystery enthusiasts and fans of Cleeves' skillful writing.
mysterious
slow-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
Honestly, this was so underwhelming.
I'm never a fan of a big cast of characters all getting introduced to us with their backgrounds immediately as we pick the book up. It made it really hard to keep track of who is who. Other than that, I think the narrative style just fell so flat. I was the least bit engaged. I knew that all the descriptive stuff didn't really matter since it never added anything to the narrative, so I ended up skimming. I'm glad this was a short read. Even though I didn't guess or even bother trying to guess the ending, the reveal and climax wasn't even satisfactory. I was like 'oh, guess it's over now'.
Thoroughly disappointed because I've previously enjoyed the author's work but this is one of her older ones so maybe it's that her writing got better over time.
I'm never a fan of a big cast of characters all getting introduced to us with their backgrounds immediately as we pick the book up. It made it really hard to keep track of who is who. Other than that, I think the narrative style just fell so flat. I was the least bit engaged. I knew that all the descriptive stuff didn't really matter since it never added anything to the narrative, so I ended up skimming. I'm glad this was a short read. Even though I didn't guess or even bother trying to guess the ending, the reveal and climax wasn't even satisfactory. I was like 'oh, guess it's over now'.
Thoroughly disappointed because I've previously enjoyed the author's work but this is one of her older ones so maybe it's that her writing got better over time.
mysterious
slow-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
Mostly a boring incredibly slow paced novel. The guilty party has very little motive to commit the crime.
Full, and I mean full, of characters that have oddities, quirkiness and just plain weirdness, yet Ann Cleeves can still tell a story that I want see through to the end. Always good writing and the bird obsession adds another layer of interest.
Meh. This book was OK.
I had watched the Shetland series and loved it and have wanted to read Ann Cleeves who wrote the Shetland books. This was not in the Shetland series, which I knew, I just wanted to read to read an Ann Cleeves book.
This book is part of another series by Cleeves - it's number 5 in the series apparently and I had not read any of the preceding books.
It was OK - just not overwhelmed by it. Not sure what I expected. Lots of characters. Bit of a weird villain.
Don't think I'll get any more in this series.
I had watched the Shetland series and loved it and have wanted to read Ann Cleeves who wrote the Shetland books. This was not in the Shetland series, which I knew, I just wanted to read to read an Ann Cleeves book.
This book is part of another series by Cleeves - it's number 5 in the series apparently and I had not read any of the preceding books.
It was OK - just not overwhelmed by it. Not sure what I expected. Lots of characters. Bit of a weird villain.
Don't think I'll get any more in this series.
Sea Fever by Ann Cleeves
Blurb
Even if there had been no murder, the last trip of a small band of dedicated bird-watchers aboard the Jessie Ellen would still have been news. For George Palmer-Jones and the other avid crew members achieve every bird-watcher’s dream when they sight a sea bird which has never before been recorded. In the subsequent excitement, however, no one notices the sudden absence of the most fanatical birder of them all . . .
Later, Greg Franks’ corpse, the head bludgeoned, is found floating in the sea.
Had it not been for Greg Franks, amateur detective George Palmer-Jones would not have been on the bird watching trip in Cornwall in the first place. He had been hired by Greg Franks’ anxious parents to try and persuade their errant son to return home. George would have turned the case down flat but the offer of a free weekend’s bird watching was too tempting to resist. Now, he must unhappily shoulder the burden of finding why the young man had been murdered. Who hated Franks enough to kill him? Almost everyone, it seems . . .
My Opinion
This is one of those series that I stumbled upon and as they are relatively short books I feel like I must read them all. This is the fifth book in the series so by now I feel like I know George and Molly. This book seems to have more happening than the previous instalments. An easy book to read that will keep you intrigued until the end.
Rating 4/5
Blurb
Even if there had been no murder, the last trip of a small band of dedicated bird-watchers aboard the Jessie Ellen would still have been news. For George Palmer-Jones and the other avid crew members achieve every bird-watcher’s dream when they sight a sea bird which has never before been recorded. In the subsequent excitement, however, no one notices the sudden absence of the most fanatical birder of them all . . .
Later, Greg Franks’ corpse, the head bludgeoned, is found floating in the sea.
Had it not been for Greg Franks, amateur detective George Palmer-Jones would not have been on the bird watching trip in Cornwall in the first place. He had been hired by Greg Franks’ anxious parents to try and persuade their errant son to return home. George would have turned the case down flat but the offer of a free weekend’s bird watching was too tempting to resist. Now, he must unhappily shoulder the burden of finding why the young man had been murdered. Who hated Franks enough to kill him? Almost everyone, it seems . . .
My Opinion
This is one of those series that I stumbled upon and as they are relatively short books I feel like I must read them all. This is the fifth book in the series so by now I feel like I know George and Molly. This book seems to have more happening than the previous instalments. An easy book to read that will keep you intrigued until the end.
Rating 4/5
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying