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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
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:
Yes
This was a random selection from the library shelves and I couldn't put it down, a really good crime novel from a writer I haven't heard of before and will definitely want to read more of. The plot centres around a murder in 1983 in a Norfolk seaside town. I liked the fact that whilst we know a murder has occurred the reader doesn't know who has been killed save that a woman is in a psychiatric unit as the murderer and in 2003 a former met police officer is investigating a miscarriage of justice. It was refreshing that this book centres on the youths at the centre of the crime rather than the detective and the sense of place and time was very believable. I rattled through it and found surprises right to the very end and would recommend it to crime lovers. I was really tempted to put it up to 5 stars save that I felt that the finale was dragged out a little bit and it could of lost 30 pages and I felt something that happens to a villain was a bit too convenient but saying that I don't think it decries from a book that I really enjoyed a lot and I suspect that the author is a talent to watch for crime fiction enthusiasts.
Possible spoiler in 3rd par.
This is terrific, and she's a really engaging writer. I didn't find it as successful as her splendid [b:That Old Black Magic|44596360|That Old Black Magic|Cathi Unsworth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582155974l/44596360._SY75_.jpg|57783633], but its Norfolk Noir is excellently painted.
It seems somewhat hampered by its rigid structure, as if she's not quite able to use it to cut loose in the way she does with the much more adept (if that's not too wilfully a magical term) That Old Black Magic. Despite the interlocking of past and present stories, both still unfold in linear form, so the calculation feels technical and not necessarily to the benefit of the narrative (although it does allow her one really nice withhold in relation to the details of the original crime, which I found suspicious at first but then really started playing with me). The interlocking is also extremely formal and regularised, which adds to the unfold being really rather slow over the first half of the book. She's a good enough writer for it still to work and be readable, however, and it certainly adds to the crazily vertiginous acceleration of the second half, but the final chapter's tying up of loose ends gave me a definite sense of technical construction rather than organic existence.
Possible spoiler
This book felt like a step towards striking up the relationship with her audience that she'd hit better in due course, but there's nothing wrong with that. For this reasonably well informed reader, for example (and I'm part of the target audience, I guess), the final final reveal had been firing a giant klaxon Significance Alert from its first appearance nearly 400 pages earlier. But I'm not complaining: if I've gone on about it at such length it's because what does work in it is great, and well worth your time.
This is terrific, and she's a really engaging writer. I didn't find it as successful as her splendid [b:That Old Black Magic|44596360|That Old Black Magic|Cathi Unsworth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582155974l/44596360._SY75_.jpg|57783633], but its Norfolk Noir is excellently painted.
It seems somewhat hampered by its rigid structure, as if she's not quite able to use it to cut loose in the way she does with the much more adept (if that's not too wilfully a magical term) That Old Black Magic. Despite the interlocking of past and present stories, both still unfold in linear form, so the calculation feels technical and not necessarily to the benefit of the narrative (although it does allow her one really nice withhold in relation to the details of the original crime, which I found suspicious at first but then really started playing with me). The interlocking is also extremely formal and regularised, which adds to the unfold being really rather slow over the first half of the book. She's a good enough writer for it still to work and be readable, however, and it certainly adds to the crazily vertiginous acceleration of the second half, but the final chapter's tying up of loose ends gave me a definite sense of technical construction rather than organic existence.
Possible spoiler
Spoiler
What also gives the impression of its more or less technical construction are a couple of themes/motifs that aren't quite developed or fruitful: they look like good ideas that didn't quite take off but weren't quite dropped either. There are some passing Matthew Hopkins references that don't really take off, and the Captain Swing stuff isn't followed through sufficiently to develop into either a red herring or a Macguffin, which is a pity because it's worked so nicely into the protagonist's backstory. (Readers who already know about Swing will be wanting more done with it because it's so tangential to what else is being discussed here).This book felt like a step towards striking up the relationship with her audience that she'd hit better in due course, but there's nothing wrong with that. For this reasonably well informed reader, for example (and I'm part of the target audience, I guess), the final final reveal had been firing a giant klaxon Significance Alert from its first appearance nearly 400 pages earlier. But I'm not complaining: if I've gone on about it at such length it's because what does work in it is great, and well worth your time.
Really enjoyed this crime/mystery book. The switching between the 1980s and 20 years later really makes for a page turning read. My mind was racing throughout trying to work out what had happened and why.
I enjoyed this dual timeline story. Both timelines were interesting but I did like the story with the teens in the eighties the best. I love how you know someone will be murdered and I loved the moment when you realize that you don't actually know *who* is going to be murdered. There are a lot of possibilities. You only know one character that gets put away for the crime so they will presumably not be murdered. Set in Britain and in the 1980's I must confess a lot of vocabulary was lost on me.
A couple of things I disliked were that the magick being practiced seemed to work. No other way to explain Noj knowing the book was in the bedroom. Also, Samantha's eventuality was rather disappointing. I'm not quite sure how she got her claws so deep into Alex.
A couple of things I disliked were
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really more like 3.5 stars, but there were times when this book was a whole lot better, and more original, than I expected it to be, and other times when I felt like it just had too many different sideplots going on and felt confusing and slightly unsure of itself, and at those times I wanted to like the book more than I actually did.
Flawed or not though, Weirdo's an interesting (and at times quite disturbing) story with realistic, complicated characters who I ended up getting more attached to than I thought I would, especially Corrine and Noj.
Flawed or not though, Weirdo's an interesting (and at times quite disturbing) story with realistic, complicated characters who I ended up getting more attached to than I thought I would, especially Corrine and Noj.
I wanted Weirdo sooooo bad when I first saw it on Chapters. That cover, that synopsis. I had to have it!
(A bit of backstory: I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with anything murder related. The psychology of different people, especially criminals, hits all of my interest buttons.)
It’s October and I figured it was the perfect time to pick this darling up. Sadly, I was not as thrilled by it as I thought I was going to be.
The story itself is pretty interesting. The two different timelines (in the 80s leading up to the murder and in the 2000s when it’s being re-investigated) are interesting and insightful, but I think they make the book longer than it needs to be. You get to know the main people that were involved in the murder, while also kind of sort of learning about Sean Ward and his investigation into the murder. But there’s so much backstory with both that it I just felt like I was learning about people and completely forgot it had to do with a murder half the time.
Maybe I was just expecting something else, as I don’t really read much mystery, but it didn’t feel very mysterious to me. The plot-ish twist at the ending got a “huh, alright” from me, but that’s about it. And the ending after that felt super rushed. It’s like you received this nugget of information and the characters went “well, that’s that” and went home for the night. The entire build-up of the book is figuring out if Corinne did the murder herself and I feel like it wasn’t treated as the climax it should have been.
I guess overall I was just meh with the entire thing. I read it, though, so there’s that.
(A bit of backstory: I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with anything murder related. The psychology of different people, especially criminals, hits all of my interest buttons.)
It’s October and I figured it was the perfect time to pick this darling up. Sadly, I was not as thrilled by it as I thought I was going to be.
The story itself is pretty interesting. The two different timelines (in the 80s leading up to the murder and in the 2000s when it’s being re-investigated) are interesting and insightful, but I think they make the book longer than it needs to be. You get to know the main people that were involved in the murder, while also kind of sort of learning about Sean Ward and his investigation into the murder. But there’s so much backstory with both that it I just felt like I was learning about people and completely forgot it had to do with a murder half the time.
Maybe I was just expecting something else, as I don’t really read much mystery, but it didn’t feel very mysterious to me. The plot-ish twist at the ending got a “huh, alright” from me, but that’s about it. And the ending after that felt super rushed. It’s like you received this nugget of information and the characters went “well, that’s that” and went home for the night. The entire build-up of the book is figuring out if Corinne did the murder herself and I feel like it wasn’t treated as the climax it should have been.
I guess overall I was just meh with the entire thing. I read it, though, so there’s that.
When I’m on vacation I like books that I can really get into, but that aren’t overly… um, mentally taxing. What I’m looking for changes depending on the season I’m reading it in. I was recently on a very relaxing vacation at a mountain resort in the off season. There was literally nothing to do except for read books and watch tv in front of the fire. It was exactly what I was looking for. There was more movie watching than there should have been, but I didn’t have to think about work for 10 whole days – perfection. I started the vacation with a really heavy book, and when I finally finished that one, I turned to Weirdo. It was exactly the kind of book I was looking for. A two fold murder mystery being told simultaneously. It’s a super fast, super easy read, but for the most part, it’s entertaining.
I don’t normally write about thrillers. They tend to be pretty generic – even the good ones. It’s part of what makes them enjoyable. Also, it’s nearly impossible to really talk about them without giving away the things that make them intriguing or unique. This one follows the expected format, but with the twist needed to make it interesting. There’s no possible way for me to talk about this book without talking about the specifics, so, if you’re one of those people that reads reviews before the book, turn away now. Beware all ye who enter here. Etc. Etc. As I mentioned above, there are two storied being told simultaneously in this book. The twist is that they are occurring in two different decades and one directly impacts the other.
Story One: Sean Ward has been hired to investigate new evidence in a murder case twenty years old. Old, not cold. There’s been a conviction, and no one thinks the wrong girl is in jail. Not even Sean or the lawyer who hired him. Corrine is guilty. She is exactly where she should be. What they now think is that she didn’t act alone. New DNA has been discovered that can’t be matched to anyone known to be involved in the crime. Ward’s job is to figure out who the genetic material belongs to. Give this lawyer a reason to try to get the case re-evaluated.
Complete review at http://hellphiesfiendishfiction.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/weirdo-by-cathi-unsworth/
I don’t normally write about thrillers. They tend to be pretty generic – even the good ones. It’s part of what makes them enjoyable. Also, it’s nearly impossible to really talk about them without giving away the things that make them intriguing or unique. This one follows the expected format, but with the twist needed to make it interesting. There’s no possible way for me to talk about this book without talking about the specifics, so, if you’re one of those people that reads reviews before the book, turn away now. Beware all ye who enter here. Etc. Etc. As I mentioned above, there are two storied being told simultaneously in this book. The twist is that they are occurring in two different decades and one directly impacts the other.
Story One: Sean Ward has been hired to investigate new evidence in a murder case twenty years old. Old, not cold. There’s been a conviction, and no one thinks the wrong girl is in jail. Not even Sean or the lawyer who hired him. Corrine is guilty. She is exactly where she should be. What they now think is that she didn’t act alone. New DNA has been discovered that can’t be matched to anyone known to be involved in the crime. Ward’s job is to figure out who the genetic material belongs to. Give this lawyer a reason to try to get the case re-evaluated.
Complete review at http://hellphiesfiendishfiction.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/weirdo-by-cathi-unsworth/
At first I found this a little disappointing because everything seemed kind of glaringly obvious. Then I started to empathize with the characters and got more engaged with the story, which was really more sad and anger-prompting than mysterious or scary. There's no doubt that people on the fringes of society are often used as scapegoats, especially when the authorities are corrupt and self-interested.