Reviews

Little Mysteries: Nine Miniature Puzzles to Confuse, Enthrall, and Delight by Sara Gran

erinnh's review

3.0

 Little Mysteries: Nine Miniature Puzzles to Confuse, Enthrall, and Delight is somewhat of an enigma in itself. I think the subtitle might throw a lot of people off on what to expect from this short story collection. Readers may be expecting classic or straightforward mysteries or whodunnits where they can work out solutions alongside the sleuths, and that isn’t the case for every story in this collection, at least not exactly…

Sara Gran really plays with the genre and format here, and while there are some murders and other crimes to puzzle out here, the mysteries at the heart of these stories are really about exploring the bigger existential questions in life. She uses the genre itself as a tool to explore these questions. I think if you go in knowing you aren’t getting a classic detective collection, but rather more of a genre bending, character-focused, experimental collection, then you won’t be let down.

I happen to appreciate the variation in formats and style, but I will say that some stories were more engaging than others for me personally. In general, I preferred the longer stories (“The Mystery at Killington Manor…”) to the “One-Minute” or “Five-Minute” style mysteries and other briefer forms. In the longer stories, the characters and the themes had more of a chance to shine and were just more impactful. I thought the characters were a lot of fun, and the plays on tropes in detective fiction were entertaining, despite the heavier tone of many of the stories. 

I must admit that I have not read any of Gran’s other works in the Claire DeWitt series, and I have a feeling I am missing a few references and some context that might help me understand some of the stories. I think fans of the series will definitely appreciate this collection, but by no means do you need to have read the prior work to enjoy Little Mysteries.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamland Books for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

nikkimariereads's review

hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

pallavi_vats's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

If you grew up on Nancy Drew, Famous Five, Fantastic Four, Hardy Boys, Secret Seven, you'll enjoy this. The writing somehow took me back to nostalgic sleuthing pleasures.

If you binged Law & Order, Monk, CSI, Suits, this book is again for you as it experiments with different formats in small bite sized stories.

Though the book is definitely fun to read in hindsight, I had my issues with it in the form of convincing myself to pick it up after a break. While stories are a mixed bag with this one, there's definitely a niche audience for Little Mysteries.

orla_h's review

dark funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

5.0

beesbookhaunts's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Okay WOW did this take me by surprise! I didn’t realize it would be such a beautiful reflection on grief and self actualization.

Absolutely loved that each story was told in such a unique way. A little choose your own adventure? Yes please!  
The last two mysteries were by far the best, but honestly they were all bangers. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Racism

naoreeds's review

funny inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

2.75

One thing I have to say is that this book gave off so much coziness and comfort

 I adore every short story despite some instances where the mystery is pretty obvious or vague, so I don't know what was happening half the time. It kind of fell short mystery-wise but literary fiction-wise, this book is brilliant! Gran was able to hook me in with her quirky and simple writing style immediately, it was what I needed after battling a terrible reading slump. I adored the underlying message interwoven into each mystery. That last mystery made me gasp in surprise and appreciation, and it is a chapter that I will never forget. 

This book is the best of both worlds for me, mixing mystery and literary fiction, two literary genres that have a special place in my heart. Will definitely read more of Sara Gran's books sometime soon. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamland Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.