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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
The book completely failed to interest me in the plot or characters, but the worst part was that I kept stumbling over the language. Finally, on page 72, I came across two sentences that made me put the book down forever.
"But at least, he thought with grim satisfaction, he was ahead of Exeter, who was still twisting his whiskers and thinking the girl had destroyed herself while his underlings stroked his ego."
AND
"He read quite contentedly until eight, when he had to dress for supper with his friend Lord Cabot, who shared with him a sportsman's interest in politics, and a few friends, at their club, the Travelers."
COMMA OVERLOAD KILLED MY DESIRE TO READ THIS BOOK DEAD.
"But at least, he thought with grim satisfaction, he was ahead of Exeter, who was still twisting his whiskers and thinking the girl had destroyed herself while his underlings stroked his ego."
AND
"He read quite contentedly until eight, when he had to dress for supper with his friend Lord Cabot, who shared with him a sportsman's interest in politics, and a few friends, at their club, the Travelers."
COMMA OVERLOAD KILLED MY DESIRE TO READ THIS BOOK DEAD.
Not unenjoyable but I am so sick of the, "This detective is amazing cause he sees what no one else sees, he's like Sherlock Holmes!!!" Even one of the reviewers on the book said exactly this and I just rolled my eyes and wanted to throw the book.
3.5 rounded up - I still need to try The Secret Book & Scone Society series, but I'll go on and say that Mr. Finch and his protagonist, Charles Lennox, have come the closest to the cozy vibes I get from my much-beloved Louise Penny. London is definitely no Three Pines, and Charles Lennox is certainly no Gamache, but I found myself entranced nonetheless. I'm happily on to the next in the series!
Meh. This book was ok, I guess. The mystery is less than gripping, and the protagonist felt very...smug. In fact, there was kind of that taint of "I'm smarter than you, and I've done LOTS of research, and look! I'm writing Holmes, if Holmes were charming, ever-so-slightly unconventional, and not a raging druggie!" throughout the book. It lacked lightness and sparkle in the witty banter sections and a true sense of peril in the suspenseful ones.
You know what it felt like? Someone with a checklist. Every element is dutifully checked off, but it doesn't really live in the reader's imagination. I don't care about these people. They aren't so much flat as poor transcriptions of other characters I've already read. Also, the protagonist comes off as a snob, and the parts of his personality that are supposed to be cute/quirky just come off as...well, boring (his search for good boots springs to mind).
Unfortunately, I have the second book already. I'll read it, but I hope it's better than this.
Oh, and fair warning: one of the characters has the unfortunate nickname of "Toto." Be prepared to think of little yappy terriers every time she appears.
You know what it felt like? Someone with a checklist. Every element is dutifully checked off, but it doesn't really live in the reader's imagination. I don't care about these people. They aren't so much flat as poor transcriptions of other characters I've already read. Also, the protagonist comes off as a snob, and the parts of his personality that are supposed to be cute/quirky just come off as...well, boring (his search for good boots springs to mind).
Unfortunately, I have the second book already. I'll read it, but I hope it's better than this.
Oh, and fair warning: one of the characters has the unfortunate nickname of "Toto." Be prepared to think of little yappy terriers every time she appears.
A fireplace read...but at the same time, one that draws you in and sets you up! Good 1st in series...one can see great possibilities ahead.
Mystery novels are my guilty pleasure and Finch doesn't disappoint. A cast of colorful characters which feature an amateur detective and his loyal companions, made this a great post-finals read.
I was hoping for either a clever, witty, romp of a mystery or the kind of slow-burn intelligent story that makes me read on to see where it goes. Unfortunately, I never really got either.
Lenox is dull. I hate saying that, I hate feeling that, but he is. He does not manage to ever make me care about him. I really want to. When he starts the book wanting to do nothing but sit by the fire with a book, I felt an instant connection there. Obviously, we were going to be great book friends and this was going to be a joy to read.
It is not.
It is a trudge through a mystery that gets solved oddly early (though not quite early enough, given apparently Lenox is good at this and I am not and I managed to figure it out before he did) and then the book plods along afterward for what feels like a remarkably long time. Part of this is the writing, or perhaps Lenox himself if I'm feeling charitable. It is rambling (hopefully this review is not also rambling, but I feel I can't promise that at this point) and repetitious. Entire pages go by with the same information being conveyed to the reader three different ways. None of it is plot-relevant, and much of it is about the weather.
While Lenox is often called in on cases, I get the idea that he solves many of them through sheer dumb luck. He does pick out some clever things that were missed, admittedly, but he also misses several things that should be glaringly obvious and manages to act like a complete idiot whenever he attempts to interrogate anyone.
In addition to Lenox, we have a crop of other two-dimensional characters that...I don't want to say "populate" because that gives them more life than they really have, but reside in the London explored in this book. Lady Jane is her own special brand of insipid, with bonus points for her being apparently perfect in every way. We never see this, of course, except that she isoddly very kind to Lenox (though perish the thought that they are romantically involved!).
I will not get into the historical oddities present. I'm generally willing to let them slide in historical fiction, honestly, and I'm also more likely to catch them given my history background (which is probably why I'm willing to let them slide, honestly--otherwise I'd have a horrid time reading anything). Suffice it to say that if you are reading this for a valid history lesson or for appropriate language, please find something else instead.
It took me ages to get through this not because I set it aside (I do that all the time) but because it was a slow trek while actively reading it. I was bored. I didn't particularly care about the mystery. I didn't care about the characters. I have a horrible feeling that at some point in the series (this is apparently a series) Lenox and Lady Jane are going to have a slow, boring courtship and I am going to die of ennui while reading it if I dared continue.
This book was provided to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lenox is dull. I hate saying that, I hate feeling that, but he is. He does not manage to ever make me care about him. I really want to. When he starts the book wanting to do nothing but sit by the fire with a book, I felt an instant connection there. Obviously, we were going to be great book friends and this was going to be a joy to read.
It is not.
It is a trudge through a mystery that gets solved oddly early (though not quite early enough, given apparently Lenox is good at this and I am not and I managed to figure it out before he did) and then the book plods along afterward for what feels like a remarkably long time. Part of this is the writing, or perhaps Lenox himself if I'm feeling charitable. It is rambling (hopefully this review is not also rambling, but I feel I can't promise that at this point) and repetitious. Entire pages go by with the same information being conveyed to the reader three different ways. None of it is plot-relevant, and much of it is about the weather.
While Lenox is often called in on cases, I get the idea that he solves many of them through sheer dumb luck. He does pick out some clever things that were missed, admittedly, but he also misses several things that should be glaringly obvious and manages to act like a complete idiot whenever he attempts to interrogate anyone.
In addition to Lenox, we have a crop of other two-dimensional characters that...I don't want to say "populate" because that gives them more life than they really have, but reside in the London explored in this book. Lady Jane is her own special brand of insipid, with bonus points for her being apparently perfect in every way. We never see this, of course, except that she is
I will not get into the historical oddities present. I'm generally willing to let them slide in historical fiction, honestly, and I'm also more likely to catch them given my history background (which is probably why I'm willing to let them slide, honestly--otherwise I'd have a horrid time reading anything). Suffice it to say that if you are reading this for a valid history lesson or for appropriate language, please find something else instead.
It took me ages to get through this not because I set it aside (I do that all the time) but because it was a slow trek while actively reading it. I was bored. I didn't particularly care about the mystery. I didn't care about the characters. I have a horrible feeling that at some point in the series (this is apparently a series) Lenox and Lady Jane are going to have a slow, boring courtship and I am going to die of ennui while reading it if I dared continue.
This book was provided to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Anodyne is the first word that comes into my head to describe this one. It was pleasantly written, if you are comfortable with a kind of middle readers prose style. The characters were also pleasant. The story felt contrived but had enough in it that I didn’t give up on it. The little bits of cozy atmosphere were my favorite parts. I was glad to finish —particularly after the (somewhat tedious) unraveling of the mystery(ies).
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No