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annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: my link text.
The Clutter Corpse is the first book in a new murder mystery series by superhumanly prolific author Simon Brett. Released 2nd June 2020 by Severn House, it's 192 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
Simon Brett is a really gifted writer. He writes entertainingly and well. All the parts (and they are varied and numerous) fit together and do precisely what they're meant to do. The characters are believable and well rendered. The dialogue works and is never clunky or awkward. This is a delightful intro to a new series which isn't fluffy enough (in my estimation) to fit firmly into the cozy mold, but it's not at all gritty, either. In short, it's a modern British murder mystery with a well plotted story arc, some not-too-graphic murders, some humour, and a satisfying denouement. It's also blessedly free of anthropomorphic animals, ghosts, and other bells and whistles.
There is no romance subplot, though a fair bit of the book does revolve around substance abuse and mental illness. The author manages to treat the subjects sensitively, but some readers could conceivably find some of the subject matter triggering (hoarding, trauma, heroin abuse, sexual harassment, compulsive behaviour, it's a fair laundry list).
I found it a delightful read and despite the potentially serious subplot elements, Mr. Brett manages to imbue the whole with enough humour to make it an entertaining and quick read. North American readers should be aware that it's written in British vernacular (torch, lift, flat, etc).
Four stars. Really well done. I'm looking forward to future installments of the series.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Clutter Corpse is the first book in a new murder mystery series by superhumanly prolific author Simon Brett. Released 2nd June 2020 by Severn House, it's 192 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
Simon Brett is a really gifted writer. He writes entertainingly and well. All the parts (and they are varied and numerous) fit together and do precisely what they're meant to do. The characters are believable and well rendered. The dialogue works and is never clunky or awkward. This is a delightful intro to a new series which isn't fluffy enough (in my estimation) to fit firmly into the cozy mold, but it's not at all gritty, either. In short, it's a modern British murder mystery with a well plotted story arc, some not-too-graphic murders, some humour, and a satisfying denouement. It's also blessedly free of anthropomorphic animals, ghosts, and other bells and whistles.
There is no romance subplot, though a fair bit of the book does revolve around substance abuse and mental illness. The author manages to treat the subjects sensitively, but some readers could conceivably find some of the subject matter triggering (hoarding, trauma, heroin abuse, sexual harassment, compulsive behaviour, it's a fair laundry list).
I found it a delightful read and despite the potentially serious subplot elements, Mr. Brett manages to imbue the whole with enough humour to make it an entertaining and quick read. North American readers should be aware that it's written in British vernacular (torch, lift, flat, etc).
Four stars. Really well done. I'm looking forward to future installments of the series.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
menniemenace's review
2.0
This book was perfectly fine. It was just ok, though, not all that memorable.
I felt the protagonist was a bit of a doormat, she's so forgiving and nice and stuff. Not a good quality in a mystery lead. People walked all over her.
There were some unexpected twists here and there, but the characters didn't inspire any care in me. I wasn't invested in their lives.
I felt the protagonist was a bit of a doormat, she's so forgiving and nice and stuff. Not a good quality in a mystery lead. People walked all over her.
There were some unexpected twists here and there, but the characters didn't inspire any care in me. I wasn't invested in their lives.
mmitch10's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
shortcakeriahhh's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
scmiller's review
3.0
I’ll start my review off by saying I read this novel because it was under a list of books with women detectives, and women who are detectives are bomb. Needless to say I was under the audacious assumption it was also written by a woman. Alas.
You hear about so many cheaply written one-dimensional women characters created by men and well, this book fits the bill. The ideas were there, the story was there — I read the whole thing didn’t I?— but there were so many bizarre assumptions and “self”-deprecating jokes made by and about women that I wonder if this man has ever had an authentic conversation with a real live woman before. The way he described motherhood, commented on women’s physical appearance through an off-putting male-gaze lens, and made every woman either superficial/materialistic, manipulative, self-deprecating, air-headed, or docile — none of it rang true. Again, maybe talk to a real live human woman first, my friend.
And what’s up with the racially-questionable commentary? Who says someone looks to be “of m*xed race?” What year is it??
You hear about so many cheaply written one-dimensional women characters created by men and well, this book fits the bill. The ideas were there, the story was there — I read the whole thing didn’t I?— but there were so many bizarre assumptions and “self”-deprecating jokes made by and about women that I wonder if this man has ever had an authentic conversation with a real live woman before. The way he described motherhood, commented on women’s physical appearance through an off-putting male-gaze lens, and made every woman either superficial/materialistic, manipulative, self-deprecating, air-headed, or docile — none of it rang true. Again, maybe talk to a real live human woman first, my friend.
And what’s up with the racially-questionable commentary? Who says someone looks to be “of m*xed race?” What year is it??
cj_mo_2222's review
4.0
Ellen Curtis owns a decluttering agency called SpaceWoman in Chichester, England. Many of her clients are hoarders and Ellen is able to help them with delicacy and tact, often checking in to see how they’re doing at no charge. She receives a referral from one of her close friends, but while she’s there ends up discovering a dead body! To make sure she stays off the suspect list, Ellen does a little investigating of her own to find the murderer.
I have enjoyed many other books by Simon Brett and was pleased to see he had started a new series. This one has an interesting premise and I liked getting to know the main character, Ellen. The reader gets to see Ellen on the job helping several different clients with a variety of hoarding issues, and I really liked that aspect of the book. It’s clear that Ellen has undergone some sort of trauma in her life and more details unfold about her personal life as the book continues. Ellen is smart and sympathetic and I like her as a main character. Her friend “Dodge” and son Ben are also likable characters. I don’t care for her mother or daughter but fortunately they don’t play a large role in the book.
There are many witty moments in the book, but it has more depth than a typical cozy. Ellen has a complicated backstory and the book deals with serious issues such as depression and suicide. The book is light on the actual sleuthing even though Ellen does investigate the murder. However, I really like the way the story is told, giving us the details of Ellen’s personal and professional life and the insights into human behavior that are shared. I was surprised when all the facts about the case eventually came out even though I did notice the suspicious behavior of a few of the characters. I enjoyed the book and would definitely be interested in reading further books featuring Ellen Curtis.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I have enjoyed many other books by Simon Brett and was pleased to see he had started a new series. This one has an interesting premise and I liked getting to know the main character, Ellen. The reader gets to see Ellen on the job helping several different clients with a variety of hoarding issues, and I really liked that aspect of the book. It’s clear that Ellen has undergone some sort of trauma in her life and more details unfold about her personal life as the book continues. Ellen is smart and sympathetic and I like her as a main character. Her friend “Dodge” and son Ben are also likable characters. I don’t care for her mother or daughter but fortunately they don’t play a large role in the book.
There are many witty moments in the book, but it has more depth than a typical cozy. Ellen has a complicated backstory and the book deals with serious issues such as depression and suicide. The book is light on the actual sleuthing even though Ellen does investigate the murder. However, I really like the way the story is told, giving us the details of Ellen’s personal and professional life and the insights into human behavior that are shared. I was surprised when all the facts about the case eventually came out even though I did notice the suspicious behavior of a few of the characters. I enjoyed the book and would definitely be interested in reading further books featuring Ellen Curtis.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
mayarelmahdy's review
2.0
This book was perfectly fine. It was just ok, though, not all that memorable.
I felt the protagonist was a bit of a doormat, she's so forgiving and nice and stuff. Not a good quality in a mystery lead. People walked all over her.
There were some unexpected twists here and there, but the characters didn't inspire any care in me. I wasn't invested in their lives.
I felt the protagonist was a bit of a doormat, she's so forgiving and nice and stuff. Not a good quality in a mystery lead. People walked all over her.
There were some unexpected twists here and there, but the characters didn't inspire any care in me. I wasn't invested in their lives.
msbug18's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
zoedkemp's review
3.0
Not a bad story but I found the vernacular didn't fit the characters, it was more like the author trying to show off all the big words he knew. It sounded a lot like Joey from Friends with his thesaurus.