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readymadereader's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-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
3.75
emmae's review against another edition
medium-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
2.0
helena_chris's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Definitely the best book from the bunch that were written by the Detection Club. You can just see the fun they must have had while writing this book. Obviously the ending doesn't make proper sense, but that is to be expected after the final writer, Anthony Berkeley, was left to clear up the mess made by the precious chapters' writers.
ashleylm's review against another edition
2.0
Superficially this sounds like a great idea—what's better than one great mystery author? Several great mystery authors!—but no. We don't read books by these authors because their individual sentences are so pleasant, we read them because of their skill shaping the mystery and characters and retaining our interest throughout, and when each write only has to muster it up for one chapter, you end up with very little of actual merit. I read this as a kid, and even then I knew it wasn't one for the ages.
(5* = amazing, terrific book, one of my all-time favourites, 4* = very good book, 3* = good book, but nothing to particularly rave about, 2* = disappointing book, and 1* = awful, just awful. As a statistician I know most books are 3s, but I am biased in my selection and end up mostly with 4s, thank goodness.)
(5* = amazing, terrific book, one of my all-time favourites, 4* = very good book, 3* = good book, but nothing to particularly rave about, 2* = disappointing book, and 1* = awful, just awful. As a statistician I know most books are 3s, but I am biased in my selection and end up mostly with 4s, thank goodness.)
francescatso's review against another edition
3.0
A collectively written detective story. A fun idea, perhaps a little harder to follow in execution due to the different writing styles. Still an entertaining read as you're guessing what will happen along with each new author. Not as cohesive due the nature of it but interesting to read the various solutions. Would recommend reading the authors individually.
sharkybookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
In a sleepy seaside estuary town, a retired sailor lands a rowing boat containing a dead body, but Inspector Rudge suspects that there’s more to it than initially meets the eye…
I read this on a whim as a bonus entry in my #SharkyReadsChristie project - it’s a collaborative murder mystery where various members of The Detection Club (including Agatha Christie, which is how I came across it) each contribute a chapter, a “relay murder mystery” if you will. Was it an amazing murder mystery? Not particularly. Was it a fun concept and an enjoyable read? Absolutely - each author has to incorporate loose ends from previous chapters and cannot introduce randomly confusing clues (all clues must be justifiable). The result is, of course, a mish-mash of styles and pacing, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing along and thinking how the clues that get thrown in might get interpreted later on, seeing the directions in which the different writers took the story, what they each chose to focus on. Each author also wrote a brief summary of how they expected the solution to unfold, and these were all included in the notes at the end, which was actually my favourite part of the book - it was fascinating to see where they drew similar conclusions and where they really didn’t, and how the same clues were sometimes interpreted so differently. It very much drives home the intellectual puzzle style of so many “Golden Age” murder mysteries (which, incidentally, is what I love so much about Christie). A relatively middling murder mystery, but a fun read nevertheless by dint of how it was put together - best approached as a game while considering where you would go with each clue that pops up.
aliceandthegiantbookshelf's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
3.0
alexandraidonea's review against another edition
5.0
As someone who reads a good deal of classic mystery, I was delighted beyond expectation by this. As a writer, I beg to differ with a lot of reviewers that the storyline is too confusing or changes too much every chapter as the author changes. Does our main detective have a few different quirks of speech depending on the author? Yes. I took this as perhaps only a writer would - that in addressing different suspects, our detective might sometimes use different language or adjust his colloquialisms. Here’s what I will say without giving anything away: I felt like the characters made sense to me; I loved learning more and more about our detective’s personality as the world around him and his inner ruminations both grew, and I was very pleased that the ending was not rushed, as I feel that many many endings to mysteries are. I wish there were more than two other volumes by the Detection Club - and I can see myself buying and revisiting this one, that’s how much I enjoyed it.
apageinthestacks's review against another edition
4.0
Really an amazing book, and very well-done. There were a few minor character inconsistencies (at least, in my opinion--they're not too unbelievable, though), which is to be expected, but the plot flowed very well. And it was really fun reading each member's solution to the crime afterward.
ladulcinella's review against another edition
3.0
The idea to write with several writers a story, each following the former one is great. I enjoyed also recoginizing the specifics, especially of the well known authors.
Sadly, in the great idea, there is also weakness. The different parts are very uneven and some are not so good at all. And on a certain level, there is no feeling os a story, but one of lots of small elements.
Sadly, in the great idea, there is also weakness. The different parts are very uneven and some are not so good at all. And on a certain level, there is no feeling os a story, but one of lots of small elements.