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catvbailey's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found this a really enjoyable page turner, but probably enjoyed it more than others might as I live in Oxford and so am familiar with the location. Knocking down from 5* to 4* as the sexism/racism present makes this a difficult book to recommend/enjoy fully, and I did find some of the chapter openings/endings a bit repetitive.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
annie_122's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Murder
arabellacm's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
christinecc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
| If I've said it once, I'll say it again: the first book in a detective series is inevitably the worst. I can only hope the Detective Morse books improve from hereon out.
Essentially, the character work is great. You have the misanthropic Morse who hates everyone except for lovely young women half his age. Thankfully this isn't a case of the protagonist seeming like a mirror of the author's personality. Morse's assistant, Inspector Lewis, is very different and yet equally well-rounded as a character. So this seems to be a case of the main detective being flawed rather than simply horrible.
(Speaking of horrible, there are some very seventies views of sexual assault in this book, although calling them "seventies" feels rather charitable. We also get a bonus comment about Morse going to the hospital and having trouble understanding the very qualified and entirely too patient doctor who happens to speak English as a second language. Honestly it's a wonder Morse's colleagues put up with him.)
On a side note, on what PLANET is Morse so handsome and charming despite his curmudgeonly ways that a twenty-three-year-old woman goes near mad in her longing for him after... (checks notes) one meeting and one very awkward date? Seriously, what does she see in him? The author doesn't give us much description of Morse, but I highly doubt he looks like Cary Grant from "Charade.")
In any case, the mystery is fine, the characters are engaging (if terribly flawed), and the resolution is... not great? It's one of those cases where a minor, seemingly unrelated character begins to take up too much page time. Like in CSI episodes where the detectives spend too long on the veterinarian/coworker/random unrelated character.
Recommended if you're keen to read all the Morse books. Otherwise, I'd recommend looking around for which books the fans think are the best, and then go enjoy that fun British mystery instead of this one. I'll definitely keep going with the series, it's much too acclaimed for me to give up just yet.
Essentially, the character work is great. You have the misanthropic Morse who hates everyone except for lovely young women half his age. Thankfully this isn't a case of the protagonist seeming like a mirror of the author's personality. Morse's assistant, Inspector Lewis, is very different and yet equally well-rounded as a character. So this seems to be a case of the main detective being flawed rather than simply horrible.
(Speaking of horrible, there are some very seventies views of sexual assault in this book, although calling them "seventies" feels rather charitable. We also get a bonus comment about Morse going to the hospital and having trouble understanding the very qualified and entirely too patient doctor who happens to speak English as a second language. Honestly it's a wonder Morse's colleagues put up with him.)
In any case, the mystery is fine, the characters are engaging (if terribly flawed), and the resolution is... not great? It's one of those cases where a minor, seemingly unrelated character begins to take up too much page time. Like in CSI episodes where the detectives spend too long on the veterinarian/coworker/random unrelated character.
Recommended if you're keen to read all the Morse books. Otherwise, I'd recommend looking around for which books the fans think are the best, and then go enjoy that fun British mystery instead of this one. I'll definitely keep going with the series, it's much too acclaimed for me to give up just yet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Sexual assault