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queenalice97's review against another edition
5.0
This book was wonderful! Each chapter written by a different author and it was funny, suspenseful, awe-inspiring! To be able to write a chapter based on the characters, clues and information that the previous author had written and each chapter gave a new twist! Kudos to Laurie R. King for being able to pull it all together at the end. Wow! Agatha would be proud of these ladies! Plus, I get to add 8 new authors to my list of authors to read! It was fun for me to read the five authors I've read before and see their style reflected in their chapters. Good read, definitely!
giantsdancefarm's review
3.0
MANY ofmy favorite female authors, so I expected better. It was a ;little better than OK.
lauriereadslohf's review against another edition
3.0
Naked Came The Phoenix was a book selection for two of my local reading groups because we were intrigued by its unusual format. Twelve bestselling mystery and suspense author joined together to contribute a chapter to this murder-mystery, soap-opera. The catch? Each other must pick up where the last left off and continue the story using the same cast of characters, all of who get zanier as the story progresses.
The opening chapter written by Nevada Barr sets up the story and, in my opinion, was the driest, dullest entry in the entire book. It’s here that the lifeless main characters are introduced (luckily they don’t stay that way!). After the recent death of her father, Caroline, wife of a big shot Congressman, agrees to spend some quality bonding time with her difficult mother at a high-end health spa. Caroline’s fellow guests at the spa include an aging rock legend, a quirky psychic, a starving model and loads of other oddballs and Hollywood “it” types.
After the slow start, JD Robb picks up the tempo in chapter two. She breaths life into Caroline’s character by bringing her down to earth in a funny little adventure brought about by hunger. She also adds a hunky pool-boy to the ever growing list of characters and kicks things into high gear by killing off the snooty spa owner.
Things get silly as each character seems to harbor some dirty secret and the murder count becomes ridiculously high as each author adds their own little twists and turns to the story and attempts to pick up where the previous author left off. A friend of mine described the characters as “manic depressives” and she was right on. Each character switches moods and personalities from chapter to chapter which only added to the sense of fun. Eventually, all dangling threads and over-the-top plot twists were neatly brought together by author Laurie King.
I’d read another book like Naked Came The Phoenix for the fun factor alone. But would I read this one again? Umm, probably not.
The opening chapter written by Nevada Barr sets up the story and, in my opinion, was the driest, dullest entry in the entire book. It’s here that the lifeless main characters are introduced (luckily they don’t stay that way!). After the recent death of her father, Caroline, wife of a big shot Congressman, agrees to spend some quality bonding time with her difficult mother at a high-end health spa. Caroline’s fellow guests at the spa include an aging rock legend, a quirky psychic, a starving model and loads of other oddballs and Hollywood “it” types.
After the slow start, JD Robb picks up the tempo in chapter two. She breaths life into Caroline’s character by bringing her down to earth in a funny little adventure brought about by hunger. She also adds a hunky pool-boy to the ever growing list of characters and kicks things into high gear by killing off the snooty spa owner.
Things get silly as each character seems to harbor some dirty secret and the murder count becomes ridiculously high as each author adds their own little twists and turns to the story and attempts to pick up where the previous author left off. A friend of mine described the characters as “manic depressives” and she was right on. Each character switches moods and personalities from chapter to chapter which only added to the sense of fun. Eventually, all dangling threads and over-the-top plot twists were neatly brought together by author Laurie King.
I’d read another book like Naked Came The Phoenix for the fun factor alone. But would I read this one again? Umm, probably not.
lootsfoz's review
4.0
Such a fun book to read. Some clues were obvious, some revelations took me by surprise, and the authors clearly relished one-upping each other.
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