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momogracie's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Felt flat, no huge twist for a mystery. I never was fully invested. It’s a quick read but I can’t say I super enjoyed it.
brewychock51's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
angievachon's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Satisfying ending. But I guessed the killer before the reveal which is unusual for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
tiffanycannon's review
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? Yes
3.0
michellewords's review against another edition
3.0
Murder at the Book Club is your standard who-done-it, detective procedural, with no surprises or thrilling moments.
It's really one of the most basic mystery books I have ever read. I wouldn't say that's a bad thing, but I also don't know if it's that good either.
A bunch of very sassy women of various ages and stages meet together regularly for a book club, but that gets a little messy when one of the more caddy women ends up dead. Don't worry Detective Barrett & Palmer are on the case-but I can't really tell you any more about them because I don't know and/or remember anything about these detectives besides their names. The plot thickens with divorce, affairs, and an abortion (but doesn't really because the case is pretty straightforward from there).
As I shared earlier this week. One of the detectives is strangely obsessive about the situation being a serial killer when there is only one murder. It's weird and makes no sense why they keep pushing that narrative. Maybe that's the U.K. tradition? Also, arresting people because the timeline allows them a chance to commit murder---and no real evidence? Maybe that's also a U.K. thing? Or maybe I just watch/listen to too many murder documentaries/docuseries. Either way, I'm left feeling like the detectives think they are smart and the author wants you to think they are but they are in reality really dumb? I don't know man, I'm confused by the detectives in this book. And apparently, this is the beginning of a WHOLE series about their cases?!
Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty fun read if you turn off your brain. A good vacation book I guess. The narrator is a lot of fun to listen to with her various U.K. accents and voices.
End of the line, i don't know if I can recommend it. If you like mysteries a lot, maybe just read a better one, but if you want a fun, turn-your-brain-off read, it's a pretty well-qualified book for that.
It's really one of the most basic mystery books I have ever read. I wouldn't say that's a bad thing, but I also don't know if it's that good either.
A bunch of very sassy women of various ages and stages meet together regularly for a book club, but that gets a little messy when one of the more caddy women ends up dead. Don't worry Detective Barrett & Palmer are on the case-but I can't really tell you any more about them because I don't know and/or remember anything about these detectives besides their names. The plot thickens with divorce, affairs, and an abortion (but doesn't really because the case is pretty straightforward from there).
As I shared earlier this week. One of the detectives is strangely obsessive about the situation being a serial killer when there is only one murder. It's weird and makes no sense why they keep pushing that narrative. Maybe that's the U.K. tradition? Also, arresting people because the timeline allows them a chance to commit murder---and no real evidence? Maybe that's also a U.K. thing? Or maybe I just watch/listen to too many murder documentaries/docuseries. Either way, I'm left feeling like the detectives think they are smart and the author wants you to think they are but they are in reality really dumb? I don't know man, I'm confused by the detectives in this book. And apparently, this is the beginning of a WHOLE series about their cases?!
Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty fun read if you turn off your brain. A good vacation book I guess. The narrator is a lot of fun to listen to with her various U.K. accents and voices.
End of the line, i don't know if I can recommend it. If you like mysteries a lot, maybe just read a better one, but if you want a fun, turn-your-brain-off read, it's a pretty well-qualified book for that.
400mom's review against another edition
2.0
I see lots of good reviews for this book but I didn’t really enjoy it. There were lots of characters and we got information about them, but they didn’t seem very well developed. With all the secondary characters, I had a hard time keeping track of who everyone was. I never felt any suspense built up and thought the resolution was not genuine. It seemed as if the perspective of the whole book was from looking down from above and observing, rather than being involved in the story.
PS. A book club that meets weekly??
PS. A book club that meets weekly??
amygrow's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
This was both too long and not enough. There were way too many characters for as short as this books is. At the end I literally said “ha! This book sucks!”
emiliechelt's review against another edition
3.0
Easy enjoyable read. Just wished there was some actual books mentioned within the story considering it is centered around a book club.
Bit thrown by the narrator changing from one character to the next within the same chapters. Not something I am used to.
Bit thrown by the narrator changing from one character to the next within the same chapters. Not something I am used to.
myameegirl's review against another edition
3.0
I was definitely torn with this book. I wasn’t sure about it in the beginning, but half way through I started to enjoy it. I’ve been into whodunits lately and this one didn’t disappoint. I even had a sheet with names and timelines so I could play detective and figure it out. All in all, I had fun with the story. All the women in the book club were strong, opinionated women; maybe a little TOO opinionated. Definitely nasty & self-absorbed. They could just NEVER be nice to each other. Books were never discussed because they couldn’t stop fighting long enough. For me, I wanted to read this and get that cozy book club vibe from it, not just constant arguing and pettiness. I did like the various perspectives. There were a lot of them but it fit with the plot and story so it wasn’t distracting or boring. One negative for me, and it’s really just a pet peeve, is that the author used a few past tense or Brit spellings that drove me crazy. “Learnt” “Leant” “Nowt”.
Anyway, overall, I found the book pretty entertaining and I’ll definitely pick up the 2nd book of the series. I would love to read and learn more about the two detectives, Barrett and Palmer. Their personalities complement one another so well & I look forward to getting to know their stories more.
Anyway, overall, I found the book pretty entertaining and I’ll definitely pick up the 2nd book of the series. I would love to read and learn more about the two detectives, Barrett and Palmer. Their personalities complement one another so well & I look forward to getting to know their stories more.