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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Another fantastic book in this series! I love music, so yeah, a bit of good to read this book, and bad because musicians were being killed. Yeah.
I waffled a bit on requesting this through NetGalley but, obviously, I decided to go for it. It was the New Orleans setting that did me in more than anything and I’ve been liking Heather Graham books enough so I figured why not? I haven’t read the first two books in the Cafferty & Quinn series but considering I’ve been reading her books all sorts of out of order I doubted it would make a difference. It didn’t.
It starts off with a sort of supernatural bent and it strings the main murder mystery together but it’s ultimately very thin, to the point where I wouldn’t consider this story supernatural at all. Sure, it’s mentioned that Cafferty’s dad collected weird objects and it’s mentioned repeatedly at the store she owns houses a bunch of objects in the basement that could be cursed or possessed or other ghostly things but none of that is actually seen. This serial killer keeps attacking people because of a supposed special saxophone but the way the story’s wrapped up it’s largely irrelevant and there’s no supernatural aspect to speak of. It was kind of a disappointment.
I found myself bored a lot with the story. New Orleans wasn’t its own character in the book like settings can be in other Graham novels and that was a disappointment too. I like her Krewe books because she makes the place come alive. I didn’t feel that here and I felt let down.
The dialogue was a bit bland too. Very stock, a bit too neat in exchange, making the characters monotonous and their interactions Lifetime movie awkward. Just very stilted, unnatural and a bit too set up. I felt myself cringe a bunch of times as the characters were interacting because it just didn’t feel like a natural flow of dialogue.
The sex scenes, I’m not sure why they’re in there. I have no doubt I can imagine that an adult couple has sex but the act of coupling is glossed over but there doesn’t seem to be a reason for it. It’s definitely a constant thing I’ve found in Graham novels that she wants to include a hint of sex to demonstrate that the characters can screw but it’s largely irrelevant to the plot. It doesn’t really do anything for the characters involved; I don’t find their relationship deeper or more meaningful. They like to bang. Most humans do. I mean I don’t need explicit sex scenes all the time but these start off bordering on hot then the scene ends in the next sentence as they’re lying naked with each other in the bed. I don’t know. It bugs me. If you’re intent on giving me a sex scene then give me a sex scene. Make me FEEL it. But these just feel thrown in there, they’re not hot, they’re not intense, they’re over and done with and mean nothing to the story. Since it’s not about Cafferty and Quinn’s relationship (although there is tension between the two, the story isn’t about them) there’s no need to have it there as it is.
Overall this book was meh. I didn’t hate it but I certainly didn’t like it. I didn’t care for any of the characters, all of their interactions were gawky and forced, the supernatural element is nonexistent and I don’t know why it’s even insinuated for how irrelevant it is. Yes, it plays into the motive behind the murders and I did like how that line of the story ended but at the beginning there was a supernatural element involved and then never again. I don’t know why that was there at all. I just didn’t feel involved with the book. It was talking a story at me instead of making sure I was part of it. I have quite a few of Graham’s older works piled up and ready to read and this hasn’t turned me off of her writing; I just wasn’t thrilled with this book. Maybe the first book in this particular series would be more my style with a heavier supernatural element to it but I’m not going to tackle it too soon.
2.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It starts off with a sort of supernatural bent and it strings the main murder mystery together but it’s ultimately very thin, to the point where I wouldn’t consider this story supernatural at all. Sure, it’s mentioned that Cafferty’s dad collected weird objects and it’s mentioned repeatedly at the store she owns houses a bunch of objects in the basement that could be cursed or possessed or other ghostly things but none of that is actually seen. This serial killer keeps attacking people because of a supposed special saxophone but the way the story’s wrapped up it’s largely irrelevant and there’s no supernatural aspect to speak of. It was kind of a disappointment.
I found myself bored a lot with the story. New Orleans wasn’t its own character in the book like settings can be in other Graham novels and that was a disappointment too. I like her Krewe books because she makes the place come alive. I didn’t feel that here and I felt let down.
The dialogue was a bit bland too. Very stock, a bit too neat in exchange, making the characters monotonous and their interactions Lifetime movie awkward. Just very stilted, unnatural and a bit too set up. I felt myself cringe a bunch of times as the characters were interacting because it just didn’t feel like a natural flow of dialogue.
The sex scenes, I’m not sure why they’re in there. I have no doubt I can imagine that an adult couple has sex but the act of coupling is glossed over but there doesn’t seem to be a reason for it. It’s definitely a constant thing I’ve found in Graham novels that she wants to include a hint of sex to demonstrate that the characters can screw but it’s largely irrelevant to the plot. It doesn’t really do anything for the characters involved; I don’t find their relationship deeper or more meaningful. They like to bang. Most humans do. I mean I don’t need explicit sex scenes all the time but these start off bordering on hot then the scene ends in the next sentence as they’re lying naked with each other in the bed. I don’t know. It bugs me. If you’re intent on giving me a sex scene then give me a sex scene. Make me FEEL it. But these just feel thrown in there, they’re not hot, they’re not intense, they’re over and done with and mean nothing to the story. Since it’s not about Cafferty and Quinn’s relationship (although there is tension between the two, the story isn’t about them) there’s no need to have it there as it is.
Overall this book was meh. I didn’t hate it but I certainly didn’t like it. I didn’t care for any of the characters, all of their interactions were gawky and forced, the supernatural element is nonexistent and I don’t know why it’s even insinuated for how irrelevant it is. Yes, it plays into the motive behind the murders and I did like how that line of the story ended but at the beginning there was a supernatural element involved and then never again. I don’t know why that was there at all. I just didn’t feel involved with the book. It was talking a story at me instead of making sure I was part of it. I have quite a few of Graham’s older works piled up and ready to read and this hasn’t turned me off of her writing; I just wasn’t thrilled with this book. Maybe the first book in this particular series would be more my style with a heavier supernatural element to it but I’m not going to tackle it too soon.
2.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I expect a fun story with a strong sense of place from Graham's books and I wasn't disappointed. This very much felt like it was taking place in New Orleans without being too over the top. The mystery itself is interesting and the story has just the right amount of creep factor. I liked Danni and Quinn really having to learn to work together and that Quinn had to stop just trying to protect Danni and start trusting her instincts. I also loved Arnie's parents as well as Billie and Bo Ray. They all came off as really just nice people which helped temper the creepiness. The pacing was very good and while I guessed the bad guy fairly early on I was never not entertained by the unmasking process.
Con: There are a lot of characters in this book. I think since this is a continuing series the cast can be bigger than it is in the Krewe books. There were a few times I had to remind myself who someone was and there was a character that showed up towards the end that I had no idea who he was. It didn't affect the story so it wasn't a big deal but it was a little jarring. Also, this took me a little longer to get lost in than her previous books. The writing seemed a little stiffer and I was more aware of the "He said, she said, etc." than usual.
Overall: Even though this was the 3rd book in the series I had no problem jumping in especially with figuring out the setup between Danni and Quinn. Because this is a series the romantic relationship is already taken place so this read more like a mystery than a romance to me. There were some mild scenes but nothing much. I have a feeling that earlier books would tilt more to the romance side. There were a few annoyances in the book but they were all minor and this was a book I always looked forward to getting back too.
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-dead-play-on-review.html
Con: There are a lot of characters in this book. I think since this is a continuing series the cast can be bigger than it is in the Krewe books. There were a few times I had to remind myself who someone was and there was a character that showed up towards the end that I had no idea who he was. It didn't affect the story so it wasn't a big deal but it was a little jarring. Also, this took me a little longer to get lost in than her previous books. The writing seemed a little stiffer and I was more aware of the "He said, she said, etc." than usual.
Overall: Even though this was the 3rd book in the series I had no problem jumping in especially with figuring out the setup between Danni and Quinn. Because this is a series the romantic relationship is already taken place so this read more like a mystery than a romance to me. There were some mild scenes but nothing much. I have a feeling that earlier books would tilt more to the romance side. There were a few annoyances in the book but they were all minor and this was a book I always looked forward to getting back too.
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-dead-play-on-review.html
I liked this book, but I figured out the killer early so that knocked it from being a 5star, considering I hardly ever guess the killer. Still I liked the story and thought their were cute moments
This was my least favorite of the Cafferty and Quinn series.
Danni & Quin are on the hunt for a "magic" sax, that someone is killing musicians to get a hold of. Unfortunately, I just didn't love this one. First there wasn't really any paranormal angle at all, and one of the things I really like about Heather Graham books is the history, and detailed stories we get of places etc. around New Orleans. This book had almost no history, or any of the good stuff I love.
Add in the fact that it had one of the most obnoxiously whiny characters ever *cough Jenny cough* and some of the red herrings made no sense. Like why did Amy think Sharon was hiding something? I know it was to throw us off, but it led absolutely nowhere. I also figured out who the baddie was fairly early in this one.
Overall this one was just OK for me.
Danni & Quin are on the hunt for a "magic" sax, that someone is killing musicians to get a hold of. Unfortunately, I just didn't love this one. First there wasn't really any paranormal angle at all, and one of the things I really like about Heather Graham books is the history, and detailed stories we get of places etc. around New Orleans. This book had almost no history, or any of the good stuff I love.
Add in the fact that it had one of the most obnoxiously whiny characters ever *cough Jenny cough* and some of the red herrings made no sense. Like why did Amy think
Overall this one was just OK for me.