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klparmley's review
4.0
This was a strange wander around NOLA post-Katrina. And unraveling of the mystery was more complicated than it initially appeared.
awwcripes's review
4.0
I love it when the setting is its own character. I love it when the writing is good enough that the story is not important.
4.5 stars. rounded down because I feel like it's unrealistic for a working detective to smoke pcp everyday and still get the job done. but whatever.
4.5 stars. rounded down because I feel like it's unrealistic for a working detective to smoke pcp everyday and still get the job done. but whatever.
vkaz's review
4.0
I read this book on the recommendation of Sue Grafton, who wrote that it was one of her favorite books. I both loved and was exasperated by Claire DeWitt, a damaged but dedicated private investigator who follows a detective "bible" written by the mythical Jacques Silette. DeWitt drinks, smokes joints and bums cigarettes off gangmembers and the homeless as she tries to find the killer of assistant NO district attorney Vic Willing. The most compelling aspect of this book is its setting, post-Katrina New Orleans. Inhabitants live like squatters in the tarp-covered ruins of their own homes and local authorities are either too corrupt or busy to enforce peace in the streets. The flood has changed everything and nearly everyone DeWitt meets has PTSD from the experience.
Claire DeWitt is arrogant, fearless and compassionate, when she can see past herself. By the end of the book, I liked her. But it took the whole book. I will probably read the next in the series because the story here was so compelling.
Claire DeWitt is arrogant, fearless and compassionate, when she can see past herself. By the end of the book, I liked her. But it took the whole book. I will probably read the next in the series because the story here was so compelling.
billymac1962's review
2.0
This book has been on my to-read list for years. I had tried to start it a couple of times but the mood of it was something that I didn't feel like sticking with at the time. But it stayed on my list because of her terrific novel of a haunting, Come Closer.
Finally, I took it down and decided to read it. And I plowed through it because it's fairly short, with very readable prose and dialogue.
Unfortunately, I'm not one of those who has gushed over the book.
For one thing, I found the navel gazing to be repetitive and the mystique of mysteries (as per the Detection book she followed) to be annoyingly new agey.
Otherwise, there were aspects I did find interesting, such as the state of the city and people following the catastrophe of the hurricane, and some of the characters. Oddly enough, I wasn't all that engaged with the character of Claire herself.
Yes, the novel is unconventional, which seems to be why a lot of people are in love with it, but that doesn't necessarily gain huge points with me.
I'm going to have to go with the rating which description most matches my feelings, and that is "It was ok", which translates to a two-star rating.
Finally, I took it down and decided to read it. And I plowed through it because it's fairly short, with very readable prose and dialogue.
Unfortunately, I'm not one of those who has gushed over the book.
For one thing, I found the navel gazing to be repetitive and the mystique of mysteries (as per the Detection book she followed) to be annoyingly new agey.
Otherwise, there were aspects I did find interesting, such as the state of the city and people following the catastrophe of the hurricane, and some of the characters. Oddly enough, I wasn't all that engaged with the character of Claire herself.
Yes, the novel is unconventional, which seems to be why a lot of people are in love with it, but that doesn't necessarily gain huge points with me.
I'm going to have to go with the rating which description most matches my feelings, and that is "It was ok", which translates to a two-star rating.
sandygx260's review
5.0
A sick day always leads to lots of sleeping and reading. I started this book at around 2:00 PM and, aside from emergency bathroom breaks, and Peptol Bismol doses, read until I closed the book at 6:00 PM.
Yeah, this novel sucked me in. The story and colorful characters hypnotized me in the best way possible. Gran mixes the story of a mystery from the past which drives private detective Claire De Witt to become the self-proclaimed best PI in the world along with a murder mystery set in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. The novel is filled with wild dream sequences and drug-induced hallucinations, which DeWitt uses to help crack mysteries.
Did the writing seem sloppy in places? Yep. Repetitious? Yep. Will you get grow sick of reading the quotes from DeWitt's touchstone book, Détection? Yep.
Yep, here I am listing this novel's faults and still giving it five stars because the faults fit the book. The story is told from DeWitt's first POV. Although she's brilliant and intuitive, she's a crazy mess. She's been certified insane. She's banned from a major Las Vegas casino. Gran writes DeWitt's nutbunny, darkly comedic first POV with near perfection. The repetition seems to be DeWitt's way of keeping her own sanity as are the quotes from Détection.
I can't wait to read the next book in this series. In fact, I'd love to read the story of the three teenagers trapped in Brooklyn, which leads to DeWitt's personal mystery, the one she cannot solve after twenty years, the one which has driven her crazy.
As one shadowy character tells DeWitt, she needs to go to hell and back to become a truly great detective, and she's only half way there.
I'm ready to read on as DeWitt stumbles closer to hell.
Yeah, this novel sucked me in. The story and colorful characters hypnotized me in the best way possible. Gran mixes the story of a mystery from the past which drives private detective Claire De Witt to become the self-proclaimed best PI in the world along with a murder mystery set in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. The novel is filled with wild dream sequences and drug-induced hallucinations, which DeWitt uses to help crack mysteries.
Did the writing seem sloppy in places? Yep. Repetitious? Yep. Will you get grow sick of reading the quotes from DeWitt's touchstone book, Détection? Yep.
Yep, here I am listing this novel's faults and still giving it five stars because the faults fit the book. The story is told from DeWitt's first POV. Although she's brilliant and intuitive, she's a crazy mess. She's been certified insane. She's banned from a major Las Vegas casino. Gran writes DeWitt's nutbunny, darkly comedic first POV with near perfection. The repetition seems to be DeWitt's way of keeping her own sanity as are the quotes from Détection.
I can't wait to read the next book in this series. In fact, I'd love to read the story of the three teenagers trapped in Brooklyn, which leads to DeWitt's personal mystery, the one she cannot solve after twenty years, the one which has driven her crazy.
As one shadowy character tells DeWitt, she needs to go to hell and back to become a truly great detective, and she's only half way there.
I'm ready to read on as DeWitt stumbles closer to hell.
itsambarnotamber's review
4.0
Philosophy meets mystery book. Every description of New Orleans, every character description, every conversation brought me deeper and deeper into this story. It was almost as if I was there. Claire isn't always likable or sane to be honest (she did A LOT of drugs in this book, some of it included embalming fluid) but she gets the job done. Even until the end I had no idea what happened to the victim or who did it. She is a phenomenal story teller and kept me on my toes from beginning to end. Every person is equally bad and good, no one is perfect in this book but she is able to still build a mystery around the shady and imperfect lives of others. They mention there being no happy endings in this book over and over and that is true for this story, even when they solve the crime. No one truly wins and no one is truly happy. They find their truth and their answers and they move on to the next part of their lives, except now that truth weighs even heavier on them. I'm sure I'll find more little tidbits to sit and ponder about the more I think about this book within the upcoming days. This is the kind of book that stays with you for a long time.
katel1970's review
5.0
This drew me in right away. It has many elements that other mystery series share, but is different enough to be unusually captivating. I'm really looking forward to the other two in the trilogy.
jessikeenan's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sleightoffeet's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0