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eleanorbdale's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
beebliobibuli's review against another edition
4.0
How neat, cold and well planned!
One hell of a short story.
Thanks mystery buddy for the recommandation!
One hell of a short story.
Thanks mystery buddy for the recommandation!
kelic's review
2.0
Synopsis- My only regret is that I shan't be alive to savour my retrospective triumph. But that is of small account. I savour it every day of my life. I shall have done the one thing I resolved to do when I was twelve years old - and the world will know it.
Follow the 'Queen of Crime' as she takes us into the mind of a man who has waited decades to enact his patient, ingenious revenge on a school bully.
Review- Meh. Good thing it was only 30 pages. I think I would have been bored otherwise. These types of mystery are not my thing. I've read two Agatha Christie novels which were so snooze-worthy it took me ages to finish them. The genre is just not compelling enough. I don’t care whodunit. I might care, if they threw some hot sex in though.
Follow the 'Queen of Crime' as she takes us into the mind of a man who has waited decades to enact his patient, ingenious revenge on a school bully.
Review- Meh. Good thing it was only 30 pages. I think I would have been bored otherwise. These types of mystery are not my thing. I've read two Agatha Christie novels which were so snooze-worthy it took me ages to finish them. The genre is just not compelling enough. I don’t care whodunit. I might care, if they threw some hot sex in though.
ohsoreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
angels's review
4.0
A really good book for its length!
This is a story about a murder framed as a letter written to a newspaper. It's so short and sweet, but super clean and reads really well and easily for its length. It's 23 pages in length, and the rest of the version of the book that I bought included a sort of afterword from the author with some interesting bits in it that I'll mention too.
Since the text is so short in length, I expected it to be somewhat... Lacking in details? And it was, but more so than I thought. Things that I felt should have been mentioned were glossed over, such as methods of bullying etc. On more than one occasion the killer says that 'there's no point' in mentioning some details, which is fair, I just think the story would have gained that extra star if more details were mentioned, even if just briefly. It reads very rushed, almost like an outline of a story rather than a full story.
But! for what it's worth, it's a really nice short story about a killer. I do enjoy the little twist at the end concerning the "part time job" or what I assume the twist means haha. I wasn't bored with the story despite the lack of details and I really wanted to see how it played out, the author made sure to keep me engaged with the killers plans and it really does feel like she wrote it straight out of an actual killers mind which is cool!
There was also a really nice part in the afterword section that I wanted to mention on the topic of "Why are respectable middle-class ladies so good at murder:
"The construction of clues demands a keen eye for the domestic details of everyday life, and in this women excel. Who was where and with whom and when? What ate the poisoned salad and who prepared it? What woman would wear that purple lipstick found by the body? Who locked the library door and when? At what time precisely was that tell-tale red stain first noticed on the bedroom floor? And women are particularly skilled at detailing with the motives for murder, the tensions, intrigues, jealousies and resentment which can fester in the closed circles beloved of crime writers to erupt finally into the ultimate crime"
And I dunno. I just really love this particular section in the afterword because it hits home I guess? I felt it worth noting.
Anyway! nice short read, something you can pick up and finish within 10 minutes, on a break, on travel, before bed.
This is a story about a murder framed as a letter written to a newspaper. It's so short and sweet, but super clean and reads really well and easily for its length. It's 23 pages in length, and the rest of the version of the book that I bought included a sort of afterword from the author with some interesting bits in it that I'll mention too.
Since the text is so short in length, I expected it to be somewhat... Lacking in details? And it was, but more so than I thought. Things that I felt should have been mentioned were glossed over, such as methods of bullying etc. On more than one occasion the killer says that 'there's no point' in mentioning some details, which is fair, I just think the story would have gained that extra star if more details were mentioned, even if just briefly. It reads very rushed, almost like an outline of a story rather than a full story.
But! for what it's worth, it's a really nice short story about a killer. I do enjoy the little twist at the end concerning the "part time job" or what I assume the twist means haha. I wasn't bored with the story despite the lack of details and I really wanted to see how it played out, the author made sure to keep me engaged with the killers plans and it really does feel like she wrote it straight out of an actual killers mind which is cool!
There was also a really nice part in the afterword section that I wanted to mention on the topic of "Why are respectable middle-class ladies so good at murder:
"The construction of clues demands a keen eye for the domestic details of everyday life, and in this women excel. Who was where and with whom and when? What ate the poisoned salad and who prepared it? What woman would wear that purple lipstick found by the body? Who locked the library door and when? At what time precisely was that tell-tale red stain first noticed on the bedroom floor? And women are particularly skilled at detailing with the motives for murder, the tensions, intrigues, jealousies and resentment which can fester in the closed circles beloved of crime writers to erupt finally into the ultimate crime"
And I dunno. I just really love this particular section in the afterword because it hits home I guess? I felt it worth noting.
Anyway! nice short read, something you can pick up and finish within 10 minutes, on a break, on travel, before bed.
rosielazar1's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
susannes_pagesofcrime's review
4.0
This is my first time reading something by P D James and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely try more of her work soon.