Reviews

A Spot of Folly: Ten and a Quarter New Tales of Murder and Mayhem by Sophie Hannah, Ruth Rendell

mayasowerby's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

dina_b's review against another edition

4.0

Estes contos são uma pérola, crimes efectuados num ambiente familiar, que inclui dois contos góticos e uma distopia acerca da guerra nuclear. São contos sombrios em que não existe muita diferença entre a vítima e o assassino, onde de uma maneira ou outra o castigo é sempre entregue mesmo que não seja da maneira esperada.

bronnyb's review

2.0

I don’t mind short story collections having a theme to them, but this just got repetitive and I very quickly lost interest after the overly long story ‘The Thief’ and skimmed the last few stories

annenelissen's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

julietejames's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense 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

4.0

julie7's review against another edition

4.0

Not usually a lover of short stories but really enjoyed this. Only one tale that I wasn't so keen on.
Tried to guess the twist at end of every story.... I didn't do too badly

ceeemvee's review against another edition

5.0

Previously, I read Asta’s Book by Barbara Vine, which is a pseudonym used by Ruth Rendell. Asta’s Book was a mystery shrouded in family secrets, with rich and full characters. The plot, with multiple storylines and timespans, was masterfully handled.

This book is even better! It is subtitled Ten and a Quarter New Tales of Murder and Mayhem and each story is suspenseful, with some being downright spine-tingling. There are tales of the supernatural, psychological suspense and outright doom. She gets right to the point with the stories, starting with the first sentence, and as the stories are short, each word serves a purpose.

This was a thrilling read, and I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

peterrrrr2's review

dark mysterious tense 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? No

3.5

jen567's review against another edition

4.0

Really enjoyed these stories of Ruth Rendell.

malongorose's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0