Take a photo of a barcode or cover
cattatonically 's review for:
Real Murders
by Charlaine Harris
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After years of watching the Hallmark movies with my mother, I finally bit the bullet and found the first book on ebook loan with my local library. And I was not disappointed!
The first book takes a steep departure from what I remember of the movie series (it's been a while since I've seen the first film in the series), but I really like that about this book. It felt like being introduced to the cast of characters that I'm familiar with for the very first time all over again.
One point early one that made me very, very giddy was that the case Roe was readying to present to the Reals Murders Society was a case I am very familiar with - the unsolved murder of Julia Wallace, in Liverpool, England, 1931. However, it hit way too close to home when Roe found a fellow member murdered in a fashion reminiscent of the case.
The twists and turns this book took were fun, and a little wild. Despite having seen the movie adaptation of this book - a very long time ago - I did not see the resolution coming, though I feel like I should have. But that also made it very exciting! I'd forgotten what that rush of a good whodunit being solved felt like.
I definitely enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. I would even go so far as to say that I enjoyed this a bit more than the movies. Granted, that has more to do with Hallmark pretending to be wholesome (we all know disguised bigotry and extreme conservativism when we see it) than anything. These books don't shy away from language, and adult themes, and leave the righteous judgement out of the equation - which is a very welcome change to a certain other cozy mystery I'm reading.
Overall, I enjoyed this book enough that I fully intend to keep reading the series! And maybe also checking out a certain other series by Charlaine Harris that was adapted into one of my favourite television series...