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A review by randi_jo
A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This one was okay. I didn't find it particularly mysterious or thrilling, although it did have a couple brief moments of shock value. I didn't realize it was part of a series before picking it up, so I'm unsure if I'm missing some interesting backstory on Lily (I was actually surprised to find out Henry is a protagonist in the other books since his role in this one is extremely minimal). But it does seem to work as a standalone.
Pros:
🔪 Lily by far is the best character - a vigilante of justice (when it suits her needs?).
🔪 Good plot twist.
🔪 Pretty bow ending.
Cons:
🔪 Sometimes the writing feels stilted when it's in a POV of a character who's not particularly interesting.
🔪 A lot of rehashing in the middle sections of the book.
🔪 You know who the killer is and their monologue of motivations early in the narrative, leaving the rest of the book to just blandly follow along without putting much thought into asking questions about what's happening/going to happen which I feel like is a major keystone of a great mystery/thriller.
Pros:
🔪 Lily by far is the best character - a vigilante of justice (when it suits her needs?).
🔪 Good plot twist.
🔪 Pretty bow ending.
Cons:
🔪 Sometimes the writing feels stilted when it's in a POV of a character who's not particularly interesting.
🔪 A lot of rehashing in the middle sections of the book.
🔪 You know who the killer is and their monologue of motivations early in the narrative, leaving the rest of the book to just blandly follow along without putting much thought into asking questions about what's happening/going to happen which I feel like is a major keystone of a great mystery/thriller.