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A review by mirificmoxie
The Bloody Black Flag: A Spider John Mystery by Steve Goble
3.0
3 Stars
*Ahoy to all ye murder-loving pirates*
The Bloody Black Flag caught my attention because it combines too things I love: pirates and murder mysteries. I was intrigued by the idea of this variation of the classic locked room mystery setup.
The story followed one Spider John whose unfortunate past landed him on the pirate ship Plymouth Dream. Shortly thereafter, Spider’s only friend Ezra got murdered and Spider was determined to bring the killer to justice.
Although I loved the setting and premise of the story, I had a hard time connecting with the story. The main character never quite clicked with me. So although I was interested in finding out who committed the murder, it was more of a vague curiosity than any burning need to solve the mystery. Hence why it took me so long to finish a short novella.
There was another subplot in the story involving intrigue and general pirating activities. That did help liven up the story, but I think it could have used even more swashbuckling. I will add that these are not sanitized, cutesy pirates. The story certainly does not gloss over the less-than-romantic realities of pirating. Hell, if you’ve ever smelled a boys’ locker-room, imagine how bad a bunch of men confined in a small space at sea for months smell! The reality is far from sexy.
The Bloody Black Flag was satisfying enough while clearly building for the sequel. I enjoyed the story well enough and think it shows promise for a debut. But I am not yet certain whether or not I will continue on with the series.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars
*Ahoy to all ye murder-loving pirates*
The Bloody Black Flag caught my attention because it combines too things I love: pirates and murder mysteries. I was intrigued by the idea of this variation of the classic locked room mystery setup.
The story followed one Spider John whose unfortunate past landed him on the pirate ship Plymouth Dream. Shortly thereafter, Spider’s only friend Ezra got murdered and Spider was determined to bring the killer to justice.
Although I loved the setting and premise of the story, I had a hard time connecting with the story. The main character never quite clicked with me. So although I was interested in finding out who committed the murder, it was more of a vague curiosity than any burning need to solve the mystery. Hence why it took me so long to finish a short novella.
There was another subplot in the story involving intrigue and general pirating activities. That did help liven up the story, but I think it could have used even more swashbuckling. I will add that these are not sanitized, cutesy pirates. The story certainly does not gloss over the less-than-romantic realities of pirating. Hell, if you’ve ever smelled a boys’ locker-room, imagine how bad a bunch of men confined in a small space at sea for months smell! The reality is far from sexy.
The Bloody Black Flag was satisfying enough while clearly building for the sequel. I enjoyed the story well enough and think it shows promise for a debut. But I am not yet certain whether or not I will continue on with the series.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars