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A review by annoyedhumanoid
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
i think the way to approach Lucy Foley mysteries is to create a grid with every seemingly distinct character across both the rows and columns and check off intersections of characters that are actually the same.
justice—who delivers it and who receives it—was a major theme, but its development felt potemkin. the righteousness ofextrajudicial community vengeance was established early on and never challenged. there was a missed opportunity for an interesting, meaningful conversation with Jake being an officer of the law and his mother a vigilante Bird . combined with the main antagonist being nothing more than a caricature (Lorde developed a better unwell wellness girlie in 3 minutes and 45 seconds on “Mood Ring”), the novel’s thematic exploration was over before it began.
i have to admit i fell for the red herrings. maybe they wouldn’t work if you’re a mystery buff but i’m not really.
in my ranking of the Foley mystery canon, it falls below *The Hunting Party* and *The Guest List* but above *The Paris Apartment* (but the latter set the bar very low)
justice—who delivers it and who receives it—was a major theme, but its development felt potemkin. the righteousness of
i have to admit i fell for the red herrings. maybe they wouldn’t work if you’re a mystery buff but i’m not really.
in my ranking of the Foley mystery canon, it falls below *The Hunting Party* and *The Guest List* but above *The Paris Apartment* (but the latter set the bar very low)