kriscent 's review for:

Still Life by Louise Penny

1.0

mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Really wasn't a fan of this book. I thought it was slow, boring, and predictable. I like a more tension and suspense in my murder mystery/ detective books and I found this pretty lacking. 

Carla, who I thought had her moments and could be funny, was just a overall bland, uninteresting and sort of unpredictable character. I didn't mind Gamache or Beauvoir and was ambivalent or hated about everyone else. Homicide detectives had the emotional maturity of a teenager with a specific quote that got under my skin being "blah blah blah whatever, not listening" while her boss is giving her instructions. Clara and Yolande were sporadic and overly emotional for no particular reason. Dialogue between all characters was awkward and the ending felt like it should have been out of an episode out Tom and Jerry. 

I think maybe I would have liked it better if I'd listened to the audiobook instead of reading it but if a book is only good when being narrated that's a issue in and of itself. The author also didn't do herself any favors with the poor POV changes. It wasn't done intelligently and felt jerky and confusing at the best of times. 

Overall I think I disliked the book more due to the author's writing style then the story itself, though the story was pretty bad.