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A review by lisaarnsdorf
Death at the Chateau Bremont by M.L. Longworth
2.0
The setting was great, and the central characters were great!
But I found the plot to be a bit too "kitchen sink." It felt as though Longworth couldn't really decide who she wanted the killer(s) to be. We started with an interesting family-based murder, left that behind for a mob hit (or multiple mobs?), and then tried to find something in the middle. What we ended with was a wild goose chase, too many characters, too many main plot points that became sub plot points and vice versa, and all in a rather short book. I mean, Russian models-cum-forced/underage prostitutes? Come on! By the last 40 pages, I was getting annoyed at how slowly it was taking to get to the wrap up.
The final piece was baffling, coming completely out of left field. It made absolutely no sense in relation to the rest of the story. I thought that maybe it was a teaser for the next book, but when I looked up the plot summary, it didn't match. Just plain odd.
And the caretaker of the chateau was a really oddly written character. I couldn't tell if Longworth was trying to write an uneducated middle-aged man with simple tastes, or a very kind but mentally challenged man. This is where the ivory tower stereotypes come from.
All in all, this book left me confused.
But I found the plot to be a bit too "kitchen sink." It felt as though Longworth couldn't really decide who she wanted the killer(s) to be. We started with an interesting family-based murder, left that behind for a mob hit (or multiple mobs?), and then tried to find something in the middle. What we ended with was a wild goose chase, too many characters, too many main plot points that became sub plot points and vice versa, and all in a rather short book. I mean, Russian models-cum-forced/underage prostitutes? Come on! By the last 40 pages, I was getting annoyed at how slowly it was taking to get to the wrap up.
The final piece was baffling, coming completely out of left field. It made absolutely no sense in relation to the rest of the story. I thought that maybe it was a teaser for the next book, but when I looked up the plot summary, it didn't match. Just plain odd.
And the caretaker of the chateau was a really oddly written character. I couldn't tell if Longworth was trying to write an uneducated middle-aged man with simple tastes, or a very kind but mentally challenged man. This is where the ivory tower stereotypes come from.
All in all, this book left me confused.