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A review by meezcarrie
The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes by David Handler
3.0
When The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes started out, I had high hopes. Written with a witty snark, Stewart Hoag’s first person narrative reads like an old private detective novel. I enjoyed the trip back to 1992 where fax machines groaned and email was just barely on the radar. And Lulu. I can’t neglect to mention the quirky basset hound with a big personality and a tendency to steal any scene she’s in.
But at some point, it just lost my attention. I can’t even really pinpoint why, but I think a lot had to do with the fact that I lost respect for Hoagy and never found it again. Just beginning to get a feel for him, starting to like him, and then his flaws overwhelmed the good I saw in him. Other than Lulu, he was the only character I even remotely liked, and when I suddenly didn’t like him anymore I found it difficult to stay invested in the story.
Bottom Line: All in all, this is a novel which will appeal to fans of the previous books in the series, as well as fans of the private detective genre in general. Lulu is one of the coolest dogs in fiction, and she is paws down my favorite character. The ending, while I already suspected it, is cleverly written and I do want to know how things turn out for Hoagy and Merilee. While most of the novel skates along the edge of ‘gritty’, the ‘whodunit’ scene includes a revelation that is abundantly disturbing on many levels. Will I read more in this series? Probably not… but if Lulu were suddenly to get her own series, I’m there!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower
But at some point, it just lost my attention. I can’t even really pinpoint why, but I think a lot had to do with the fact that I lost respect for Hoagy and never found it again. Just beginning to get a feel for him, starting to like him, and then his flaws overwhelmed the good I saw in him. Other than Lulu, he was the only character I even remotely liked, and when I suddenly didn’t like him anymore I found it difficult to stay invested in the story.
Bottom Line: All in all, this is a novel which will appeal to fans of the previous books in the series, as well as fans of the private detective genre in general. Lulu is one of the coolest dogs in fiction, and she is paws down my favorite character. The ending, while I already suspected it, is cleverly written and I do want to know how things turn out for Hoagy and Merilee. While most of the novel skates along the edge of ‘gritty’, the ‘whodunit’ scene includes a revelation that is abundantly disturbing on many levels. Will I read more in this series? Probably not… but if Lulu were suddenly to get her own series, I’m there!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower