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A review by lastblossom
Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
tl;dr
High drama, bad blood, and toxic relationships are the building blocks of this twisty mystery. Takes a few chapters to pick up momentum.
Thoughts
There are no heroes in this story. It's not a book where you find someone to cheer for. Rather, it's the kind of book you read when you want to see how much trouble terrible people can get themselves into when they're stuck with each other, and it nails down that mood perfectly. Messy women, toxic friendships, and high drama rule the day, as our less-than-noble MC brings all her friends(?) together ostensibly to bring closure to trauma, but secretly to mine them for plot points on a script she's stalled out on. Everyone has secrets. Everyone's lying, most of all our POV narrator who - like all good writers - knows to never let the truth get in the way of a good story. What does get in the way, unfortunately, is the pacing. The setup takes time, and there were several moments where the plot felt like it meandered in the beginning. The second half of the book moves decidedly faster, bolstered by some clever writing and lots of cut-ins to the MC's "WIP script," of the events she's currently experiencing. It's a neat way to move things forward, as well as keep the reader guessing, and I liked all the reveals they included (or didn't!). Read it for the drama and allll the wine.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
High drama, bad blood, and toxic relationships are the building blocks of this twisty mystery. Takes a few chapters to pick up momentum.
Thoughts
There are no heroes in this story. It's not a book where you find someone to cheer for. Rather, it's the kind of book you read when you want to see how much trouble terrible people can get themselves into when they're stuck with each other, and it nails down that mood perfectly. Messy women, toxic friendships, and high drama rule the day, as our less-than-noble MC brings all her friends(?) together ostensibly to bring closure to trauma, but secretly to mine them for plot points on a script she's stalled out on. Everyone has secrets. Everyone's lying, most of all our POV narrator who - like all good writers - knows to never let the truth get in the way of a good story. What does get in the way, unfortunately, is the pacing. The setup takes time, and there were several moments where the plot felt like it meandered in the beginning. The second half of the book moves decidedly faster, bolstered by some clever writing and lots of cut-ins to the MC's "WIP script," of the events she's currently experiencing. It's a neat way to move things forward, as well as keep the reader guessing, and I liked all the reveals they included (or didn't!). Read it for the drama and allll the wine.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Murder, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Vomit