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A review by mhchipmunk
Brush with Death by Karen MacInerney
2.0
I would give this a 2.5 out of 5. Brush With Death is 5th in the Gray Whale Inn mystery series and my first experience with the series. I picked up the book at the library because the setting and characters sounded charming and the mystery revolved around the art world, which is one of my favourite worlds.
And guess what? The setting and the characters WERE charming. The book moves along at a good clip, the story and the mystery were decent although perhaps not terribly tricky to figure out. But it had all the earmarks of a good cozy mystery.
So why only 2 (or 2.5) stars? The editing was terrible. Absolutely terrible. It was like watching a period drama on tv and spotting airplanes and water bottles and cell phones all over the place. So many small continuity errors that are totally unacceptable in a mystery novel where small details really count. At one point, I couldn't even follow a conversation between two characters. I even checked to see if the book had been self-published and perhaps the author had been unable to hire an editor but that was not the case. It really detracted from what was otherwise a fun read. I will give the series one more try because overall, it does get good reviews but if the editing isn't miles better I think I'll give up on it.
And guess what? The setting and the characters WERE charming. The book moves along at a good clip, the story and the mystery were decent although perhaps not terribly tricky to figure out. But it had all the earmarks of a good cozy mystery.
So why only 2 (or 2.5) stars? The editing was terrible. Absolutely terrible. It was like watching a period drama on tv and spotting airplanes and water bottles and cell phones all over the place. So many small continuity errors that are totally unacceptable in a mystery novel where small details really count. At one point, I couldn't even follow a conversation between two characters. I even checked to see if the book had been self-published and perhaps the author had been unable to hire an editor but that was not the case. It really detracted from what was otherwise a fun read. I will give the series one more try because overall, it does get good reviews but if the editing isn't miles better I think I'll give up on it.