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A review by leandrathetbrzero
The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo by Carrie Doyle
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have been following Plum Lockhart since she fled cold, unfriendly New York City and arrived on the paradise island of Paraiso. In this travel/transportation mystery, the amateur sleuth must solve a murder as a guest on a yacht with the rich and famous. I really liked that Carrie Doyle switched things up in the series and added a boat mystery to the longlist that already exists, including classics like Death on the Nile and Murder on 'B' Deck. I still have a soft spot for brash yet also insecure Plum as she navigates a community that is so foreign to her but is slowly becoming her home. And, since the beginning, my favorite aspect is the island itself. I first picked up the series because the setting reminded me of the TV series Death in Paradise, and it remains a perfect fictional escape.
With that said, compared to the first two installments, this book wasn't as compelling for me. I attribute this to the fact that Plum was mostly on her own for this one. She was away from Lucia, Juan Kevin, the police chief, and her on-again-off-again best friend Gerald for much of the narrative. Understandably, she was on a yacht island-hopping, but one of my favorite aspects is the collaborative sleuthing experience even if it is Plum who puts the final pieces together in the end. I definitely grew attached to Plum's dynamic with Gerald especially in book 2 as well. I think the brief loss of this sense of community left the narrative with most unlikable and 2-D characters since no one on the boat had been in the books before and all of them were suspects. My least favorite in the series so far but still a solid 3-star read, and a super fun, recommended series overall!
With that said, compared to the first two installments, this book wasn't as compelling for me. I attribute this to the fact that Plum was mostly on her own for this one. She was away from Lucia, Juan Kevin, the police chief, and her on-again-off-again best friend Gerald for much of the narrative. Understandably, she was on a yacht island-hopping, but one of my favorite aspects is the collaborative sleuthing experience even if it is Plum who puts the final pieces together in the end. I definitely grew attached to Plum's dynamic with Gerald especially in book 2 as well. I think the brief loss of this sense of community left the narrative with most unlikable and 2-D characters since no one on the boat had been in the books before and all of them were suspects. My least favorite in the series so far but still a solid 3-star read, and a super fun, recommended series overall!