A review by wordsareworlds
The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson

dark mysterious tense medium-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? No

3.0

This book starts off so strongly, and has an amazing premise. But for me, the structure of it being a kind of memoir told to the narrator we meet first didn't work particularly well. It ended up feeling like more of a prologue than the first of a trilogy, and the style made me feel too removed from Molly and the emotions she was feeling throughout. 

Oddly, it may have worked better as a short story, where we didn't have quite so many moments in Molly's life explained and the identity of the person at the start a bigger reveal at the end. I may pick up the other two in the trilogy, but I'm not particularly anxious to do so. I do believe that the story could work very well for people who aren't alienated by the framework.
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