A review by rg9400
Murder on Hunter's Eve by Morgan Stang

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I adore these books and their fantasy-horror spin on classic Golden Age detective stories. The main quartet of characters are all very endearing, and though the focus is on the excellent duo of Evie and Isabeau, I loved all the Penny and Mr. Homes hijinks. This book breaks out of the mold of the last two by not being focused on a single trapped setting, though it maintains a list of eccentric suspects. I actually thought this worked to pretty good effect initially, and it maintained its unique tone and flavor throughout the different environments. However, unfortunately, the book lost me in its last 20-25%. It felt very rushed, with a lot of the reveals not landing at all for me. Whereas the prior two books did have the stereotypical scene where the detective reveals everything quickly, I still felt like the reveals were equally shocking and sensible with enough time to breathe. Here, there are so many that happen in quick succession, many of which didn't feel like they had been developed nearly enough. It felt like the book was aiming for a bit more shock value, and though it tried to share the clues that led to the conclusions, I felt they were a bit too far-fetched. I don't think this is an issue with the change in setup, just an issue with the plot and pacing. It also might have tried to do a bit too much by having all these characters with their own independent secrets. I think these books are at their best when focused on character interactions as they investigate and things start to go wrong, not as much for the plot twists or larger world lore. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing such recognizable inspirations be used in this Agatha Christie style formula, but it also means the worldbuilding doesn't feel as unique or intriguing to me. I know the review seems more negative, but that's just because the prior 2 books were 5/5s for me, and this one was sadly more of a miss. However, I still loved the first 75%, and I will absolutely read future books in this series because I love the concept and characters so much.