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A review by rorireads_
The Killing Code by Ellie Marney
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
To keep it short, this was a really fun read that I enjoyed in (almost) one sitting!
First, the plot itself was really interesting> i loved how the ideas of codebreaking and solving murder were intertwined so strongly, and the fact that each of the characters had an incredibly important role to play in solving the murder meant a lot to me. The mystery was well plotted and engaging (my heart was fully RACING on multiple occasions) even though I found it a tad bit predictable after about 60%
Each of our four main characters were insanely well-developed and had interactions with each other that were meaningful and realistic. The main characters all had a point in the story were they were the most helpful, and didn’t feel like plot devices just to drive the story forward. I also enjoyed the character of Violet in particular, and the fact that Marney didn’t shy away from just how difficult the era was for black people was a highlight.
Alas, I wish that we got to know a little bit more about Kit (Kathleen) and Katherine’s dynamic. We see slivers of her initially (and she is mentioned sporadically throughout the rest of the book) but it felt like a chunk of Kit’s character was missing during the story. We focus a lot on the mystery, but the fact that the mystery and Kit were so intertwined and yet Kit didn’t feel whole to me really diminished how much I connected to her character.
This was a really good mystery that was just a bit stunted by its predictability and character work.
3.75 ⭐️
First, the plot itself was really interesting> i loved how the ideas of codebreaking and solving murder were intertwined so strongly, and the fact that each of the characters had an incredibly important role to play in solving the murder meant a lot to me. The mystery was well plotted and engaging (my heart was fully RACING on multiple occasions) even though I found it a tad bit predictable after about 60%
Each of our four main characters were insanely well-developed and had interactions with each other that were meaningful and realistic. The main characters all had a point in the story were they were the most helpful, and didn’t feel like plot devices just to drive the story forward. I also enjoyed the character of Violet in particular, and the fact that Marney didn’t shy away from just how difficult the era was for black people was a highlight.
Alas, I wish that we got to know a little bit more about Kit (Kathleen) and Katherine’s dynamic. We see slivers of her initially (and she is mentioned sporadically throughout the rest of the book) but it felt like a chunk of Kit’s character was missing during the story. We focus a lot on the mystery, but the fact that the mystery and Kit were so intertwined and yet Kit didn’t feel whole to me really diminished how much I connected to her character.
This was a really good mystery that was just a bit stunted by its predictability and character work.
3.75 ⭐️