Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by drops_everything_and_reads
The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea by C.L. Miller
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Thanks to Atria for the eARC of the book. All opinions are my own.
An absolutely fantastic second instalment in this newer series!!
One thing I think the author does exceptionally well is the "jumping heads" while also utilizing first person POV for only one character - Freya. This keeps Freya as the main character, but allows us to get the different perspectives of other characters, if only for a short period of time. It lets us get into the motivations of others, building sympathy for some and intrigue for others.
The mystery itself is detailed and layered, and not always as it seems, which we see via Freya's point of view as the original reason for being on the cruise (to get a painting back) becomes just a small mystery in a bigger scheme.
I found that when I got to the big conclusion of whodunnit, it was a long on ramp and then a sudden rapid closure. The follow-up of what happened to the culprit(s) was very quick - just a few paragraphs - and it felt abrupt. I would have liked to have seen it drawn out a bit so that it didn't feel like it ended so quickly and also to savour all of the work put into building the mystery, Freya and others figuring out what was happening, etc.
I really liked the very end, with five of the characters coming together and setting the stage for a group of antique hunters (I hope!) - people who have chosen to trust each other in pursuit of justice.
I will happily keep reading this series!
An absolutely fantastic second instalment in this newer series!!
One thing I think the author does exceptionally well is the "jumping heads" while also utilizing first person POV for only one character - Freya. This keeps Freya as the main character, but allows us to get the different perspectives of other characters, if only for a short period of time. It lets us get into the motivations of others, building sympathy for some and intrigue for others.
The mystery itself is detailed and layered, and not always as it seems, which we see via Freya's point of view as the original reason for being on the cruise (to get a painting back) becomes just a small mystery in a bigger scheme.
I found that when I got to the big conclusion of whodunnit, it was a long on ramp and then a sudden rapid closure. The follow-up of what happened to the culprit(s) was very quick - just a few paragraphs - and it felt abrupt. I would have liked to have seen it drawn out a bit so that it didn't feel like it ended so quickly and also to savour all of the work put into building the mystery, Freya and others figuring out what was happening, etc.
I really liked the very end, with five of the characters coming together and setting the stage for a group of antique hunters (I hope!) - people who have chosen to trust each other in pursuit of justice.
I will happily keep reading this series!