criminolly's reviews
2420 reviews

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A solidly enjoyable romantic suspense novel that gets the balance between those two things just right (for my tastes anyway). The suspense is definitely the priority here and the story is enjoyably gripping, with a psychic investigator unravelling a complex mystery in a small Ozarks town. Heroine Harper is an interesting central character, but it’s the twisting plot that’s the star and Charlaine Harris does a good job of keeping you guessing. The romance was decent too!

Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives by Tim Major

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

This book has a fantastic concept - Jekyll and Hyde as a pair of detectives - but ends up being less fun that it might have been. The mystery is decent enough and the female lead (Jekyll’s ex-fiancée) is great, but I felt more could have been made of the mismatched duo. Trash-loving me wanted something exuberantly silly, and this isn’t that. What it does, it does well though, so I think this is a case of the reader and book not matching, rather than the book being bad. 

Charmed the power of three by Eliza Willard

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A super quick but enjoyable read. This is, I think, the adaptation of the first episode of the show and has the three sisters leaning about their powers and going up against a witch-killing warlock. Fun and kind of charming in how happily silly it is. 

The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

A very enjoyable mystery with a fascinating setting. It takes place in China in the 90s and features a former detective who’s been imprisoned by the authorities investigating a mysterious death. Full of twists, intrigue and rich with colour it manages to be bitter a compelling thriller and an interesting study of a time and place I know little about. 

The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it was exactly what I needed on a lazy Sunday. The Agatha Raisin of the title is a successfully businesswoman who, in her 50s, sells her firm and retires to the Cotswolds. When a well to do local man dies, apparently poisoned by a quiche Agatha has entered in a competition he was judging, she adopts the role of amateur sleuth. 
The part I wasn’t expecting was that Agatha is kind of a bitch at times, certainly no well meaning Jessica Fletcher. That actually makes her more believable and likeable as a character and it brings some enjoyably catty humour to the story. The plot itself is low stakes and enjoyable. It’s not going to go down in the annals of crime as one of the great mysteries, but it was pleasant to read and kept me turning the pages. Throw in the humour and a hint of romance and you have an ideal Sunday read. 

Elemental Forces: Horror Short Stories by Mark Morris

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

A very enjoyable and admirably varied horror anthology, expertly pulled together by editor Mark Morris. The lack of a central theme beyond modern horror means there are all sorts of stories here. That variety means that if a story doesn’t hit the mark (and the vast majority do) then you’re only a few pages away from something different. 

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A genuinely gripping and enjoyable mystery with a great sci fi twist. I love speculative fiction books that build themselves around one simple central concept. ‘Titanium Noir’ does that brilliantly, and then throws a noirish mystery into the mix as well. There’s intrigue, secrets, family rivalry and a couple of great fight scenes all presented in a credible and fascinating world. 

And to my Nephew Albert I Leave the Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan in a Poker Game... by David Forrest

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This late 60s comic novel predates the M*A*S*H movie and TV show but not the novel that inspired them. I don’t know if that was an influence, but ‘And To My Nephew Albert…’ definitely has a similar mix of slightly saucy, booze-fuelled hijinks and political satire. In this case the story is about a young man who inherits a remote island and then finds it occupied by both US and Soviet troops. It’s VERY dated at times, but still an entertaining read - comical and intriguing with a great ending. 
David Forrest was the pseudonym of a pair of writers (David Eliades and Robert Forrest-Webb) who also wrote ‘The Great Dinosaur Robbery’ which was filmed by Disney as ‘One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing’. 

Experimental Film by Gemma Files

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

This is one of those books I’ve been aware of for a few years but had never gotten round to reading. At least in part that’s because (inexplicably) it’s not published in the UK. It sits in one of my favourite horror sub genres, cursed films, but there are so many different elements at play here it’s hard to classify neatly. 
The book follows a film critic digging into the history of some weird old footage that’s been used in an avant garde short film. There’s a historical mystery, creepy folk horror, a load of interesting film theory, moving sections on the main character’s relationship with her child, and a gripping plot to pull you through it all. The blending of real movie history and imagined films reminded me a little of ‘Flicker’ by Theodore Roszak. I didn’t love it as much as that book, but it definitely succeeds far better as a compelling piece of horror fiction. 

Harvest Blood by A W James

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This was a fun horror novella with a neat central concept and the vibe of a low budget 80s horror movie. Every year on Halloween, one of the children of the small town where the book is set disappears. This year the sheriff is determined it won't happen again. 
The book is super fast paced and mixes a bunch of different styles of horror effectively. Whilst there's nothing groundbreaking here, I'm often not in the mood for groundbreaking. What I am pretty much always in the mood for is something a little bit creepy and a lot of fun. 'Harvest Blood' delivered.