whathillarygraceread's reviews
34 reviews

Smile Beach Murder by Alicia Bessette

funny mysterious medium-paced

3.0

This is a cozy mystery set in the Outer Banks. it’s a small town girl returns home to heartache and murder plot. One of the things that piqued my interest about this series is that the main character is 40, which I feel like is rare in this genre. I don’t know that I’ll pick up the next one in the series, but if you’re a cozy mystery fan, this one is a decent one.

Northwoods by Amy Pease

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

I liked this book quite a bit BUT it is a far better character study than mystery. I feel like setting appropriate expectations for anyone who might be interested in picking it up is key to one's potential future enjoyment. If what you're looking for is a thriller, beach read or juicy mystery, this isn't it. But if you're looking for a rumination on small town relationships and how the opioid epidemic has impacted tight knit communities, this one is for you. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Drug use, and Drug abuse

The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder by Douglas Preston

informative slow-paced

I am not going to star this one because I have such mixed feelings. This book is a collection of Preston's articles throughout his career for a number of publications. While the topics of every article are interesting, there's some I wouldn't have included because they contain really outdated - and sometimes offensive - language and ideas (e.g. the word 'Anasazi' is no longer used to describe the ancestral Pueblo people who lived in the early Southwest because that word means 'ancient enemy' in Dine (Navajo language)). On the other hand, there is at least one article written in the late 70s that espouses some pretty progressive thinking about the repatriation of indigenous remains from museums. Having a little bit more knowledge about how indigenous communities and their ancestors have been treated in the southwest made me wonder what other biases are contained in the articles on topics covered in the book that I know less about. 

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this novella for the same reason a lot of reviewers hated it - its very beautiful, flowery writing. Khaw has a way with words and the, for me at least, the plot was secondary to her writing style. Not that the plot was bad - it absolutely wasn't, but it wasn't the star of the show for me. The premise is great and the horrors described are appropriately horror-ful. This was a really quick read for me and I'd recommend it to anyone who is a horror fan and looking for something quick.

CW: There is lots of body horror and pretty graphic descriptions of physical violence, so definitely skip this one if that is not your thing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story by Max Marshall

dark informative medium-paced

3.0

The criminal enterprise detailed in this book is fascinating, but Marshall falls short in really examining the underpinnings of what is about frat life that made its members into drug kingpins. There are definitely moments in the book where Marshall starts to explore that question, but then he pulls back and by the end, I never really felt like I got a true examination that made this particular case worthy of an entire book (as opposed to a longform article). This could have truly been outstanding if Marshall had been willing to really dive into the culture of both the south and Greek life head first. 

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Ok, I am sort of reluctantly giving this four starts. First, I absolutely love this series, love the characters and feel like the mystery in this fourth addition to the series is a lot better than the mystery in the third book. So why four stars instead of five? (spoilers galore from here on out)

As someone with a disability who has spent a long time in the disability rights movement, I was really disturbed by how the subplot around Stephen's assisted suicide. Assisted suicide is, in general, a tough, really fraught topic for our community and discussion around Stephen's death was really idealized and, frankly, pretty irresponsibly without nuance. The topic of whether or not someone with dementia can truly consent to assisted suicide was wholly glossed over and much too easily explained away by giving him a moment of clarity. Nearly anyone who has ever lived with someone who has dementia can tell you that the kind of clarity portrayed in this book is almost never present. Instead of dealing with the thorny issue of consent, Osman waived away any moral ambiguity with his writer's magic wand. I was just really disappointed with the lack of care this issue was treated with.

The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

I am not starring this one because I have such mixed feelings about it. The information that's covered (a narrative account of an archeological expedition in the Honduran rain forest to find the ruins of an ancient civilization) is very interesting and shared in a way that's accessible to lay people. Here comes the BUT...the overall tone of the book made me uncomfortable in that it gives off a very treasure huntery, Indiana Jones vibe in a not good way. There are sections about how Honduras has been exploited throughout it's history and some recognition of how it looks, but at the end of the day, it's a lot of non Honduran men bushwhacking through a developing nation's jungle looking for long lost treasurer. Even the title is kind of salacious because the city this expedition was searching for is also called The White City (La Ciudad Blanca), but the publisher chose to go with a much more exotic sounding "City of the Monkey God". 

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I have to start off this review by saying that The Maidens, Michaelides's previous book, didn't work for me. Because of that, I was prepared to skip this one, but was really intrigued by the premise and the fact that it was a @bookofthemonth pick, sealed the deal for me. All of the conventions that I felt like didn't work well in The Maidens work really well here. I loved the structure of the plot, which is arranged like a play as well as the unreliable narrator. Not only is the plot twisty in a really enjoyable way, but it also has sections that are darkly funny. 

I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone who likes twisty thrillers with unreliable narrators. 

Mousse and Murder by Elizabeth Logan

funny slow-paced

3.0

This is a cute cozy mystery revolving around the owner of an Alaskan diner and her employees. The premise is perfect for a cozy and the characters are fun, but the ending left a lot to be desired. I would give the next one in the series a try based on the characters alone. 

Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

his book has been marketed as a thriller. While it does have thriller elements and does revolve around a mystery, I don't really know that I would consider it a traditional thriller. In fact, I think certain aspects of the thriller plot are a letdown BUT this book really shines in exploring what happens when random internet sleuths get involved in real cases with real people involved in them. That's the reason I think people who like true crime, thrillers and mysteries should read this book.

The plot revolves around the unsolved disappearance of Teddy's sister, the impact on Teddy's family and the consequences of random strangers on the internet trying to solve the case. The entire time I was reading this, I couldn't help but think of Maura Murray and everything that's happened to her family since the collective internet decided to "solve" the mystery of her disappearance. 

I recommend this one if you want a thought provoking exploration of what our current societal obsession means for victims and those closest to the victim. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide