This murder mystery is written as Ernest Cunningham's true crime account from a family reunion gone very wrong. His account regularly breaks the fourtThis murder mystery is written as Ernest Cunningham's true crime account from a family reunion gone very wrong. His account regularly breaks the fourth wall, mentioning the suggestions of the book's editor, as well as rules and tropes found in storytelling — both structural (he points out when we arrive at the 'all hope is lost' moment) and pertaining specifically to detective fiction (with asides pointing out Chekhov's guns and MacGuffins as he narrates). While the format is occasionally too clever by half, I'll cut it a lot of slack for being so fresh and interesting, for its strong and unique narrative voice, and for just pulling it all off as well as the author did. I look forward to seeing how this format evolves in the sequel — Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect....more
This book, like its predecessor, is quite a feat. It's got multiple murders, diamond thefts, drug deals, and gangsters to spare, but it's somehow amonThis book, like its predecessor, is quite a feat. It's got multiple murders, diamond thefts, drug deals, and gangsters to spare, but it's somehow among the coziest literature I've ever read. These septuagenarians — Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim — are like old friends, and hearing their adventures feel like catching up over a nice cup of tea, despite that it should feel like a thrilling tale full of inherent, ever-present danger. And what DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna De Freitas let them get away with is ridiculous, but still somehow it all still works. Chalk this up to author Richard Osman's deft hand in balancing humor — found both in the mundanities and absurdities of everyday life — with the inevitable realities of aging, against the foul deeds and wicked plots of the antagonists, into a wonderful, tonally cohesive, comforting narrative....more
A brief but fun story that crosses over the universes of Karin Slaughter's Will Trent and Lee Child's Jack Reacher, showing the two protagonists in a A brief but fun story that crosses over the universes of Karin Slaughter's Will Trent and Lee Child's Jack Reacher, showing the two protagonists in a reluctant partnership working undercover at Fort Knox....more
This is the perfect blend of two things I love — a good mystery and an interesting fantasy world. The fact that the mystery-solving protagonists shareThis is the perfect blend of two things I love — a good mystery and an interesting fantasy world. The fact that the mystery-solving protagonists share some thematic similarities with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is an added bonus, as is how original the fantasy world is. And by that I mean that just because this is a fantasy novel, don't mistake it for a murder mystery that just happens to be set in a D&D campaign, or something similar. This fantastical world is quite unique, and I look forward to reading more about it in the sequel, A Drop of Corruption....more
Another solid mystery in this series. This entry focused a bit more on both of the protagonist's personal lives than it did the murder at hand, which Another solid mystery in this series. This entry focused a bit more on both of the protagonist's personal lives than it did the murder at hand, which I didn't mind, as I enjoy seeing the characters evolve and grow....more
This series features a retired widower sheriff living in a corrupt county, which reminded me a bit of both the Walt Longmire series and the Quinn ColsThis series features a retired widower sheriff living in a corrupt county, which reminded me a bit of both the Walt Longmire series and the Quinn Colson series. And while I am comparing it to other detective/crime series, I'll note that I found this to be on par with the author's other ongoing series — the Smiley and McBlythe mysteries. ...more
Like the previous entry, this one took a bit longer to get going than the earlier mysteries in this series, but I really enjoyed how it came together Like the previous entry, this one took a bit longer to get going than the earlier mysteries in this series, but I really enjoyed how it came together and the big "one of you in this room is the murderer" conclusion....more
I'm not sure if this is the conclusion of the series, but if it is, it leaves it off in a great place. The mystery felt like a culmination of a lot ofI'm not sure if this is the conclusion of the series, but if it is, it leaves it off in a great place. The mystery felt like a culmination of a lot of things that occurred over the course of the series, and there's also some long-overdue resolution for the protagonist regarding the will-they-or-won't-they situation....more
This is my favorite of the series so far. It had such a great premise — Lexie is covering the opening of a new inn that is reportedly located in a hauThis is my favorite of the series so far. It had such a great premise — Lexie is covering the opening of a new inn that is reportedly located in a haunted house. All of the guests invited to the grand opening are involved in paranormal media, and after a terrible storm, they are all trapped in the haunted inn overnight, and discover one of the guests has been murdered. This had, by far, the largest cast of characters in the series, to the point where I wrote them all down so I could follow it better.
Paige and Rick - inn owners Margarita and Josie - event caterers Sirena - runs 'Sirena's Spirited Sojourns' blog Laurence, Quentin and Kelly - 'Spooky Squad' web show crew Valerie and Doug - 'Spectral Search' network show hosts Brent - freelance photographer Carole - travel magazine columnist...more
I've compared this series to an episodic show before, so to continue that analogy, this was a filler episode. It was still a quick, fun read, but it wI've compared this series to an episodic show before, so to continue that analogy, this was a filler episode. It was still a quick, fun read, but it was shorter, and felt less eventful, than previous books in the series. I did love the hat tip to Agatha Christie, though....more
Another breezy, episodic cozy mystery with some fun paranormal elements. I'm enjoying this series.Another breezy, episodic cozy mystery with some fun paranormal elements. I'm enjoying this series....more
Another solid cozy mystery — and it's always a nice change of pace when the mystery doesn't involve a murder. These are so quick to read that I liken Another solid cozy mystery — and it's always a nice change of pace when the mystery doesn't involve a murder. These are so quick to read that I liken them to an episode of a procedural television show....more
The blurb for this book begins with For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, which sets a certain expectation for the tone of this book. AThe blurb for this book begins with For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, which sets a certain expectation for the tone of this book. Added to that, the wink-wink title, the ridiculous fortune the book is based on, and the absurd will stipulations basically confirm this is a novel that one should not take too seriously. It should be light and fun, and have a sense of humor. It decidedly does not.
Around half the book is mired in flashbacks from Francis's diary, where Francis takes her and her friend's social situation seriously in the way only a teenage girl can. While these segments were well written, they were also slow and tedious at points, and more importantly, the constant shifting of the narrative to the past left the current day characters very underdeveloped and one-dimensional.
Furthermore, many of the current day characters' actions were truly baffling, and seemed to exist solely because the plot needed them to occur — especially Annie's plan to catch the killer in the third act.
While Annie's great aunt Francis was the murder victim that catalyzes the story, more of the book is centered on the disappearance of her childhood friend Emily. However, as Emily was a toxic narcissist that was clearly never going to change, it was impossible to feel bad about her disappearance. (view spoiler)[As well as learning she was murdered. As for that detail, how was Emily's body never found, considering it was in the basement of the building that was her previous known address for months? (hide spoiler)]
I cannot see how this premise is going to be made into an ongoing series, as none of the current day characters, especially the protagonist Annie, are in any way interesting — but it doesn't really matter, as I won't be reading it regardless....more
I'm not going to say much about this book here, other than to warn others not to read the foreword by Christie's great-grandson James Prichard or the I'm not going to say much about this book here, other than to warn others not to read the foreword by Christie's great-grandson James Prichard or the introduction by mystery author Louise Penny before reading the novel. Despite both trying to talk around any spoilers, it was clear to me who the murderer was before reading a single word of the novel.
For those curious what those comments were:
Prichard: (view spoiler)["My great grandmother was a writer with not only special talent, but also the audacity to rip up the rule book and test the boundaries." (hide spoiler)]
Penny: (view spoiler)["How did she pull it off? She did it by understanding the contract between reader and writer. By relying on it. And then betraying it." (hide spoiler)]
My thoughts: (view spoiler)[While these two quotes individually don't reveal the killer, they make it pretty clear that it couldn't be anyone other than the narrator. And going in with that suspicion, it was very clear that it was in fact, correct, very early on. One give away was that every time the narrator gives a fact or detail about the crime or the victim, they do so framed in dialogue. Meaning the narrator would say "I told my sister such-and-such," because he was in fact lying, but this clever work around allows him to never lie in his written account. (hide spoiler)]
Other than my issues with the prefaces spoiling things — seriously, afterwords are a thing! — this novel is a timeless and near flawless mystery....more
While I enjoyed it enough while I was reading it, I had some issues with it.
Let's start with the sub-title, "a Kennedy Reeves Cozy Cocktail Cruise MyWhile I enjoyed it enough while I was reading it, I had some issues with it.
Let's start with the sub-title, "a Kennedy Reeves Cozy Cocktail Cruise Mystery." Now I realize the definition of "cozy" is rather nebulous, but a book where the characters are repeatedly berated by an over-the-top antagonist for hundreds of pages is not cozy to me — it's likely to set off PTSD from previous bad bosses I've suffered through. The definition of "mystery," however, is not nebulous at all, and this novel didn't feature a mystery until the 2/3 mark, and it wasn't much of a mystery at all, as it was immediately clear who the murderer was (my only hesitation was that it was so obvious I assumed it had to be a red herring). So yeah, my initial complaint is one of meeting expectations, as this book was not what it promised on the cover.
My other issues I actually mentioned in that rant about how it wasn't a cozy mystery. The antagonist was so over-the-top it was beyond belief that anyone could behave that way. It made the highlight of the book the point at which they were finally dispatched with, as one, it was cathartic, and two, I wouldn't have to read about their absurd behavior any longer. And my other issue was again that the murder took place so late in the book, and there was no real investigation of it whatsoever.
Those complaints aside, I did enjoy the characters, and spending time with them on the cruise ship. It was engaging enough that I'm considering reading the next in the series, A Cruise for Sous, hoping that the pacing and antagonist/mystery are handled better....more
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