I remember how much I enjoyed this author’s book, “The Coincidence of Coconut Cake,” so much so I asked my husband if he would be willing Catching up…
I remember how much I enjoyed this author’s book, “The Coincidence of Coconut Cake,” so much so I asked my husband if he would be willing to make her actual recipe coconut cake. He did. After all, he is the baker in our family. And, it actually was very good.
So, when I received this book as a donation to my Little Free Library Shed, I was hopeful that maybe this one may also be a delicious addition. Of course, it did have recipes, Anniversary pie (lemon), lemon syrup and whipped cream. ...more
Do you ever wonder where a story is going and then when it finally gets there, you weren’t sure you should have waited around to see?
When it takes thaDo you ever wonder where a story is going and then when it finally gets there, you weren’t sure you should have waited around to see?
When it takes that much discussion to see who did what and why – and then that many flips and flops as to why about the why so that we as readers are supposed to be satisfied about the why?
Hmmm… should we be satisfied with the final outcome?
So, should I have started with the end here?
Kiki didn’t love Jamie enough to marry him, so she broke up with him. And, then she sees him at a book launch for a mutual friend of theirs. He says he is doing fine. But afterwards she discovers he has supposedly committed suicide. Kiki doesn’t believe he has, even though the police are convinced.
Now, what does this have to do with the murder of a girl that happened 4 years earlier? There is an unknown narrator here, too to provide more confusion.
So, Kiki may be an engaging main character who wants to believe that Jamie didn’t kill himself, and that he didn’t kill this girl 4 years ago. And, she will do everything to figure this out. Even putting herself in danger. Isn’t that typically what amateur sleuths do in murder mysteries?
And, that is what leads me to all those questions above.
Maybe others may find this an intriguing and complex psychological thriller. I found it a bit messy needing too much explanation to make it plausible....more
This is a family that typically evokes a lot of curiosity amongst people. A lot of tragedy and drama has been associated to the Kennedy faCatching Up…
This is a family that typically evokes a lot of curiosity amongst people. A lot of tragedy and drama has been associated to the Kennedy family because for the most part they have lived their lives in the spotlight. Mostly by choice because they are a prominent well-known all-American family. Civic-minded, politically active.
And, many have earned our gratitude for the contributions they have made as positive public servants. But there have also been the black sheep.
So, through the years, I personally have enjoyed reading anything I could get my hands on, about the Kennedys.
This book popped up on my reader list early on when my local library displayed it. When it showed up as a donation to my Little Free Library Shed recently, well, you know what that meant…
My review…
Jean Kennedy Smith was the 8th child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. Which meant that her brothers were the infamous, Jack (John F.), Bobby and Teddy. Besides a few more kids.
Her father, Joe made a name for himself as a banker and a Hollywood financier. In Jean’s eyes, he was devoted, and would make sure that his kids knew everything that they needed to know about world events. In reality, he was hardly home or devoted.
But Jean chose to see life with her father through rose-tinted glasses.
Other examples about her father, included Jean sharing her experience of moving to London at age 10, when President Roosevelt appointed Kennedy as Ambassador. Of course, she doesn’t explain why Roosevelt ended his Ambassadorship. If anyone remembers history well, we know that Kennedy’s closeness to Hitler didn’t bode well with Roosevelt.
There is also the lobotomy that Joe put upon his daughter Rosemary. It isn’t until the epilogue that Jean recognized how “tragically wrong” the experience was for her.
Jean ends this story book on Jack’s presidency, after introducing her college roommate Ethel to Bobby.
It isn’t really until the epilogue that we read about almost everything else…, i.e., the assassinations, her father’s devastating stroke, Chappaquiddick, Jean’s son William’s rape trail, Teddy’s brain cancer, her sister Patricia Lawford’s fight with cancer and more.
In many ways, it seemed like this story book was a bunch of fluff and pictures. Was Jean living in la-la land and we were supposed to believe in her Camelot, too? I suppose she had every right to tell her story in the way she chose. It just didn’t feel “real,” compelling or engaging, to me.
It was almost like Jean was writing a child-like dream of something maybe she would have preferred to have lived, as opposed to what it was really like living under the rule of a self-absorbed, isolationist, antisemitic, patronizing, unfaithful patriarch.
What about the TRUE effect of living under her father, and the REAL impact it had on HER? Now, that kind of story might have made for an interesting read.
Still, I can’t begrudge her the life she lived. This is the father she loved. This is the memory she chose to cherish of him. This story was published in 2016. Jean Kennedy Smith died on June 17, 2020 at the age of 92. She was the final surviving, and longest-lived of the 9 Kennedy children....more
I remember how excited I was when this came out a few years back, because I am a big fan of Conan Doyle – Sherlock Holmes. So, I was curioCatching up…
I remember how excited I was when this came out a few years back, because I am a big fan of Conan Doyle – Sherlock Holmes. So, I was curious about how any other author would interpret him. Carr is another author who had been commissioned by the Conan Doyle estate to write a Holmes short story, which then grew to novel length.
Interestingly enough, it almost feels like there are more authors out there writing Sherlock Holmes stories than Conan Doyle actually wrote. (He managed 4 novels and 60 short stories.)
I won’t try and count the many authors at this point, but those of you who are Conan Doyle fans, know what I am talking about, right?
And, now that nobody needs permission from the estate (effective 2022), anybody can use the famous detective character in a story. So, who knows how many more authors will incorporate Sherlock Holmes into their storyline.
Back to this one. As a donation to my Little Free Library Shed, it was another opportunity for me to re-visit this long ago read, and write my review.
What Carr does is keep Holmes and Dr. Watson in London and Scotland during the time of Queen Victoria, same time period, more or less as Conan Doyle.
This story imagines an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria. With 9 failed attempts on her life, Mycroft, Holmes, brother, is quite concerned what the German and Scottish nationalists might be up to next. Are they attempting to maneuver a war against England?
There are some parts of this book that are hard to read, because the author chooses to write as people may speak – like – “…we’ll nae let ye muhrder more Scots patriots…”
I wanted this to be purely Holmes and Dr. Watson doing simple detecting work. But it didn’t feel that way. It just fell flat.
Have I been spoiled by the original Conan Doyle, and the many television actors who successfully played Sherlock and/or Dr. Watson, i.e., Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Martin Freeman (Dr. Watson)?
I was even charmed by actors Jeremy Brett (Sherlock) and Basil Rathbone (Sherlock). I know I am dating myself, but they really did know how to pull off a good Sherlock.
Getting back to the book, and my attempts to stay focused (here on my review and with my reading), I think Carr’s problem was trying too hard to keep in the spirit of the original, but still trying to find opportunities for invention. I am not sure, in my opinion, he was able to meet it. At least for me. ...more
I have to admit first that I am going to be an outlier here. You probably could tell by my 3 star rating, right? But you have aOkay, where do I begin?
I have to admit first that I am going to be an outlier here. You probably could tell by my 3 star rating, right? But you have a right to know why. So, I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to tell you why.
I didn’t include this book in my “currently reading” when I received it several weeks ago. Probably because I wasn’t convinced, I wanted to read it.
I felt some level of excitement about receiving it as a donation to my Little Free Library Shed, because I knew my neighbors would be thrilled about having it available to them because this book is on the “hotlist” at our local public library. Which means if you are interested in reading this book, you are probably #467 on the list before the book will be available for you to check out from our library. That is how popular this book is right now.
Also, every time I receive a donation of a Kristin Hannah book, it comes and goes almost as fast as any Petersen, Connelly, Grisham, Picoult, or Baldacci book.
But I am not always a Kristin Hannah fan. And, the subject matter of this book, is not my favorite, so I wasn’t particularly anxious about reading this book.
So, when it was donated, I wasn’t all happy hooray ready about entering the pages.
Which leads me back to again why it wasn’t on my “currently reading” list of books here.
Thus, it took me awhile to make a decision to read it. Are you still wondering if I am going to offer a review? Thank you, if you are still reading this!
When I finally did begin to read, it wasn’t a nostalgia I was necessarily happy to return home to, as this book is filled with… despair – addiction – war – disrespect to soldiers – inadequate training for them – snipers – PTSD – Agent Orange.
Yes, the author does a somewhat convincing job of creating the historical scenery descriptions by taking us back to Viet Nam.
But her writing wasn’t connecting me to her story. It wasn’t capturing me. It wasn’t holding me. I didn’t feel emotionally vested.
I felt as a reader we were awkwardly stumbling a long trying to keep up. The plot twists seemed so strained. I just didn’t feel as engaged as I would have liked to have been.
The only thing that seemed to feel somewhat genuine was the way Hannah included women in the experience, especially nurses. Through her writing, she tried to show, their conviction and importance to the war story. Women – the real, unsung heroes. And since that was the title of her book, perhaps the author’s passion was met. As she shared in her author’s note, she was honored to tell their story. It just didn’t work for me....more
I believe, we can agree that communication is important to a marriage. And when it doesn’t exist within a marriage, the relCatching up…
Communication.
I believe, we can agree that communication is important to a marriage. And when it doesn’t exist within a marriage, the relationship will suffer.
In this case, this book emphasizes the crisis that exists within the relationship/marriage between Ivan and Prue because of their lack of communication.
And for university professors, especially the fact that Prue is in the emerging field of biolinguistics, which emphasizes the study of the evolution of language, how could she do so poorly with her own husband?
Even though it appears that they sustain their marriage adequately, Ivan does feel the distance. He knows that Prue talks more to his father-in-law, Frank, than to him.
So, what will help change things?
To gain insight, we as readers would need to feel connected to the characters. The author does her best to show the missteps in communication, and a fairly good job in developing Ivan and Frank’s characters.
But for this reader, Prue was hard to get close to and feel any sense of emotional closeness. And considering she was the one who was most responsible for the evolution of language, the limitations of interpersonal communication became too blatantly uncomfortable.
Let me start this review by saying I believe I am going to be an outlier when it comes to this book. So, please feel free to look at other reviews.
VeLet me start this review by saying I believe I am going to be an outlier when it comes to this book. So, please feel free to look at other reviews.
Very pregnant Alice and her boyfriend Joe decide to leave London and move to the suburbs where they think they will have an easier lifestyle.
No sooner does Alice settle into her prenatal class, than all the mothers-to-be are setting out to solve the murder of the proprietor of the business. This leads them to a commune, more death, far-right politicians and some other hinky individuals and secrets to be revealed.
What will Alice learn about Joe along this journey?
In my opinion, the beginning of the story tried too hard to be funny, the middle moved quite slowly, but the last third of the book, went a tad better.
Still, the story felt a bit disjointed, and took too long to get to the point, and there were way too many characters. So, the soap opera-ish drama took away from the clean-up ending conclusion.
Oh, and in due course everyone had their babies. I think. I lost track of who’s who and eventually lost interest, too.
I love Thursdays. They are my day to go to my local public library to pick up books. I feel like a young kid going into an ice cream store ready to piI love Thursdays. They are my day to go to my local public library to pick up books. I feel like a young kid going into an ice cream store ready to pick out my favorite ice cream. What flavor should I choose today?
When I saw this book, I was intrigued. I have never read this author before, and according to the side flap it sounded like magical realism, one of my favorite genres.
When I went to check my books out, the librarian said, “oh you must read this book first, there is already someone who is waiting to read this one right after you.” Which means I only get 3 weeks to finish it! So, with my large pile of books, I put this one at the top of my reading pile to begin reading first.
So, I did. Begin. To read it. First.
Well, where do I begin?
What I understand is that this is the author’s first novel. She has typically written contemporary short stories fiction. So, as a first novel, she decided to make this a 600-page story. Now, after having the experience of “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese, I have been more willing to venture into larger novels, as long as I have felt the story had meaning and purpose.
But where was this one going? I felt confused, and…well, it was strange. And I was having difficulty finding my way through the pages.
There appeared to be some drama, and grief, and resilience, and a supernatural presence which seemed menacing, and wanted the characters to explore what it truly means to be alive.
But it was really hard to understand how to connect to the characters when I didn’t really know what their purpose was for being. Are they dead or presumed dead? Are they missing or are they not? Are they on a mission or in some alternate reality?
Where am I as the reader?
I felt so off balance I am sorry to say that I had to abandon the book when one character said, “do you want to be dead, because I don’t. I want to avoid being dead for as long as possible.”
What?
Maybe it would have been easier for me to understand had this been a short story? Then maybe the author could have gotten to the point sooner.
Well, I hope the next reader who is so anxiously waiting for this book from my local public library, will be excited to get it earlier when I drop it off today....more
I didn’t do well with this author’s series featuring Homicide Detective Elouise Norton, recently reviewed in “Land of Shadows.” And, because I felt soI didn’t do well with this author’s series featuring Homicide Detective Elouise Norton, recently reviewed in “Land of Shadows.” And, because I felt somewhat like an outlier, I thought I would go ahead and try one of her stand-alone books to see if I might feel differently about her as a writer.
So, I ordered this book from my local library. Besides, the premise sounded fairly interesting.
Michaela (Mickie) Lambert is a digital archaeologist who pieces together a person’s life story from artifacts that are important to them. She will find them in any way possible whether it is through social media or home movies or art or whatever suits the client. Her talent is to bring it all together for her clients.
Her latest client, Nadia is obsessed with memorabilia – collecting and selling and hoarding it. And she wants a record of her life before her memories slip away.
This is a perfect assignment for Mickie to help distract her from the train wreck of a personal life she is experiencing currently.
Unfortunately, her client, Nadia is found dead with a suicide note nearby, which doesn’t go along with what Mickie understands with her recent assignment given to her by her client.
So, she can’t help but wonder…was it really suicide?
In the meantime, there is a serial killer on the loose.
So many secrets. So much to unravel. And danger around every corner while Mickie decides to still continue to complete her already paid for assignment.
Will it be enough to keep this mystery interesting?
And…will all that is going on be enough to make this story turn into an intriguing, riveting, page-turning pleasure read so that all the pieces will eventually fit together?...more
I was originally looking forward to reading this story, especially with its 1947 post-war New York setting. Its premise sounded interesting and the seI was originally looking forward to reading this story, especially with its 1947 post-war New York setting. Its premise sounded interesting and the series sounded like it had potential with two Holmesian-type detectives searching for a missing woman.
And then I opened its pages and the author had provided two pages worth for a “cast of characters.” We were not off to a good start.
Of course, as I shared, this is a series, and if you aren’t familiar with the characters, it doesn’t help that it doesn’t read like a stand-alone, so readers who haven’t read the earlier books, will feel like a fish out of water.
So, I tried, and hoped for the best in understanding these humanly-flawed protagonists.
But then the author delivered something that spoiled everything for me. (And forgive the spoiler, for which I don’t typically offer.) A cliffhanger. And to me, that is the worst sin of an author.
In his acknowledgments, the author says, “I know – a cliffhanger. Please don’t hate me. There was no other way to do it. The stakes are about to get raised for our heroines, and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.”
Well, I disagree! There are other ways to do it. In my opinion, stories should have a beginning, a middle and an end. There is absolutely no excuse for a cliffhanger with a book. To leave readers suspended this way, I feel, is detestable.
And for when we come into a series in the middle (yes, I know we shouldn’t), the least an author can do is catch us up with a few lines within the current story. And, I don’t think it should be in the list of the cast of characters where all the nuances attached to the character’s name should give readers all the clues about who they are and how we should know them.
Yes, I realize we should read the series from the beginning, but when our library doesn’t have the first books, we would appreciate at least a little help in this way from authors.
I also realize not everyone may agree with what I share here – I am obviously an outlier. I get it.
This is not an author/series I will be following. So, for anyone who is interested in this series, or who has rated it higher, this is my reason for not. ...more
I always appreciate the donations that are provided by my neighbors to my Little Free Library Shed. They also serve as a reminder for me tCatching up…
I always appreciate the donations that are provided by my neighbors to my Little Free Library Shed. They also serve as a reminder for me to re-visit books that I have read in my recent past so that I can bring my reviews to Goodreads.
Here is the premise of this story in question form that the book asks…would you defend your husband (she is an attorney) if he was accused of killing his mistress?
Can a book be really, really good at the beginning and the end and but fall flat in the middle? Which means it frustrates the reader to not be sure they want to even reach the end?
And what if a story has so many questions but not enough answers – does that make it a good read, or an ineffective plot?
And what if a plot feels so unrealistic as a reader you find yourself shaking your head and wondering, did I read that right? Or, should I have read this, at all?
And then by the time we get to the rushed conclusion, did it really connect to the whole story? Was I satisfied with this story or did I feel it was a convoluted plot trying to be a good mystery?
The author won the Booker Prize for 2023 for this story. But does that mean he won my heart for best book to read?
This book was prominently displayedThe author won the Booker Prize for 2023 for this story. But does that mean he won my heart for best book to read?
This book was prominently displayed in my local library as I perused the bookshelves. On the cover it said, “The Booker Prize 2023 Winner.”
Now, to be honest, being a book award winner has never impressed me. Leading a Library Book Discussion group for 12 years, we have often read and discussed Pulitzer and Booker Prize winners, and at the same time wondered what those committee members were thinking when they selected some of those books!
Still, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to take this book down off the shelf, in the hurry I was in, and add it to my pile of books to check out.
So here I am, ready to discuss this book with you.
First, for those who aren’t aware, the Booker Prize is an award given every year to the best English-language fiction published in the United Kingdom and Ireland in a given year.
And, second, since it is considered one of the literary world’s most prestigious awards, this is quite the accomplishment even to make the shortlist!
But even after sharing all that, it was interesting to note, before opening one page of this book, that not all reviewers were kind. Especially since this is somewhat of a dystopian novel. Not my favorite genre. I’m being honest.
So, after I opened the book for myself to read, will I be kind?
The story is set in contemporary Dublin, Ireland. There is a reference to a “virus” to set the tone for the story about a pandemic as a backdrop. We get the sense of a free society with a constitution and a rule of law, but there is a chaos descending created by a “political” crisis. But the fight between who and what is rather vague. There is also a moral ambiguity.
And then there is more frustration that comes up for this reader. Dialogue is not punctuated with quotation marks. How am I to know the difference between a thing said and a thing thought? This brings on headaches for me.
The book continues into chaos. The story, and my attempt to read it.
There are also no paragraphs, only continuous sentences that refused to find an ending – barely. This reader/reviewer did what I could only do…I turned my last page about half way through and DNF’d it.
I think this is it in my Jodi Picoult phase of reading and re-visiting her books. I almost feel like after re-visiting so many of her pastCatching up…
I think this is it in my Jodi Picoult phase of reading and re-visiting her books. I almost feel like after re-visiting so many of her past books, I have been sitting with an old friend and conducting a heart-felt conversation about all these different characters that have been in this amazing author’s repertoire.
And now, I come to this book. Her debut novel. This was our introduction to her. She was unknown to the world. How would we react to her?
For many, this book wasn’t noticed initially. It probably took a few more Picoult novels before this one was even read. And then, when it was finally read, it may not have been particularly cared for because of the multiple P.O.V.’s. (5).
And because each narrator had a story to tell, it wasn’t even clear whose story was in current or past tense. So, by the time we got to the end of the story, we weren’t sure if there was any satisfactory resolution, for any of the characters.
And for this reader, I felt completely left in the dark. Which considering the subject matter, was not a safe place to be left.
I had so many questions. To reveal my questions would give away spoilers.
Let’s just say, this is a story of love, loss and self-discovery. It is also a story of abuse.
The characters felt shallow, oblivious and flat, and unlikable for the most part. So, whether my questions get answered or not, I’m not sure I would be invested enough to care.
Sadly, this was not a great debut. Thankfully, Picoult grew as an author with later novels and found a way to create better voices for her characters in future stories. ...more
With those two books she had stories with strong and relatable characters.
With this one it is going to feel like a gothic fairy tale about an old house full of secrets. An unfortunate man, Arthur, doomed to be its caretaker, and a young woman, Opal who hopes to turn things around.
The question for readers…will they be successful?
Will he be too beastly to her beauty (even though they are both simply deemed ‘ordinary looking’) – or will they be able to manage amongst the old monsters that have inhabited this house and community?
Will they be able to conquer the sinister secrets that lie in this small town?
The characters are complex, and the story does have purpose and meaning. Eden, Kentucky has a dark past it is attempting to overcome. There is history and mysticism that will attempt to create a magical and yet grounded world within these pages. But did it have enough to keep this reader invested?
I appreciated the interweaving of fairy tale elements with contemporary real-world issues. I recommend you read her acknowledgements page. There are some wonderful insights to be gained there.
Still, I usually like Harrow’s stories, but this one was a little darker for my taste, and I found myself struggling to stay interested. But even though it is dark, it is also full of hope. And for that reason, I will round my stars up.
But please don’t think I liked or was happy with this story. I do however love this author and recommend the stories I read and reviewed above.
Grow up Charlotte. You are, after all 25 years old. Living in your childhood home with your mother. Once even considered a celebrated NancCatching Up…
Grow up Charlotte. You are, after all 25 years old. Living in your childhood home with your mother. Once even considered a celebrated Nancy Drew in your earlier years. Easy life, right?
Well, maybe it might be a bit unexciting, but when Charlotte is given an opportunity for a missing case investigation by her brother, she thinks, maybe this might liven things up a bit.
But what happens when this missing person case turns into an actual dead person found?
So, readers are probably wondering by this point what it might take for Charlotte to move her life forward. Will her lack of confidence in her former investigative instincts help her realize maybe she still “has it?” Or will regaining the friends she thought had “left her behind” help her grow up?
This is an identity crisis kind of a book that might appeal more to a YA audience. And even saying that, I don’t mean to sound insulting to that age group. I feel like this book tries too hard to be entertaining with a mystery it wants to solve. And, with its diverse cast of characters populating this novel, I’m still not sure it is enough to rescue it.
I thought the cover was cute though, does that help?
2.5 stars rounded up for diverse characters and book cover art. ...more
The title is truly a good question, because this plotless un-novel makes me wonder if I need to go elsewhere to find iWhere do I begin with this book?
The title is truly a good question, because this plotless un-novel makes me wonder if I need to go elsewhere to find it.
The author interchanges the novel between first-person narration and email format third person narration which created a confusing flow reading dynamic for me. I will try to explain.
I am not a fan of reading conversations without quotation marks telling me where it begins or starts for one.
And I’m not even sure the conversation banter that took place within this novel was something to be enjoyed.
Let alone the mindless sex. The author’s writing about sex is rather direct. There was nothing fun about it. I don’t know what I was looking for, but it was like someone was just telling me it happened and well they were done. Okay, got it.
Of course, I was doing my best to like and understand these characters through the mains email letter writing, and that wasn’t exactly easy, either.
If the characters were trying to connect, or be funny or smart, or show love or caring toward one another, it was awkwardly frustrating to watch and read.
Unfortunately, this novel did not work for me. Which most likely makes me an outlier here. Your best bet is to go read others reviews before judging this book....more
I am not always a fan of hotlist authors. Especially this one. I didn’t love “The Housemaid.” I turned my back on “The Housemaid’s Secret.” But that dI am not always a fan of hotlist authors. Especially this one. I didn’t love “The Housemaid.” I turned my back on “The Housemaid’s Secret.” But that doesn’t mean I am not willing to give the author another try especially when most my Goodreads friends give such glowing reviews to her books.
So, when this one was donated to my Little Free Library Shed, I figured this was the one that I should read.
And so, I did.
The question is, where do I begin with this review?
I started to read this book this morning. I finished this book this evening. In-between meals and a walk with my husband and dogs.
Was it that good? No. I didn’t even like the characters. I was annoyed most of the time. I just wanted to figure out what was going on.
Did the author have good twists and turns? Yes.
But. Yes there is a but. Here goes.
The co-worker goes missing.
And another co-worker gets accused of her murder.
Then “her” body is found.
But wait. Is it her body?
Then the co-worker accused of the missing co-worker’s murder is released on bail.
Now the co-worker is still missing. And the body found is badly beaten, and may not be the co-worker – so whose body could it be?
So, what happened to the missing co-worker and where is she? And will the co-worker still be accused of her missing co-worker’s murder without a body being found? And why was she missing? And the co-worker who was accused of her co-worker’s murder, do we feel sorry for her being placed in this predicament?
So many questions and so few answers.
Will we ever get any answers as readers?
Yes. Last page.
But with unlikable characters and such a convoluted plot, who really cares by this point?
And then there was “The Maidens.” Could it be as good as “The Silent Patient?” No. I didn’t really care for this one. Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Was I ready to give up on Michaelides yet?
When I started reading some of my Goodreads friends mixed reviews, I became concerned. I rearranged my question from ‘was I ready to give up on Michaelides yet’ to, should I even bother to read this one?
Well, I decided to read it, especially when a friend donated the book to my Little Free Library Shed.
What was I in for?
The narrator, Elliot Chase, lets readers know right away that “this is a tale of murder.” But he is also clear in his telling of this story, that he is an unreliable narrator. So, there are lots of moments in which readers are left to wonder, did this really happen as he is describing?
Still, so much of the plot seemed like a movie I had already seen or a book I have already read. How many times have we been told this story?
And unfortunately, how could readers become invested in it with such a floppy plot, and unbelievable, one-dimensional characters?
It didn’t take long for me to stop wondering who was going to be murdered or why. I just didn’t care any longer. As far as I was concerned, murder the lot of them! No one was particularly likable!
Lastly, ‘the fury’ refers to a malign Aegean wind. But, by the end of this soppy mess, I think the real fury was me, angry I had wasted my time.
What happens when our main character believes her brother-in-law killed her sister (his wife)? In this instance, she does everything to get him convicWhat happens when our main character believes her brother-in-law killed her sister (his wife)? In this instance, she does everything to get him convicted. The problem is there is no evidence.
So now what?
She leaves her home in Minnesota for Ireland.
But it doesn’t erase her need for answers, so she returns 3 years later. Determined to put the case to rest.
The problem is, her brother-in-law is planning to marry someone new, and leave the country, leaving our character searching for answers, and concerned about the safety of her niece.
And she is only given a few days to solve this case before he leaves.
And then there is another murder – similar to how her sister was murdered.
So now what?
I seem to ask that a lot, don’t I?
Are we heading back to Ireland?
Well, let’s just say that the novel starts quickly and grabs readers as more clues become obvious with each turning page. With a lot of attention to forensic details. Along with scenic views of St. Paul’s river, and the sea in Ireland.
This story is…Family drama. Murder. Tons of mystery. Irish folklore (think selkies, mermaids and changelings). Oh, and did I mention a little romance? All of this could very well keep readers engaged and hopeful for resolution.
If any of this sounds interesting, be patient with this book. I wasn’t. It was too much of a convoluted plot (in my opinion), and thus a disappointment for me. And, apparently this is a series. But it wasn’t obvious to me. Would it have been better for me if I read book 1 & 2 first?
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