Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Murder Under Her Skin by Stephen Spotswood

5 reviews

kappafrog's review

adventurous emotional funny informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Another fantastic entry in the Pentecost and Parker series! I am loving this series so much. I was so absorbed by this book I finished it in two days. At first I was nervous about the departure from NYC, but WOW did I love the rural circus setting. I loved humanizing the people behind the "freak shows" of earlier decades in American culture. There were so many interesting characters here, floating through society at its fringes and forging a tightly bonded community. I particularly liked Bob. I wish Sam had gotten a bigger role in the story though - he dropped out pretty quickly after seeming important in the beginning. There was a hint he might turn up again in future books though, so I'd like to see that.

The southern small town setting was often very absorbing too. I loved the porches, the iced tea, the corn fields, and how well Lillian blended in wearing borrowed clothing when she had to stay in the house with her sprained ankle. The people were very different than the ones we meet in NYC, and I liked seeing their characterizations explored, though more could have been done with some of them (like the police chief, whose racism never comes up after that chilling first scene with him).

The ending here didn't reach the heights of the first book. While in that book everything got tied together, here there were a lot of red herrings. I didn't find that as satisfying and exciting as the first book. The end felt like it came a little too quickly - I would have liked to see more aftermath with some of the other characters like Bob, though I liked the final scene with Maeve a lot. Carl was begging for a followup we didn't get too. I was a little disappointed by the way things ended in this one. More realistic perhaps, but the first one was so deviously clever I was a little let down this time around.

My favourite scene in the book was the funeral held for the murder victim. I teared up at that. I loved all the beautiful little touches of circus life, like the decorated coffin and the parting words everyone gave her: "See you along the road."

This mystery was more personal for Will, which meant Will made a lot more mistakes and crossed a lot of lines in conversations that she normally wouldn't have done. Sometimes that was a bit frustrating. I wasn't as interested in her romance this time around. However, I liked Joe's character. Some of the side characters who were interesting but underdeveloped were Evelyn, Carl, and even Doc.

Overall though, this was another wonderful novel! I was totally drawn into its world and absolutely loved seeing a mid-20th century circus behind the scenes. You truly got the feeling for the passing of an era.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Car accident, and Abortion

olive_lol's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug abuse, Violence, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, and Pregnancy

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I am enjoying this 1940s series.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

teaskate's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Another book of the Pentecost and Parker series. It was interesting and catching from the start. What I like the most about those books is the scenery vibe. I always feel as if I am right next to Will and Pentecost and I brainstorm and work with them. The characters were interesting and I really enjoyed getting to know Ruby, but also the ending was well thought out and I liked the connections that started from the beginning that make a mystery book a good one. Also the theme of a circus is kind of unique because I haven’t gotten to one of those in my reading journal. It is a super fun series and I am exited for the next Spotswood mystery book. Thank you :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: War

Minor: Abortion

karcitis's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, and War

Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment