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bookishmornings's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
jxg255's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this mystery and all of the twists and turns. The clues are there…if you read them.
elizabethtrue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I gave 4.75 only because I listened to it right after the first book and liked that one a little more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, and Murder
readbyamity's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
teequila's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
doyledays's review against another edition
2.0
It wasn’t awful, but there were too many characters to keep track of. This might be the fault of an audiobook versus reading a physical copy. He writes it as an author writing a book so the interruptions to explain what the writer is thinking were annoying and now live in my head rent free as I read other books. The ending was fun though.
agathe_athena's review against another edition
4.0
Ernest Cunningham is struggling to write the follow-up to his mystery-memoir of the deadly family reunion. Invited to be a part of the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society’s festival, he hopes to find inspiration for a fiction book this time. But the festival is off to a rough start as there seems to be some deep-seated animosity between a few of the panelists. When one of the writers ends up dead, the others all want to be the one to solve it. But Ernest knows that any of them would know how to best get away with it too.
This was a fun murder-mystery that plays on the tropes and rules of mystery novels, while doing a send-up of the follow-up novel. It doesn’t have as much fun as the first did, with the different sections being as recognizable as they could have been (in the first book each section was dedicated to a death that one of his family members had caused, while here each section was supposed to be a different genre of mystery, but it didn’t quite read like that). But the reveals at the end were good, and even though I figured out some, I hadn’t figured them all out. So a very satisfying ending to a fun read.
This was a fun murder-mystery that plays on the tropes and rules of mystery novels, while doing a send-up of the follow-up novel. It doesn’t have as much fun as the first did, with the different sections being as recognizable as they could have been (in the first book each section was dedicated to a death that one of his family members had caused, while here each section was supposed to be a different genre of mystery, but it didn’t quite read like that). But the reveals at the end were good, and even though I figured out some, I hadn’t figured them all out. So a very satisfying ending to a fun read.
bookishplantmom's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really loved this! A good reminder of what I love about mysteries. I liked the way the narrator/MC was in constant conversion with the reader and self aware.
nicnack05's review against another edition
2.0
Dull. 2 ⭐️⭐️ only because I feel like one is a little too far.
My entire book club had a rough time with this one. None of us read the first book. I don’t think we expected the narrators condescending tone of voice and constant meta explanations. It was difficult to pay attention to.
I also don’t think the tropes or general mystery were executed very well. The characters were fine. Just fine. It all felt very flat up until some very cheap grabs at drama at the end.
The motive for the murder felt random and hard to believe. I have no idea if that was intentional as another commentary or what. I would not recommend this unless you enjoy meta books.
My entire book club had a rough time with this one. None of us read the first book. I don’t think we expected the narrators condescending tone of voice and constant meta explanations. It was difficult to pay attention to.
I also don’t think the tropes or general mystery were executed very well. The characters were fine. Just fine. It all felt very flat up until some very cheap grabs at drama at the end.
The motive for the murder felt random and hard to believe. I have no idea if that was intentional as another commentary or what. I would not recommend this unless you enjoy meta books.