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zasou_reads's review
2.0
Eighty year old Edie has turned into a recluse who avoids all of her neighbours, except for one. One morning, she receives a weird package from an anonymous stranger, containing jigsaw puzzle pieces. The puzzle is incomplete, but it represents a murder scene. She must solve the puzzle with the help of her son Sean, a detective inspector, in order to save the life of the target...
I have read The Christmas Murder Game by this author last year, and I absolutely loved it! So when I saw this one, I had to get my hands on it. Sadly, it fell flat for me. I'm not sure the audio book was the best format to get the full experience (to solve the puzzles in the book), none of the charcaters are likable, and the ending came out of left field, which I hate in a mystery, because there was no way for the reader to guess who the murderer was. I liked the sillyness and lightness (despite the murders), but I would recommend The Christmas Murder Game before I'll ever recommend this one.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I have read The Christmas Murder Game by this author last year, and I absolutely loved it! So when I saw this one, I had to get my hands on it. Sadly, it fell flat for me. I'm not sure the audio book was the best format to get the full experience (to solve the puzzles in the book), none of the charcaters are likable, and the ending came out of left field, which I hate in a mystery, because there was no way for the reader to guess who the murderer was. I liked the sillyness and lightness (despite the murders), but I would recommend The Christmas Murder Game before I'll ever recommend this one.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
hharkins's review
3.0
Edie loves puzzles. She creates crosswords for the paper and solves jigsaw puzzles in her spare time, but when she receives some jigsaw pieces promising that people will die if she can't solve the puzzle, she's thrown headfirst into a race against the clock and has to use her skills to solve a murder mystery.
I really enjoyed the narrator. She did an excellent job of bringing life to the various characters. And her voice really added to the cozy vibes of the story.
It did start off slow for me- I wasn't really fully engaged and invested until around the 50% mark.
Overall, I did enjoy the story- for some reason it really reminded me of watching Murder She Wrote, and I didn't call the reveal of the culprit. But I found the pacing off and never really felt connected to the characters and it holds me back from giving this a higher reading.
If you're looking for a cozy, holiday murder mystery, you might enjoy this!!!
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ALC. My opinions are my own đź’•
I really enjoyed the narrator. She did an excellent job of bringing life to the various characters. And her voice really added to the cozy vibes of the story.
It did start off slow for me- I wasn't really fully engaged and invested until around the 50% mark.
Overall, I did enjoy the story- for some reason it really reminded me of watching Murder She Wrote, and I didn't call the reveal of the culprit. But I found the pacing off and never really felt connected to the characters and it holds me back from giving this a higher reading.
If you're looking for a cozy, holiday murder mystery, you might enjoy this!!!
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ALC. My opinions are my own đź’•
grandmasusan's review
I loved the story and outstanding narrator. Unfortunately, there was a lot of swearing especially the f bomb.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
tootscd's review
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
zoer03's review
4.0
A brilliant and gripping book and the power of forgiving and being able to accept people in. I loved the characters and how they developed over time, I also found the murderer sympathetic if pitiable. I also loved where it was set as it is set in Dorset where much of my childhood was spent.
perks2023's review
3.0
A solid murder mystery, much in the theme of Bennett’s other Christmas murders. As with Die Hard, the action is simply set around the Christmas period rather than really being a Christmas tale, but perhaps that’s for the best seeing as the word is murder.
The story suffers a little from having an unlikeable main character, who it is hard to get behind. The big reveal reveals quite a lot of why the character is so unlikeable, but coming so late in the story it’s up to the reader as to whether they can balance this past deeds against present actions, and which comes out on top. Personally, I couldn’t, but it was still a strong story and an easy finish.
The story suffers a little from having an unlikeable main character, who it is hard to get behind. The big reveal reveals quite a lot of why the character is so unlikeable, but coming so late in the story it’s up to the reader as to whether they can balance this past deeds against present actions, and which comes out on top. Personally, I couldn’t, but it was still a strong story and an easy finish.
hesterzz's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
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
3.25
whatlexysaid's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? No
raelovestoread's review
2.0
This... wasn't great. Probably wasn't even good if I'm being truthful.
I love how lively Benedict's narrative voice is, but this is the weakest of her 3x festive mysteries so far.
Am I going to keep reading them? Of course. They're frivolous (I.e. silly), festive fun.
Am I going to recommend you read them too?
Probably not.
I love how lively Benedict's narrative voice is, but this is the weakest of her 3x festive mysteries so far.
Am I going to keep reading them? Of course. They're frivolous (I.e. silly), festive fun.
Am I going to recommend you read them too?
Probably not.