Scan barcode
sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
After reading a lot of dense books, I figured a classic crime thriller was the perfect palate cleanser and I was not disappointed.
While I found our narrator, Max Hailey, to be very insufferable and stubborn, I think his flaws added to the magic of this story. Barry clearly writes in the classic noir fiction genre, with many scenes reminiscent of movies like The Third Man and The Maltese Falcon. It was incredibly enjoyable as a fan of Old Hollywood movies to catch all the references being made and appreciate all the tropes Barry used to her advantage. Once I started this book, it was difficult to put it down because I was so anxious to see how it ended.
I would have liked to see more character development for the modern characters, Madeline felt pushed aside for most of the novel and I wanted to know more about Petra than was let on from Max’s perspective. The mystery and its characters were very well-developed and interesting, though, meaning it glossed over a lot of Max’s character development.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Old Hollywood movies, especially noir films.
While I found our narrator, Max Hailey, to be very insufferable and stubborn, I think his flaws added to the magic of this story. Barry clearly writes in the classic noir fiction genre, with many scenes reminiscent of movies like The Third Man and The Maltese Falcon. It was incredibly enjoyable as a fan of Old Hollywood movies to catch all the references being made and appreciate all the tropes Barry used to her advantage. Once I started this book, it was difficult to put it down because I was so anxious to see how it ended.
I would have liked to see more character development for the modern characters, Madeline felt pushed aside for most of the novel and I wanted to know more about Petra than was let on from Max’s perspective. The mystery and its characters were very well-developed and interesting, though, meaning it glossed over a lot of Max’s character development.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Old Hollywood movies, especially noir films.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
neonzombie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
"That which burns brightly burns quickly, but oh see how it burns."
The golden age of Hollywood always fascinated me. Add a murder in the mix and you have a good story. I wanted to like this one more than I did. The mystery was good and well written. I felt I was back in this time. But my oh my did it drag. At times the only exciting and interesting things happening were journal entries and all this already happened in the past. When we are back in the present I was just waiting for the main character to get back to the journal. While I understand that investigative journalism involves research, interviews, and following leads, I just wished the story had progressed at a faster pace. That being said I still enjoyed this one. I did not see the ending going that way. I would recommend this book if you like glamorous, old Hollywood with a decades long murder mystery.
The golden age of Hollywood always fascinated me. Add a murder in the mix and you have a good story. I wanted to like this one more than I did. The mystery was good and well written. I felt I was back in this time. But my oh my did it drag. At times the only exciting and interesting things happening were journal entries and all this already happened in the past. When we are back in the present I was just waiting for the main character to get back to the journal. While I understand that investigative journalism involves research, interviews, and following leads, I just wished the story had progressed at a faster pace. That being said I still enjoyed this one. I did not see the ending going that way. I would recommend this book if you like glamorous, old Hollywood with a decades long murder mystery.
bluerobinredwren's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
slanuza's review against another edition
As much as I wanted it to be worth it, the narrator, mystery, and general build wasn’t compelling.
krytygr's review
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Such a most excellent novel! Thoroughly loved this storyline. The shout outs to old Hollywood and the scandal that still lives today was wonderfully written and thought out. So much detail and research was put into this and it shows. Wonderful listen/read!!
fowlermillbabe's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing twists and turns with a glorious ending!!!
grayreader's review against another edition
2.0
The main character was unlikeable, which would have been fine had he also been interesting in any way. An unfortunately bland story.
dogearedtales's review against another edition
2.0
I’ll give points for a great premise and good description but the main character was just the worst. There was no compelling reason for why he was the main character and he was perhaps the worst journalist ever. HOW DO YOU INTERVIEW SOMEONE TWICE AND NOT ASK A SINGLE SUBSTANTIVE QUESTION?!?!! Why doesn’t he question anyone or anything he’s told? And the resolution is heavy handedly alluded to halfway through but we spend the rest of the book waiting for him to figure it out.
I think I was unfairly hoping for another Evelyn Hugo with perfect mix of flashback and new, twists that surprise but tie together. To paraphrase a famous line: I have read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and this is definitely no Evelyn Hugo.
I think I was unfairly hoping for another Evelyn Hugo with perfect mix of flashback and new, twists that surprise but tie together. To paraphrase a famous line: I have read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and this is definitely no Evelyn Hugo.