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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
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