allie_shu's review
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
coops456's review against another edition
3.0
Not a Lord Peter Wimsey title as I had anticipated, but a decent read nonetheless. Unusual format - the story is presented in the form of multiple documents, mainly letters between the various parties.
aunesofia1993's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
aamccartan's review
4.0
While it wasn't a Peter book, Documents in the Case is a Sayers mystery of first-class quality. I will admit to skimming a lot of the technical details that did not bear heavily on the plot, but the plot and characterization themselves spoke to her regular skill of turning an ordinary murder-mystery thriller into a heart-wrenching examination of human souls and morals.
mauxbs's review
I actually bailed on this book - where's the button for that? It's not that I wasn't enjoying it, but I picked it up thinking it was a Lord Peter Wimsey book. I didn't have the mental energy for an epistolary novel at present, so I took it back to the library.
marlisenicole's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
julia_may's review
2.0
This was an experimental format for Sayers - an epistolary novel (my favourite format) - and I loved the idea more than the execution. The first half of the book is a very long, slow-burning set up of the characters and circumstances, with the death happening at only the halfway point. From then on things sped up as the investigation commenced, and I enjoyed the second half a lot more. Unfortunately there were also several long segments with philosophising about the role of nature, science, religion... only marginally relevant to the story and eye-bleedingly boring. While I liked the plot, the whole story was quite a slog.
clarentium's review
funny
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
I wasn't particularly enthralled by the mystery or the epistolary format. However, the presentation of the characters was very interesting, as it showed how people can be viewed in such different ways. I enjoyed the nuance shown in the characters and their relationships.