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annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
First published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Weycombe, a new standalone suspense novel by G. M. Malliet from Midnight Ink was released 8th Oct. The author, who has written the well loved Max Tudor series about an MI5 agent turned village vicar, is a dependable 'writerly' writer, technically adept with plotting, dialogue and action. Her books are readable and very enjoyable. I have really enjoyed both the Max Tudor cozies and her St. Just series, a period cozy series.
This book is emphatically not written in the same comfortable mold as her other books. Whilst her other books have had (for me) laugh out loud moments, this one was full of sharply funny moments, quite a few of which surprised me into laughter, sometimes uncomfortable. Written in first person, the narration is wickedly sarcastic to a razor's edge.
Narrated from the viewpoint of an outsider, the story often lampoons (or laments) the cultural disorientation that arises from being an expat American living in England, and married to an upper class scion of the minor nobility.
The murder of the local estate agent has the village in an uproar. Anna, the victim, is found by the narrator on a nearby walking path. Jillian White's, the narrator's, interactions with the investigation and her decision to investigate on her own provide point and counterpoint to her interactions with her wealthy friends and neighbors.
I read and review mostly high fantasy and cozy mysteries. I enjoyed this novel very much and sometimes an ascerbic wit-filled slightly gritty mystery is exactly perfect for clearing the palate and resetting my reading taste-buds for the next cat cozy or dragon filled high fantasy.
It is worth noting that the author has earmarked 10% of the royalties from her published for Weycombe to hurricane relief, a worthy cause. For this reason, I will also be buying a copy of this book, despite having recieved an e-ARC gratis from the publisher for review purposes.
Five stars. Enjoyable and surprisingly witty.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
Weycombe, a new standalone suspense novel by G. M. Malliet from Midnight Ink was released 8th Oct. The author, who has written the well loved Max Tudor series about an MI5 agent turned village vicar, is a dependable 'writerly' writer, technically adept with plotting, dialogue and action. Her books are readable and very enjoyable. I have really enjoyed both the Max Tudor cozies and her St. Just series, a period cozy series.
This book is emphatically not written in the same comfortable mold as her other books. Whilst her other books have had (for me) laugh out loud moments, this one was full of sharply funny moments, quite a few of which surprised me into laughter, sometimes uncomfortable. Written in first person, the narration is wickedly sarcastic to a razor's edge.
Narrated from the viewpoint of an outsider, the story often lampoons (or laments) the cultural disorientation that arises from being an expat American living in England, and married to an upper class scion of the minor nobility.
The murder of the local estate agent has the village in an uproar. Anna, the victim, is found by the narrator on a nearby walking path. Jillian White's, the narrator's, interactions with the investigation and her decision to investigate on her own provide point and counterpoint to her interactions with her wealthy friends and neighbors.
I read and review mostly high fantasy and cozy mysteries. I enjoyed this novel very much and sometimes an ascerbic wit-filled slightly gritty mystery is exactly perfect for clearing the palate and resetting my reading taste-buds for the next cat cozy or dragon filled high fantasy.
It is worth noting that the author has earmarked 10% of the royalties from her published for Weycombe to hurricane relief, a worthy cause. For this reason, I will also be buying a copy of this book, despite having recieved an e-ARC gratis from the publisher for review purposes.
A note from the author: My book WEYCOMBE comes out October 8. I am donating 10% of the royalties I receive from my publisher on this standalone suspense novel, up to $5000, to @RedCrossHouston relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Five stars. Enjoyable and surprisingly witty.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
eserafina42's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I really try not to be one of those people who doesn't like books because the main characters are unlikable, but I really couldn't stand Jillian, the narrator of this one, practically from the start, and I didn't care about her either, which is the cardinal sin for me. Writers can make their readers care for even unlikable characters. I definitely wouldn't want to be BFFs with Scarlett O'Hara, but I do care what happens to her. This woman was so whiny and had such utter contempt for everyone around her , apart from Rashima, her one friend (and I didn't find that relationship believable), that you had to wonder what on earth had ever attracted her husband to her in the first place. That being said, what had actually happened only dawned on me around the time the author probably wanted me to figure it out, so I didn't figure it out too soon. I wish she hadn't left the ending hanging, though.
Spoiler
(probably a clue that she's a sociopath)cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
5.0
American Jillian White has relocated to England and lives n the wealthy village of Weycombe with her titled husband. From the outside, everything is picture-perfect, but looks can be deceiving. Jill's world is turned upside-down when a local resident is murdered and Jill becomes involved in the investigation.
I have read a couple of this author's cozy mysteries and really enjoyed them. I wasn't sure what to expect from this standalone suspense novel, but I enjoyed it beyond my expectations. This book and her Max Tudor mysteries are equally well-written, but "Weycombe" is a true thriller as opposed to a clever cozy. The main character and English setting of "Weycombe" grabbed my attention from the very beginning and never left go. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next and was completely surprised by the twists and turns the book took. I don't want to give away any of the surprises, but I truly enjoyed this thriller, which stands out from the pack from many of the recent books in this genre I have read.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Midnight Ink. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Midnight Ink
I have read a couple of this author's cozy mysteries and really enjoyed them. I wasn't sure what to expect from this standalone suspense novel, but I enjoyed it beyond my expectations. This book and her Max Tudor mysteries are equally well-written, but "Weycombe" is a true thriller as opposed to a clever cozy. The main character and English setting of "Weycombe" grabbed my attention from the very beginning and never left go. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next and was completely surprised by the twists and turns the book took. I don't want to give away any of the surprises, but I truly enjoyed this thriller, which stands out from the pack from many of the recent books in this genre I have read.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Midnight Ink. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Midnight Ink
annarella's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked Max Tudor and Saint Just mysteries so my expectations were quite high. All these book were really page-turners, great plots and a lot of humour.
Unfortunately this book did not meet my expectation. For me it was like travelling in a grey landscape with lots of secrets, dramas and long discussion on the sociological side. The heroine sometimes is witty and sometimes is just acid.
It could have been a wonderful reading but it ended being a bit boring and was really hard to finish this book
Many thanks to Netgalley and Midnight ink for giving me the chance to review this book.
Unfortunately this book did not meet my expectation. For me it was like travelling in a grey landscape with lots of secrets, dramas and long discussion on the sociological side. The heroine sometimes is witty and sometimes is just acid.
It could have been a wonderful reading but it ended being a bit boring and was really hard to finish this book
Many thanks to Netgalley and Midnight ink for giving me the chance to review this book.
joeyhannah's review against another edition
2.0
Not her best book. The character isn't very likeable and I correctly guessed whodunit about halfway through. Additionally, her American characters (in all her books) are just awful. These really should be run past an American editor to catch incorrect colloquialisms, misused slang, etc. On one hand, it can be passed off as an American living in England who is adopting British terms, but....ugh.
To make matters worse, I listened to the audiobook which used an English narrator. The entire book is read in a terrible fake American accent that slips frequently. So many words were mispronounced...
All in all, kinda disappointing. I love her Max Tudor and St. Just series.
To make matters worse, I listened to the audiobook which used an English narrator. The entire book is read in a terrible fake American accent that slips frequently. So many words were mispronounced...
All in all, kinda disappointing. I love her Max Tudor and St. Just series.
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