adavidgraham's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sbunyan's review against another edition
3.0
I was tempted to drop the rating because I thought the Harlequin romance parts were too ridiculous. But I liked the twists and the rivalries of the art department.
Sigrid is portrayed as a smart and attractive woman who is unaware of the effect she has. And when she falls for this guy - “Never had she met a man so willful, conceited and infuriating!” Just like a romance heroine, it’s too much for me. But I’ll read the next book in the series.
Sigrid is portrayed as a smart and attractive woman who is unaware of the effect she has. And when she falls for this guy - “Never had she met a man so willful, conceited and infuriating!” Just like a romance heroine, it’s too much for me. But I’ll read the next book in the series.
cheryl6of8's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent character work in this story. Defent mystery. Read it in just a few hours.
lorihenrich2021's review against another edition
2.0
This would kind of be 2.5 stars for me. I kind of liked it but it didn't really flow well for me. I got this for free to try. Since it was just ok for me, I will try one more to be sure how I really feel.
A member of the staff of a New York college is poisoned and Sigrid Harald is assigned the case. It is a tricky case with many who could be the suspect. I kind got confused with some of the characters and the character of the lead detective didn't seem real natural. She kind of came off strange to me. That is why I will have to try one more.
A member of the staff of a New York college is poisoned and Sigrid Harald is assigned the case. It is a tricky case with many who could be the suspect. I kind got confused with some of the characters and the character of the lead detective didn't seem real natural. She kind of came off strange to me. That is why I will have to try one more.
chelseadjbowen's review against another edition
2.0
I got half way through and realized I didn't care about the characters or plot enough to finish. It reads like a Nancy Drew book- dated with a couple of adult themed mentions. I really wanted to like this book since Maron is a local author, recently deceased and self taught.
margardenlady's review against another edition
4.0
Very nicely drawn mystery... author recommended to me by my sister-in-law and novel irresistable because the main character is Sigrid! Well drawn characters - interesting view of the art academic world and enough twists to hold my interest. I recommend it. (plus the paperback I read fit into my purse!)
hopeevey's review against another edition
3.0
I'd like to give this 3.5 stars. The mystery was good, which counts for a lot to me. The characterizations were generally good; the secondary characters more so than the main character. While the plot very much stands alone, the main character herself has more questions than answers. This was very clearly written as the first book in a series with an overarching character arc. In a way, Lt. Harald's story arc ends on a cliffhanger in this book.
If I had read this book when I was 9 - when it first came out - I might have enjoyed it more. While the book does address the sexism inherent in the culture at the time, it still makes assumptions about men and women and relationships between them common at the time. While I don't hold that against the book, I don't especially enjoy reading stories with those assumptions baked in. I am curious to see how Lt. Harald's story arc plays out, so I may well track down the rest of the books in this series. That being said, I'm not in a hurry to read them.
If I had read this book when I was 9 - when it first came out - I might have enjoyed it more. While the book does address the sexism inherent in the culture at the time, it still makes assumptions about men and women and relationships between them common at the time. While I don't hold that against the book, I don't especially enjoy reading stories with those assumptions baked in. I am curious to see how Lt. Harald's story arc plays out, so I may well track down the rest of the books in this series. That being said, I'm not in a hurry to read them.
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