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keltaklo's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Antisemitism
romonko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I can honestly say that I have never read a book quite like this one. It won the 2022 Edgar prize for best mystery, and that is well-deserved, but as far as I'm concerned it could win as best in other genres like historical fiction, thriller, romance and literary fiction. The mystery is very much a noir mystery, but it's just so much more. The book begins in November of 1941 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Joe McGrady is ex-army and is now a homicide detective on HPD. He's called in to a particularly brutal double homicide, and his life is forever changed as he begins to investigate the homicides that occurred in a remote shack up in the back country not far from Honolulu. The investigation takes him to Hong Kong and he arrives there on December 7, 1941 (which was December 6 in Honolulu). We all know what happened in Honolulu a bright and sunny Sunday morning on December 7, 1941. Joe doesn't hear about Pearl Harbour right away because he's cooling his heels in a Hong Kong jail. The trail of the killer he's tracking has led him to Midway, Guam and Hong Kong, and his particularly brilliant adversary has ensured that he will be locked away forever where no one will ever find him.. Joe has made a lot of enemies, not the least of which is his boss back in Honolulu. But he has made some wonderful friends as well. Joe manages to get out of jail but he is grounded for his own safety in Japan for the duration of the war. That is where the romance plays out. At the end of the war Joe goes back to Honolulu to continue his pursuit of a sadistic killer. The book is so well-written, and the suspense so real and intense, that I could not put it down. The characters are all incredible and real as well. It is all set around the bombing of Pearl Harbour and illustrates so clearly how the normal everyday people in Hawaii who had no inkling of what was going to happen, lived through and around this catastrophic event. What a bombshell of a book! I cannot recommend this one highly enough. I was left breathless when I finished it. Five glorious, wonderful shining stars!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Murder
bookshelf_al's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Blood, and Murder
lisacanteven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was definitely unlike anything I have ever read. I ended up really loving it though. Because it is hard crime, the writing is very dry and to the point. I found myself both liking this at times and disliking it at other times. I feel like the author did a lot of research to really give the impression of being in the middle of WWII. I would definitely read more books by this author. As far as make authors go, I feel like he did a good job writing women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sucharita's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
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