Reviews tagging 'Murder'

El relicario by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

5 reviews

robinwritesallthethings's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What It’s About: Picking up several years after the first book left off, this story sheds light on Greg’s mysterious activities at the end of that novel and finds Pendergast and his previous allies attempting to prevent the return of Mbwun to New York City.

Plot: The first book was so exciting that it was hard to imagine a direct sequel that measured up, but this totally did. The scope is expanded so the stakes are higher, and there are more enemies and problems to solve, but none of it feels forced. And, of course, all our favorite characters return to be put in peril.

Style: Once again, the science is blended beautifully with the action, and explained in such a way that it’s easy to follow.

Trigger Warnings: Several main characters are in law enforcement, and there are depictions of the homeless, including drug addicts. The murders are quite gruesome as well.

Final Thoughts: I love this series more after reading the second entry. If I didn’t have a pile of ARCs waiting to be reviewed, I would be borrowing the third book and reading it immediately!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, and Murder

andmingmingtoo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I felt like this book was a worthy sequel to Relic! It may have been a little harder to suspend disbelief in this one, but the aesthetics were tense in a good way. I do think that the concept of a vast underground tunnel network with its own communities is interesting, as well as gilded age-opulence falling into disrepair (and you can tell the authors had respect for the subjects they were inspired by). I also give kudos to the authors for

turning something that seemed like a plot hole in the first book into a clue/reveal

and for

creating a evolutionary biologist/anthropologist mad scientist

. This series is holding up as a good re-entry into reading for me, and I look forward to reading the next installment!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Genocide, Mental illness, and Misogyny

This book has a lot of murder and violence! It is a murder mystery, so people do die, but the deaths are often described in a visceral way that could be unsettling. I'm pretty squeamish, and it only bothered me a little bit though! Just be careful and safe :) Additionally, there's a big scene towards the end of a large riot, where there's a lot of fighting, insults toward homeless people, and general violence, as well as some things that could be triggering in a police brutality way like the use of tear gas.

dogearedbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Police brutality, and Murder

sarah_ann_roth's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cursing, Gun violence, Mental illness, Excrement, and Cannibalism

Minor: Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

kalmed22's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

2nd book in this series.  Not as strong of a story as the first book, however, familiar characters are back and the underground homeless was an interesting premise for me.  Will see where Pendergast ends up next.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Murder