scoutee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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? No
3.75
sashastar's review
2.0
Female focused murder mystery about old people's dramas. The final reveal was unsatisfying for how long the book was.
sparetimebibliophile's review
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I wasn’t a huge fan of this. I was excited to dive into a British mystery, but this didn’t hit for me. I thought it was slow and often confusing, and the ending didn’t really make sense to me. The characters were all over the place and it seemed like the plot stood still at multiple points even though new things were being discovered. The ending was very much “oh here’s this random puzzle piece” to tie it all together and I didn’t track it. I also didn’t enjoy the writing style of this. I think this would be a great read for some people, and while I didn’t enjoy it, I know others would!
jog2020's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
zelephante's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
kirkw1972's review against another edition
5.0
I love Elly’s books and this series is just as good as previous ones I’ve read. I need to go back and read the rest now. This one is set in 1965 and so interesting to read of how women police officers were treated. Not even allowed to drive n case it harm their delicate sensibilities. We also have 2 female private detectives, one who has to drag her 2 year old everywhere as the nanny is in hospital.
Between them they are trying to solve the murder of Bert Billington, a man who has many enemies so they have plenty of suspects to choose from. There’s the usual humour running through the book along with the crime solving. I loved the social commentary, the supplementary characters and after a struggling a few weeks to read it’s been great to find a book I didn’t want to put down.
There are some serious points it also covers; the aforementioned way female officers were treated, bullying in the workplace and women’s equality fight in general and they are effortlessly woven through the story. Overall Elly is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and I’m enjoying reading all her books
Between them they are trying to solve the murder of Bert Billington, a man who has many enemies so they have plenty of suspects to choose from. There’s the usual humour running through the book along with the crime solving. I loved the social commentary, the supplementary characters and after a struggling a few weeks to read it’s been great to find a book I didn’t want to put down.
There are some serious points it also covers; the aforementioned way female officers were treated, bullying in the workplace and women’s equality fight in general and they are effortlessly woven through the story. Overall Elly is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and I’m enjoying reading all her books
naluju's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
brittw's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0