Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Bat

I had high hopes during the beginning of this book but it felt like it lost its way a little over halfway through. It picked up again at the very end of the book but overall it was just very average with some pacing issues.
I also think there was just too many characters we are introduced to early on and expected to remember who exactly they are later on. It’s not a problem for some but a lot of these characters aren’t remarkable so they’re easy to forget, with some more character development, better names for the Australians and stronger character voices I think I would have got a lot less confused in the last 1/3 of the book.
There were also a couple plot points that as an Australian thought felt very unlikely but I’m willing to overlook it since the author isn’t Australian. Although this book isn’t going to deter me from reading any more of the Harry Hole books, it definitely isn’t putting me in a rush to read them.

Also I was really pleasantly surprised that this author really tried to show some of the issues Aboriginal Australian’s face, but that self awareness goes down the hole in when 3 out of the 4 potential suspects are all Aboriginal men. I just don’t think he needed or should have gone down that route for the story and felt a bit like a slap in the face. Especially since the only other Aboriginal man who wasn’t a suspect was a homeless alcoholic, it just felt to feed into a lot of stereotypes instead of subverting them and making it really critical of racism in an Australian context.

Content Warnings

natreviews's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This is the first time reading a crime novel like this. I imagined a crime novel to read like this, and it does.

When I watched the 2017 film The Snowman, I didn't know it was based on a book. As soon as I found out it was (and that it was #7) I knew I had to start the series.

Now, would I read more of the Harry Hole series? Yes, but I'm not itching to read it. When I do another book order, I will make sure to grab the next one.

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