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crusoe's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Strangely enough, despite this being marketed as a murder mystery, the murder only serves as a driver for Rowland to investigate the new guardsmen. But, the focus of the story is much more on the colourful cast of characters and how their political alignment mirrors the wider political developments which is far more interesting.
I loved the dynamic and banter of Rowly's ragtag group of friends (Edna, Milton and Clyde) which genuinely had me laughing. Same for his relationship with his brother. I would read this story for the fascinating setting and the delightful characters, not the mystery.
Also, the original title 'a few right-thinking men' is much better than 'a house divided'.
I loved the dynamic and banter of Rowly's ragtag group of friends (Edna, Milton and Clyde) which genuinely had me laughing. Same for his relationship with his brother. I would read this story for the fascinating setting and the delightful characters, not the mystery.
Also, the original title 'a few right-thinking men' is much better than 'a house divided'.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
pedanther's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I had hopes for this one: an interbellum mystery set in Australia for a change? Sounds good, sign me up! Well, the mystery isn't very mysterious: the protagonists just poke around not making any progress until they find the truth, and it's a truth that an experienced reader of mysteries can easily guess as soon as the murder happens. And I'm not sure I learned anything about the historical period that I didn't already know; it's a fairly shallow depiction, and parts of it have obviously been bent to fit the plot.
For a story with so much incident, I found this surprisingly uninvolving. This is a first novel, I gather, and I don't think the author had got the hang of sustaining and building a plot over novel length. Any time a complication arises for the protagonists, it's quickly dealt with, which results in a lack of suspense. The protagonists themselves are theoretically interesting, but never really came alive to me - to use an appropriate metaphor, the outlines are sketched in but they lack the telling details that would make the portrait really stand out.
Still, I'm thinking of trying the sequel to see if the author gets better with practice, so I guess she did something right.
For a story with so much incident, I found this surprisingly uninvolving. This is a first novel, I gather, and I don't think the author had got the hang of sustaining and building a plot over novel length. Any time a complication arises for the protagonists, it's quickly dealt with, which results in a lack of suspense. The protagonists themselves are theoretically interesting, but never really came alive to me - to use an appropriate metaphor, the outlines are sketched in but they lack the telling details that would make the portrait really stand out.
Still, I'm thinking of trying the sequel to see if the author gets better with practice, so I guess she did something right.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Blood, Dementia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, and War
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