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allyexa's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
There’s nothing I love more than a grand remote setting in a murder mystery, with a huge storm trapping everyone together until they figure it out. The setting of this book did not disappoint: a once-in-a-century ice storm, a Swiss castle by the frozen lake, no power, everyone wearing priceless furs and roasting food in fireplaces to keep warm.
But the mystery was just kind of blah for me. As an outline, there was plenty to work with: hidden pasts and social climbing, fearsome debts and WWII side stories that tied in, hidden passages and falling trees uprooting old graves. So I think it was just that the characters were so bland to me, especially the main detective. Considering all that was going on around them, and what everyone was dealing with in their own lives, everyone was kind of flat and indistinguishable. (When the murderer was revealed, I was like, “wait, who’s that?”) And the writing was fond of summing things up constantly. A lot of telling and not showing.
Still, the setting was remarkable, and the plot moved along. I’m not invested in any of the characters though, so probably won’t continue with the series.
4/22/24
But the mystery was just kind of blah for me. As an outline, there was plenty to work with: hidden pasts and social climbing, fearsome debts and WWII side stories that tied in, hidden passages and falling trees uprooting old graves. So I think it was just that the characters were so bland to me, especially the main detective. Considering all that was going on around them, and what everyone was dealing with in their own lives, everyone was kind of flat and indistinguishable. (When the murderer was revealed, I was like, “wait, who’s that?”) And the writing was fond of summing things up constantly. A lot of telling and not showing.
Still, the setting was remarkable, and the plot moved along. I’m not invested in any of the characters though, so probably won’t continue with the series.
4/22/24
eabrevaya's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
crystalisreading's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Antisemitism, and Pregnancy
delton215's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
satsukiq's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Car accident, Abandonment, and Alcohol
howjessicareads's review
4.0
Reminded me a bit of a couple of Mary Stewart's books... mixing the gothic formula with a modern police procedural. Lots of fun! Full review to come for Shelf Awareness.
jmdigiantonio's review
5.0
I thought the novel had a great plot with the locked room-type mystery and a great conclusion. The author slowly revealed bits of the puzzle along the way and made the main mystery resolution believable. The main character, Agnes Luthi has her own mystery that also gets a solution and was completely unexpected to me. My favorite part of the story were the characters who drove the story. I enjoyed getting to know each and every one. I look forward to seeing if the Vallottons show up in Ms. de Hahn's next mystery and how their relationship progresses with Agnes. A great new mystery from this author!
laurelwilder's review
3.0
This didn’t hold my interest as much as I expected, but it was good and an enjoyable mystery. Looking forward to reading more in this series.