carolined314's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Murder, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
claire60's review against another edition
4.0
When you've accidentally read grim books in January and need a lift, Ellen Hart is always reliable. Following her group of lovely, yet interesting characters getting drawn into solving a murder and the communities she weaves where there are always LGBT people, aside from the main two of Jane and Cordelia. Cordelia's Niece Hattie is getting cuter each book, too. Lovely gentle read.
jbojkov's review against another edition
4.0
I hardly ever do this, but I read the latest book in a series first- Mostly because I can’t get the first book without buying it and I have so many books I have read laying around at home, I just couldn’t bring myself to order it. But also because I kept walking past it at the library where I work and finally could not resist the cover. (It’s fairly pedestrian in subject matter, but for some reason, I really liked it.). I’m glad I read it. Found a new favorite series and there are plenty to read. So guess I will be ordering the first book after all...
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
annarella's review against another edition
3.0
I think this is a well written mystery but I couldn't connect to the characters and it fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
annarella's review
3.0
I think this is a well written mystery but I couldn't connect to the characters and it fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
sarah_'s review
4.0
One of my favorite Jane Lawless mysteries so far! These books are total comfort reads for me, and this one was everything I was looking for from this semi-cozy Minnesota mystery series. Jane is investigating a case her father worked on several years ago, trying to find evidence that Rashad, jailed for his husband's murder, is innocent, as well as who the real killer is. With a great cast of shady suspects, as well as the ever-amusing Cordelia, Cordelia's eccentric niece Hattie, and Jane's brother Peter, this book is a really fun read. Jane's relationship with Julia is pretty meh to me, but Julia is absent for most of the book, which I appreciated. Would really like for her to get a new love interest, but I will continue following this series in any case!
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
jamesflint's review
2.0
On my blog.
Rep: lesbian mc
Galley provided by publisher
If there is one thing I dislike a lot in mystery novels, it’s getting a POV other than the detective’s, namely one that is either the bad guy’s or another suspect’s. Unfortunately, that’s just what this book did.
Twisted at the Root is like a cold-case murder mystery, but where the original murder was “solved” and is now being reopened for new evidence. In this case, a lawyer was murdered and his husband was put away for it after a combination of shoddy police work, leaning on a few witnesses, and good old-fashioned racism and homophobia. So, enter Jane Lawless, a private investigator, who agrees to take on the case for her father, who is representing the defendant.
First things first: I mentioned I don’t like getting bad guy/suspects’ POVs in murder mysteries and that’s because it gives me information that the detective doesn’t know. So I’m sat there thinking, this guy’s the dodgy one go question him, or this is what he’s not telling you, and it bores me, honestly. And then it makes the actual perpetrator not at all surprising (not that you want them to be a complete surprise either because then you haven’t threaded in enough clues). In this book, with a combination of the suspects’ POVs, and the fact that this character was really fricking dodgy, you could tell who it was about two thirds through. So, still a good way off from when Jane herself figured it out.
Another thing I wasn’t keen on was the writing style. This is another “it’s just me” one, to be honest, but it felt not that easy to read, really. I was skimming some parts of it fairly early on (particularly the suspects’ chapters), because reading it fully kind of bored me. But, each to their own with that.
I did, however, mostly like the characters. Jane was great, and her and Cordelia had a great partnership. Peter annoyed me (mostly because, as with most cishet men, he seemed to think only with his dick), but I did feel a little sorry for him. I’m not sure I saw enough of any of the other characters to fully form opinions of them, but it was a good enough cast. Even if I hated Julia (listen, when you have a character say hey your girlfriend is horrible and manipulative first up, I’m never going to like her) and even if, in the end, the bad guy seemed a little… two-dimensional.
But, ultimately, what I have to conclude is that this book wasn’t for me. It’s the first in this series that I’ve tried, and I feel like it would have sat a lot better with someone who had been reading the series from the start, and who had that history with the characters (not that you can’t read it as a standalone, but it is the 26th Jane Lawless book). For the right person, a good book. I’m not the right person.
Rep: lesbian mc
Galley provided by publisher
If there is one thing I dislike a lot in mystery novels, it’s getting a POV other than the detective’s, namely one that is either the bad guy’s or another suspect’s. Unfortunately, that’s just what this book did.
Twisted at the Root is like a cold-case murder mystery, but where the original murder was “solved” and is now being reopened for new evidence. In this case, a lawyer was murdered and his husband was put away for it after a combination of shoddy police work, leaning on a few witnesses, and good old-fashioned racism and homophobia. So, enter Jane Lawless, a private investigator, who agrees to take on the case for her father, who is representing the defendant.
First things first: I mentioned I don’t like getting bad guy/suspects’ POVs in murder mysteries and that’s because it gives me information that the detective doesn’t know. So I’m sat there thinking, this guy’s the dodgy one go question him, or this is what he’s not telling you, and it bores me, honestly. And then it makes the actual perpetrator not at all surprising (not that you want them to be a complete surprise either because then you haven’t threaded in enough clues). In this book, with a combination of the suspects’ POVs, and the fact that this character was really fricking dodgy, you could tell who it was about two thirds through. So, still a good way off from when Jane herself figured it out.
Another thing I wasn’t keen on was the writing style. This is another “it’s just me” one, to be honest, but it felt not that easy to read, really. I was skimming some parts of it fairly early on (particularly the suspects’ chapters), because reading it fully kind of bored me. But, each to their own with that.
I did, however, mostly like the characters. Jane was great, and her and Cordelia had a great partnership. Peter annoyed me (mostly because, as with most cishet men, he seemed to think only with his dick), but I did feel a little sorry for him. I’m not sure I saw enough of any of the other characters to fully form opinions of them, but it was a good enough cast. Even if I hated Julia (listen, when you have a character say hey your girlfriend is horrible and manipulative first up, I’m never going to like her) and even if, in the end, the bad guy seemed a little… two-dimensional.
But, ultimately, what I have to conclude is that this book wasn’t for me. It’s the first in this series that I’ve tried, and I feel like it would have sat a lot better with someone who had been reading the series from the start, and who had that history with the characters (not that you can’t read it as a standalone, but it is the 26th Jane Lawless book). For the right person, a good book. I’m not the right person.
danikaellis's review
2.0
I liked the previous book in the series a lot better. The characters in this one didn't grab me, and I was really frustrated that it seemed like every guy in the book was so overwhelmed by Kit's charm that they don't notice the bushels of red flags around her. One guy, sure. But every single guy she encounters?
Full review at the Lesbrary.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
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