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abi_sarah's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh the drama!
Firstly, I loved all of the short stories, they would have been excellent stand alone mystery novels in their own right! They were expertly written and very clever in their plots.
Secondly, I really really enjoyed the to and fro of the interviewer/ interviewee dynamic between “Julia” and “Grant”. They had a really fascinating relationship as supposed author and publisher, both so analytical of one another’s opinions of the stories. Saying that, Grant’s misremembering or not remembering at all what he had “written” really bugged me. His overall demeanour and his reasons for living alone on a tropical island really struck a nerve with me. So, from quite early on in the book, I was suspicious of his character.
Thirdly, I found the cross-over of the theory behind mystery novel writing and the mathematical formula for a good murder mystery which Grant had come up with, such a fascinating addition to the whole novel. Venn diagrams have always been a favourite of mine, and hearing one being spoken about in such an unusual circumstance really drew me in.
Penultimately, I loved Julia’s alternative endings to each murder mystery that she presented to Grant at the end of their interview. She had really analysed each of the stories and wrote completely convincing - sometimes much preferable - alternative endings. I got the sense throughout the book, that the stories troubled her in some way and made her uncomfortable, so she felt the need to change them. In my opinion, she changed a fair few of them, for the better. I realised that she was also doing this to “test” Grant and see what his reaction would be to her having changed his stories. When his reaction was reactively relaxed, we (the reader) and Julia, knew there was something more to this situation.
Finally, the final twist(s) was genuinely a jaw-dropping moment for me. The reveal of Julia’s true identity and her link to Grant was very well done - I thoroughly enjoyed listening to that part. Also, the reveal of Grant’s true identity and therefore the true identity of the man who Julia had been interviewing this whole time, was excellent, I was hooked and was listening with eyes wide, perched on the edge of my seat. There was one thing that bothered me about “Grant” though - why, if he had liked another author’s work so much, had he not put more time and effort into revising the text before his interview with Julia? It made me feel like he almost wanted to be found out and didn’t care if he didn’t come across as the genuine author of ‘The White Murders’. But maybe this was just another one of his inconsistencies, played out in real life.
I couldn’t believe that there was yet another surprise reveal when the origins of ‘The White Murders’ was explained! The writing was just so incredible in this book and I am so glad I listened to it as an audiobook and I’m not sure the surprises would have hit as hard if I had been reading it in my own head. (Emilia Fox was absolutely the best person to have performed the reading of the audiobook, her accents really made it for me!)
Fantastic!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Firstly, I loved all of the short stories, they would have been excellent stand alone mystery novels in their own right! They were expertly written and very clever in their plots.
Secondly, I really really enjoyed the to and fro of the interviewer/ interviewee dynamic between “Julia” and “Grant”. They had a really fascinating relationship as supposed author and publisher, both so analytical of one another’s opinions of the stories. Saying that, Grant’s misremembering or not remembering at all what he had “written” really bugged me. His overall demeanour and his reasons for living alone on a tropical island really struck a nerve with me. So, from quite early on in the book, I was suspicious of his character.
Thirdly, I found the cross-over of the theory behind mystery novel writing and the mathematical formula for a good murder mystery which Grant had come up with, such a fascinating addition to the whole novel. Venn diagrams have always been a favourite of mine, and hearing one being spoken about in such an unusual circumstance really drew me in.
Penultimately, I loved Julia’s alternative endings to each murder mystery that she presented to Grant at the end of their interview. She had really analysed each of the stories and wrote completely convincing - sometimes much preferable - alternative endings. I got the sense throughout the book, that the stories troubled her in some way and made her uncomfortable, so she felt the need to change them. In my opinion, she changed a fair few of them, for the better. I realised that she was also doing this to “test” Grant and see what his reaction would be to her having changed his stories. When his reaction was reactively relaxed, we (the reader) and Julia, knew there was something more to this situation.
Finally, the final twist(s) was genuinely a jaw-dropping moment for me. The reveal of Julia’s true identity and her link to Grant was very well done - I thoroughly enjoyed listening to that part. Also, the reveal of Grant’s true identity and therefore the true identity of the man who Julia had been interviewing this whole time, was excellent, I was hooked and was listening with eyes wide, perched on the edge of my seat. There was one thing that bothered me about “Grant” though - why, if he had liked another author’s work so much, had he not put more time and effort into revising the text before his interview with Julia? It made me feel like he almost wanted to be found out and didn’t care if he didn’t come across as the genuine author of ‘The White Murders’. But maybe this was just another one of his inconsistencies, played out in real life.
I couldn’t believe that there was yet another surprise reveal when the origins of ‘The White Murders’ was explained! The writing was just so incredible in this book and I am so glad I listened to it as an audiobook and I’m not sure the surprises would have hit as hard if I had been reading it in my own head. (Emilia Fox was absolutely the best person to have performed the reading of the audiobook, her accents really made it for me!)
Fantastic!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury
aritrigupta's review against another edition
3.0
This truly is one of those dreaded three star books. It had everything, and yet I was left unsatisfied at the end.
Let me congratulate the efforts put into writing this book - a primary plot, and seven other stories, - the promise of this was great, yet the characters of the primary plot felt weaker than those in the auxiliary ones. I did not get enough time with any of the characters, and the neat ending did not sit well with me. Parts of the book felt rushed, and Julia Hart, felt unbelievable.
This book could've been so much more, yet it fell short on many fronts.
Let me congratulate the efforts put into writing this book - a primary plot, and seven other stories,
Spoiler
with alternate endingsSpoiler
a romance novel author, penning down thriller stories at the speed of light,This book could've been so much more, yet it fell short on many fronts.
ecdereus's review against another edition
3.0
Gedurende het merendeel van dit boek lijkt het erop dat Julia Hart in opdracht van een kleine uitgeverij de zeven detectiveverhalen uit de dertig jaar eerder in eigen beheer uitgegeven bundel 'The White Murders' van auteur Grant McAllister samen met hem doorneemt t.b.v. een heruitgave. Telkens wordt een detectiveverhaal door haar aan Grant voorgelezen en vervolgens becommentarieerd, waarbij Grant uitlegt hoe het verhaal voldoet aan de door hem gedefinieerde wiskundige structurele hoofdvariaties, terwijl Julia wijst op een aantal door haar in het verhaal ontdekte tegenstrijdigheden waarvan ze zich afvraagt of die bewust of onbewust in het verhaal zijn verwerkt. Op deze manier worden alle zeven detectiveverhalen uit de bundel afgewerkt, maar wordt nauwelijks ingegaan op de personages Julia en Grant, waardoor je er als lezer weinig bij wordt betrokken.
Pas tegen het einde wordt verrassend duidelijk dat alles toch anders is dan het leek...
3½ ster
Pas tegen het einde wordt verrassend duidelijk dat alles toch anders is dan het leek...
3½ ster
rexs_book_club's review against another edition
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? No
3.5
nick72's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
hcc8's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
deniselk's review against another edition
4.0
Intriguing style. I enjoyed it. The short stories made it nice to break it up.
bibliocamera's review against another edition
5.0
If you are a devotee of murder mysteries this book is a lot of fun. The math serves both a purpose for the structure of the stories within and the big picture. I had immense fun recognizing the tropes of classic detective set-ups. The who-dunit, the motive, alibi, unreliable narrator tropes. It’s very complicated. But, satisfying if you stick with it.