kartrick's review against another edition
1.0
I felt like it was very shoddily written. I sometimes had a hard time making progress. The story at times was quite unrealistic and Morse certainly didn't make it any better. Not to mention how bad the denouement was.
richardpierce's review against another edition
4.0
I read this first a very long time ago when I was in the habit of going to a second-hand bookshop every Saturday and bought books for a fraction of their list price. This time round, Dexter's peculiar and punctilious prose took some getting used to, but I did get used to it again. It just hasn't dated particularly well, nor have the attitudes from 1979. All that to one side, the bokk is very well plotted, and the end a revelation in more ways than one. I always say to people who have only watched Morse that they should read the books because in them Morse is a much darker character. I remembered correctly. Oh, and he drives a Lancia, not a Jag.
leniverse's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
frost_booksnbeatles's review against another edition
3.0
~3.5
This is the best Morse mystery that I have read so far. It was clever and suspenseful, with so many twists that I was constantly surprised. Dexter’s writing and plotting were better (in my opinion) than they were in the various books in the series which I’ve previously dived into. Now to watch the John Thaw adaptation - which is sure to be fantastic, as always!
This is the best Morse mystery that I have read so far. It was clever and suspenseful, with so many twists that I was constantly surprised. Dexter’s writing and plotting were better (in my opinion) than they were in the various books in the series which I’ve previously dived into. Now to watch the John Thaw adaptation - which is sure to be fantastic, as always!
lottikarotti0304's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
matt4809's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
waddlealot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
whatandreawrote's review against another edition
1.0
Hard pass for me, when in the first few pages there were mentions of a Japanese tourist group and their "sing-song language", and then someone putting on a "n*****-brown skirt". C'mon, man. Is it that hard to not be horribly, abysmally racist?