musicalmuppet's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lizabethstucker's review
2.0
If you can get this book for free, it might be worthwhile, but don't pay for it. This is the printed version of a Twitter mystery called "Death in a Bookstore", a small case that occurs just before In Too Deep. Fallon Jones is asked by the new bookstore owner, Fitch, to investigate what happened in his store before he bought it. Once the former owner is discovered in the basement, Fallon begins pulling together the threads of the mystery, stumbling across another possible conspiracy.
The rest of the book, a mere 41 digital pages, is one big advertisement containing previews of upcoming books. Basically, look at this as a sampler with a bonus short story.
Twitter really didn't serve Krentz well, constraining her talent for description and emotion. I had read some of the tweets as they were originally posted, but found it difficult to get into the mystery, even though I know the characters involved. 3 out of 5.
The rest of the book, a mere 41 digital pages, is one big advertisement containing previews of upcoming books. Basically, look at this as a sampler with a bonus short story.
Twitter really didn't serve Krentz well, constraining her talent for description and emotion. I had read some of the tweets as they were originally posted, but found it difficult to get into the mystery, even though I know the characters involved. 3 out of 5.
rainnbooks's review
4.0
Arcane Society #9.5, The Scargill Cove Case Files is a short novella of 49 pages that introduces the character of Fallon Jones. This is like a sneak peak story that doesn’t offer much but just a glimpse of the psychic ability of the protagonist.
The arcane society series is not new for me, I have read a couple and liked them for its mix of romance and paranormal elements. In Too Deep is the book that follows this short story and has Fallon Jones’s adventure with the vortex, I guess. Haven’t read that actually.
The writing in this novella is quite unique, it reads mostly like case notes or diary entries, like ‘have to buy coffee, called x, asked y, etc.’ which did make me laugh but created a lack of solidity in the story. Of course, the lack of depth can definitely be understood but as a preview of the following one in the series, this was just perfect!
The arcane society series is not new for me, I have read a couple and liked them for its mix of romance and paranormal elements. In Too Deep is the book that follows this short story and has Fallon Jones’s adventure with the vortex, I guess. Haven’t read that actually.
The writing in this novella is quite unique, it reads mostly like case notes or diary entries, like ‘have to buy coffee, called x, asked y, etc.’ which did make me laugh but created a lack of solidity in the story. Of course, the lack of depth can definitely be understood but as a preview of the following one in the series, this was just perfect!
sexysciuridae's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
betsychadwell's review
2.0
Hardly worth reading. Very short. No character development. Might just be an outline of a potential plot. I would hope that the case files of an actual investigator would include more detail. [3/22/2012]
stellar_raven's review
3.0
Actual rating should probably be about two stars, but I'm giving it an extra since it was a freebie.
This story apparently started out as a series of tweets by the character Fallon Jones, and that's exactly what it reads like: a series of tweets.
I can imagine that reading them on twitter would have been a lot more entertaining that reading them all conglomerated in one short story. The end result was a bit too choppy. But, as I love the world and the characters in Ms. Krentz's Arcane Society novels, any little extra bit of story (especially when it concerns Fallon) is a good thing.
It is, however, extremely short, with the bulk of the text being taken up by previews of [b:In Too Deep|8331368|In Too Deep (Looking Glass Trilogy, #1; Arcane Society, #10)|Jayne Ann Krentz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328010767s/8331368.jpg|13181406], which is (finally) Fallon's story as well as [b:Copper Beach|10889249|Copper Beach (Dark Legacy, #1)|Jayne Ann Krentz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1303676485s/10889249.jpg|15689944], the first book in Krentz's new Dark Legacy series...which I definitely now want to read.
I definitely would not recommend that those new to the Arcane world to start here, but for long time readers/fans of the series, this is a nice bonus...if the tweet style format doesn't bother you too much, that it.
This story apparently started out as a series of tweets by the character Fallon Jones, and that's exactly what it reads like: a series of tweets.
I can imagine that reading them on twitter would have been a lot more entertaining that reading them all conglomerated in one short story. The end result was a bit too choppy. But, as I love the world and the characters in Ms. Krentz's Arcane Society novels, any little extra bit of story (especially when it concerns Fallon) is a good thing.
It is, however, extremely short, with the bulk of the text being taken up by previews of [b:In Too Deep|8331368|In Too Deep (Looking Glass Trilogy, #1; Arcane Society, #10)|Jayne Ann Krentz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328010767s/8331368.jpg|13181406], which is (finally) Fallon's story as well as [b:Copper Beach|10889249|Copper Beach (Dark Legacy, #1)|Jayne Ann Krentz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1303676485s/10889249.jpg|15689944], the first book in Krentz's new Dark Legacy series...which I definitely now want to read.
I definitely would not recommend that those new to the Arcane world to start here, but for long time readers/fans of the series, this is a nice bonus...if the tweet style format doesn't bother you too much, that it.
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