A review by tashalostinbooks
Barnabas Tew and The Case Of The Missing Scarab by Columbkill Noonan
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this book to read and review.
Barnabas Tew is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. He wants to be just like him so he becomes a detective, and even gets himself a "Watson," or rather Wilfred. Unfortunately, Barnabas and Wilfred are just not cut out for the detective business; they rarely solve any mysteries, and sometimes their clients even end up dead!
They do have some past successes though, and word of mouth is getting around. Anubis, the Egyptian god of death, has heard of them, and needs their help.
The writing is witty, charming, and irreverent. The protagonists are hapless and absurd. This made the book amusing and cutesy. At first I loved it, but then the style started to stale. I would then go back to chuckling and rolling my eyes, but then I would get bored again. I loved the story taking place in the Egyptian afterlife, and being introduced to a few gods that I wasn't familiar with, but I often found myself disinclined to pick the book back up. I think the novel has a bit of a pacing problem, but my reading habits come and go in waves. I may have been in a slump, or I may not have been in the mood for this book. Because overall I enjoyed it. In fact I noticed a sequel is coming out soon. I am definitely going to buy it. Columbkill Noonan can write!
Barnabas Tew is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. He wants to be just like him so he becomes a detective, and even gets himself a "Watson," or rather Wilfred. Unfortunately, Barnabas and Wilfred are just not cut out for the detective business; they rarely solve any mysteries, and sometimes their clients even end up dead!
They do have some past successes though, and word of mouth is getting around. Anubis, the Egyptian god of death, has heard of them, and needs their help.
The writing is witty, charming, and irreverent. The protagonists are hapless and absurd. This made the book amusing and cutesy. At first I loved it, but then the style started to stale. I would then go back to chuckling and rolling my eyes, but then I would get bored again. I loved the story taking place in the Egyptian afterlife, and being introduced to a few gods that I wasn't familiar with, but I often found myself disinclined to pick the book back up. I think the novel has a bit of a pacing problem, but my reading habits come and go in waves. I may have been in a slump, or I may not have been in the mood for this book. Because overall I enjoyed it. In fact I noticed a sequel is coming out soon. I am definitely going to buy it. Columbkill Noonan can write!