A review by poachedeggs
The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty
3.0
I like Moriarty's books very much (well, the Ashbury/Brookfield series at least), but they always fall short of four stars for me for one reason or other.
The third book in the series, The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie, is excellent for the first two-thirds or so. It is told in the voice of an annoyingly smart overachiever, Bindy, whom I actually sympathised with - she is so socially awkward yet well-meaning I couldn't help feeling sorry for her and her misguided attempts to help/praise/affirm others and become friends with them. Moriarty also uses the epistolary style very well, and Bindy's memos, musings and emails hooked me from the very start.
Then, things start going awry when Moriarty introduces a twist to the tale that is more in keeping with the title of the book. I did notice that the first two-thirds had little to do with the title - still, I am not sure I enjoyed the attempt to make the link between the title and the plot in the last third or fourth of the book. It's hard to say more without giving the story away but I think Moriarty excels at the portrayal of quirky characters and doesn't need to put in surprises or outlandish mysteries to enhance the story. I would highly recommend her books to teenage girls.
The third book in the series, The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie, is excellent for the first two-thirds or so. It is told in the voice of an annoyingly smart overachiever, Bindy, whom I actually sympathised with - she is so socially awkward yet well-meaning I couldn't help feeling sorry for her and her misguided attempts to help/praise/affirm others and become friends with them. Moriarty also uses the epistolary style very well, and Bindy's memos, musings and emails hooked me from the very start.
Then, things start going awry when Moriarty introduces a twist to the tale that is more in keeping with the title of the book. I did notice that the first two-thirds had little to do with the title - still, I am not sure I enjoyed the attempt to make the link between the title and the plot in the last third or fourth of the book. It's hard to say more without giving the story away but I think Moriarty excels at the portrayal of quirky characters and doesn't need to put in surprises or outlandish mysteries to enhance the story. I would highly recommend her books to teenage girls.