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A review by megsbookishtwins
Spectacle: A Historical Thriller in 19th Century Paris by Jodie Lynn Zdrok
3.0
Disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Every day, sixteen-year-old Nathalie Baudin visits the public morgue in Paris. She writes the daily morgue column for Le Petit Journal. Her job is to summarize the day’s new arrivals. But one day, as she touches the glass case, she has a vision of the newest body. She sees the young woman in her last moments as she is getting murdered. But one thing about the vision chills her to the bone – she sees in from the perspective of the killer. When more and more bodies show up, Nathalie is determined to investigate and her search for answers sets her on a dangerous path, and one that catches the attention of the killer.
Spectacle was an enjoyable read. There were a lot of aspects that I really enjoyed, such as the setting, the murder mystery, the pseudoscience, and the psychic aspect of it. The reason I’m giving this three stars is purely because it felt like a very long book and it wasn’t but the pacing really dragged in the middle and the plot sort of stagnated. But enough of that, I’m going to talk a little bit more in-depth about the stuff I did enjoy.
Spectacle takes place in Paris in 1887 and Zdrok managed to create an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere. It is great because Zdrok shows Paris as a city that is fascinated by death, from the public morgue which the citizens treat as a form of entertainment, to the catacombs that are both frightening and invigorating for the public, and finally, to the serial killer and that the public treat gleefully as a fascinating story. For Nathalie, the threat is very real and very disturbing as she stalks the killer and inevitably catches his attention but even she finds the chase alluring.
Nathalie is a formidable protagonist, as she was inquisitive and determined, but I did also love that she had flaws. She had some really great interactions with those around her, especially her Mother. When the pacing slowed in the middle, Zdrok did rely on her characters, rather than the mystery, to move the story and I personally don’t believe she was all that successful and I would have preferred if she kept the faster pace up, but each to their own as I know some people enjoyed the slower pace. Spectacle also has an interesting psuedo-science and psychic aspect that I enjoyed too!
Overall, Spectacle was a book that I did enjoy that was mainly a hit, but did also miss the mark a little bit too. If you are looking for a slower paced historical murder mystery then Spectacle is one I would recommend you check out.
Every day, sixteen-year-old Nathalie Baudin visits the public morgue in Paris. She writes the daily morgue column for Le Petit Journal. Her job is to summarize the day’s new arrivals. But one day, as she touches the glass case, she has a vision of the newest body. She sees the young woman in her last moments as she is getting murdered. But one thing about the vision chills her to the bone – she sees in from the perspective of the killer. When more and more bodies show up, Nathalie is determined to investigate and her search for answers sets her on a dangerous path, and one that catches the attention of the killer.
Spectacle was an enjoyable read. There were a lot of aspects that I really enjoyed, such as the setting, the murder mystery, the pseudoscience, and the psychic aspect of it. The reason I’m giving this three stars is purely because it felt like a very long book and it wasn’t but the pacing really dragged in the middle and the plot sort of stagnated. But enough of that, I’m going to talk a little bit more in-depth about the stuff I did enjoy.
Spectacle takes place in Paris in 1887 and Zdrok managed to create an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere. It is great because Zdrok shows Paris as a city that is fascinated by death, from the public morgue which the citizens treat as a form of entertainment, to the catacombs that are both frightening and invigorating for the public, and finally, to the serial killer and that the public treat gleefully as a fascinating story. For Nathalie, the threat is very real and very disturbing as she stalks the killer and inevitably catches his attention but even she finds the chase alluring.
Nathalie is a formidable protagonist, as she was inquisitive and determined, but I did also love that she had flaws. She had some really great interactions with those around her, especially her Mother. When the pacing slowed in the middle, Zdrok did rely on her characters, rather than the mystery, to move the story and I personally don’t believe she was all that successful and I would have preferred if she kept the faster pace up, but each to their own as I know some people enjoyed the slower pace. Spectacle also has an interesting psuedo-science and psychic aspect that I enjoyed too!
Overall, Spectacle was a book that I did enjoy that was mainly a hit, but did also miss the mark a little bit too. If you are looking for a slower paced historical murder mystery then Spectacle is one I would recommend you check out.