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A review by lee_hillshire
Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert
There's just way too much going on.
After I was a ways into the book, I noticed it said "A Shana Merchant novel" on the cover, which explained an issue I was having with the novel, so I looked up which order in the series this book fell in. Turns out this is book one. So that actually didn't explain any of the stuff I was having issues with.
There's basically two main plots to this book, but those main plots all have their own little subplots and diversions, and it turns it into a soap opera. It reminds me a lot of the TV show Castle, and I really hate the writing of Castle. Plus this book didn't even have Ryan and Esposito to ease the bored frustration from time to time.
The murder on the island plotline was generally strong. The characters were dull and frustrating, but the setting (and to an extent even the characters) were highly reminiscent of Agatha Christie, especially And Then There Were None, which is a high compliment for a mystery novel from me.
But overall the book just gets overwhelmed and bogged down by trying to be melodramatic and twisty without establishing any characters (like. Any at all) that I cared about whatsoever. Which left the book falling flat and becoming entirely boring, despite the atmospheric setting that made me want to enjoy it.
After I was a ways into the book, I noticed it said "A Shana Merchant novel" on the cover, which explained an issue I was having with the novel, so I looked up which order in the series this book fell in. Turns out this is book one. So that actually didn't explain any of the stuff I was having issues with.
There's basically two main plots to this book, but those main plots all have their own little subplots and diversions, and it turns it into a soap opera. It reminds me a lot of the TV show Castle, and I really hate the writing of Castle. Plus this book didn't even have Ryan and Esposito to ease the bored frustration from time to time.
The murder on the island plotline was generally strong. The characters were dull and frustrating, but the setting (and to an extent even the characters) were highly reminiscent of Agatha Christie, especially And Then There Were None, which is a high compliment for a mystery novel from me.
But overall the book just gets overwhelmed and bogged down by trying to be melodramatic and twisty without establishing any characters (like. Any at all) that I cared about whatsoever. Which left the book falling flat and becoming entirely boring, despite the atmospheric setting that made me want to enjoy it.