No Life for a Lady

This was a book that caught my attention straight away. It appeared to promise a strong female protagonist who rebels against what is expected of women in 1896 by pursuing her own dreams and ambitions, along with witty humour and a captivating mystery featuring the disappearance of her mother, Lily. So far, so good. And yet, all was not what seemed to be. 

The pacing was messy; the first half was slow and at points, I did wonder if I would carry on reading. The first half was taken up by Violet’s inner monologues that were repeatedly about her mother, whom she idolised, her own life and of course, not wanting to get married, which got rather tiresome and irritating after a certain point. Needless to say, for the first half, there wasn’t any semblance of a plot. However, this started to change in the second half, whereby the pace started to pick up considerably and strands of a plot emerged. 

The mystery surrounding Lily’s disappearance didn’t feel compelling enough; there was something lacking in the way of interest and intrigue. It perhaps didn’t help that Lily did not evoke any kind of sympathy; in my mind, she was selfish, self centred and certainly not deserving of the pedestal that Violet had put her on.  The more that was unearthed about her character and circumstances of her disappearance, the more interest I lost. 

Despite Violet having a more palatable disposition, I had difficulty connecting with her as well but to a much lesser extent. Violet was definitely persistent and despite being put on the back foot, on many different occasions, due to her naivety of being raised as a ‘proper lady’, she carried on, unperturbed. Yet, Violet rarely displayed intelligence, any awareness of the danger and the much needed fierceness. I was unsure if this was due to how her character had simply been written or a reflection of how women were in 1896. Either way, for me, regardless of the potential, her character fell short. When it came to Frank Knight, her resolve seemed to break and once again, she was swept along with his manipulations and society’s expectations, which at points confused me. At least, towards the end, Violet displayed some much needed character development and shrewdness. 

There were splashes of humour throughout, especially interactions between Violet and Blackthorne. But, these were limited and it would be a stretch to say that this was a witty, humorous book. I appreciated the small amount of ‘quiet’ romance that was weaved within the mystery arc, that slowly built up as more time elapsed. 

The ending was a satisfying one, especially with the climax being action heavy. Everything had been wrapped up properly. 

Overall, I was disappointed with this book; whilst the romance had been well written and there was some character development, the pacing was a little too slow. Violet was an overly naive, unaware protagonist, whose repetitive internal monologues were tiresome. 

Saz 

P.S. Why do horses have low divorce rates? Because they have stable relationships.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

Another chance to solve an intricate, immersive and indulging mystery was a chance I was hardly willing to give up. Wrapping up in a cosy blanket and grabbing myself a hot chocolate, I sat down and began to solve the mysterious case of the Alperton Angels. 

Once again, the clues left my mind spinning, as I tried to piece together the puzzle of the Alperton Angels. Attention to detail was crucial and it definitely did not hurt to have a notepad nearby to help keep track of who was who and what they had disclosed as part of the investigation. 

The various forms of communications such as transcripts, emails, text messages and book extracts just made this mystery more enjoyable to solve. Different theories kept spinning in my mind, often reworking themselves as more pieces of the puzzles were unearthed. Enough clues had been given to work out what had happened before the ending was fully revealed. Without a doubt, this was a book that had been so cleverly plotted and executed. 

The plot did waver in some places and took some tangents along the way. More often than not, patience was required whilst reading these bits. Most of the plot had been tied up, yet there were still a couple of minor points that had not been fully addressed or answered. 

It was surprising, that despite the type of story and format, it was easy to get a sense of Amanda as a protagonist. In parts, she had been fleshed out quite a bit considering the genre of the story. Oliver, was another character, that had been somewhat fleshed out. Within the overall mystery arc, there was also the question of what had happened between Amanda and Oliver; little hints had been dropped throughout the correspondence. 

In a nutshell, this was an enjoyable puzzle to put together and figure out with all the clues presented. It had been cleverly written, with some fleshing out of the main protagonist. The plot did lag a little at some points and some points were left unaddressed. However, this was a delightful read. 

Happy Solving,

Saz

P.S. Yesterday I got hit on the head with a jigsaw. I’m going to piece the evidence together until I find who it was 😉

The Twyford Code

After completely devouring ‘The Appeal’, I just knew I had to pick up ‘The Twyford Code’ whenever I got the chance. And so, I settled on the train and started reading, drowning out the background noise. 

This was an extremely cleverly constructed mystery that took the shape of transcribed audio files. Having the story in this format, added to the sense of intrigue and misdirection. I loved how within the audio files, detailed snapshots of the past are given as well as the mystery that is trying to be solved. It was difficult to understand at first how (and if) these were linked or if they were just random musings. But the way everything was tied together was simply amazing. It was clear that the whole book had been so carefully planned, right down to the last word. 

“We all remember things in our own way, she smiles, and we’re all correct…it’s emotional truth that matters”. 

I really enjoyed the red herrings, the different codes and play on words that had been used throughout the plot. This was a twisty, multi-layered mystery that kept me guessing right to the end. At times, I did wonder where the plot was going; sometimes it didn’t make as much sense to me. But all that frustration and confusion was worth it. The ending, the way everything came together was absolutely perfect. I also appreciated how Steve’s adventure started to mirror those adventures depicted in the Edith Twyford books. 

From the narrative, it was easy to get a real in depth sense of Steve and understand him. This was not done for any other character but the reason was soon made clear. Steve himself made for an interesting protagonist to say the least, especially when glimpses of his younger years were spoken about.  

In a nutshell, this was a multi layered puzzle that boggled me right until the end. It required a little patience on my part to understand how all the pieces fitted together but it was so worth it. 

Happy Solving,

Saz

P.S. Yesterday I got hit on the head with a jigsaw. I’m going to piece the evidence together until I find who it was 😉

The Maid

There was somewhat of a mismatch between what I was expecting and what I ended up reading. I had interpreted the synopsis as a cosy crime, whodunit mystery with Molly the Maid as the lead sleuth. Although elements of this were incorporated into the plot, this was altogether a different story. 

Molly was an endearing character and it made a change to read about a protagonist who was clearly neurodiverse; someone who saw the world in black and white rather in nuances and struggled to read social cues and people’s intentions. 

The plot itself was focussed more so on Molly picking up the pieces after the murder. It was brilliant to be able to see the world solely from Molly’s perspective and how she navigated her life with the help from her grandmother. The mystery part of the story was often side lined. A small array of characters had been depicted, but there were not nearly enough suspects. It was relatively easy to guess who was squeaky clean and who was a little dirtier. 

“People are a mystery that can never be solved.” 

For me, there was a lack of layers in the book; it seemed a little too straight forward in some ways. Despite Molly being written fabulously as a protagonist, there was something missing from the book itself. 

One thing I did appreciate were the small heartfelt moments scattered across the writing, especially towards the end as Molly started to develop close bonds with some of the other characters. I loved the description of the hotel and how Molly’s awe and love for it came across so beautifully in the writing. 

The ending was nicely wrapped up and I for one did not see that particular twist coming. But it just wasn’t enough to placate my disappointment. 

Overall, I was disappointed mainly due to he mismatch to what was expected and what was delivered. However, it was brilliant to have a well-written neuro diverse protagonist. 

Saz

P.S. I dropped all the laundry off after washing it by mistake. I saw how it all unfolded 😉

The Satsuma Complex

Everything about ‘The Satsuma Complex’ drew me in; from the title to the graphics on the front cover. The inside jacket had promised me a compelling mystery that starred a cast of unforgettable characters. Never have I felt so cheated and let down. Annoyance at this misinformation rose up inside me, fast and hot whilst reading. This obviously marred the reading experience somewhat.

Gary was an easily forgettable and totally unremarkable protagonist. It wasn’t completely clear whether this had been done on purpose or not. The ‘conversations’ that he would have with squirrels made the story take a rather nonsensical turn and was just downright confusing. There was also something mildly irritating about Gary and his personality which of course did not help either. 

None of the other characters particularly stood out, nor was there any depth (emotional or otherwise) to them. There was some semblance of a back story for Emily, however this seemed pretty pointless and that it had been just added in by a way of increasing the word count. The same could be said about Grace. The whole cast of characters were bland and one dimensional. There was no character development whatsoever. It was impossible to connect with any of them. 

Humour had been attempted to be weaved in to the narrative. For me, this sorely missed the mark; there was an air of it being forced. Some of the descriptions provided were slightly amusing but that was the extent of it. Needless to say this was most disappointing. 

The mystery at first was captivating but soon faded in the background and became more of an add on. The ending was not exactly satisfactory, but had been wrapped up with no plot holes or unanswered questions which was appreciated. 

Basically, this was not what I was expecting. Upon finishing ‘The Satsuma Complex’ I was confused and a little frustrated with the blandness of the characters. Whilst at first the mystery element was engaging, this soon faded to the background. This is not a book I would recommend. 

Saz

P.S. Ladies, if he can’t appreciate your fruit jokes, you need to let that mango 😉

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone

Upon spotting ‘Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone‘ on the bookshelf, my curiosity got the better of me and I just knew that I had to read it. I was expecting a puzzling, twisty read and in all fairness, I was not disappointed. This was super enjoyable and a book I know I’ll come back to just to see again how all the clues fit and revisiting my own assumptions and mistakes at the time. 

I loved the constant breaking of the fourth wall by the protagonist, Ern. The tone was playful which added to the enjoyment of solving the mystery and kept me turning the pages as I found the humour to be rather spot on. Throughout the narrative, there had been quite a few smidges of foreshadowing, some being more direct than others. Clues had been directly hinted at (those that were perhaps less obvious than others) and yet I still tripped up on a few and found myself to be surprised. Misdirection had been so cleverly and carefully plotted; the narration allowed and knew that certain assumptions would be made. When reading this book, constant vigilance is definitely required. This was a very intricate and well plotted mystery. 

Even though Ern said from the beginning that he would be closely following and abiding to Knox’s rules when writing a murder mystery, the question of whether or not he was a reliable narrator and play fair kept popping up in my mind. I did have my doubts but I’ll leave it to you to figure out whether or not they were warranted. 

“Family is not whose blood runs in your veins, it’s who you’d spill it for”

The mix of characters were interesting as were their different back stories. I found those that had married in to the family to particularly interesting especially seeing how and if they fitted in as well as Ern’s perspective on them. It was easy to feel relatively mutual towards all of them. There was no one that stirred up any strong feelings. 

It should quickly be noted that the clues and foreshadowing given throughout the narrative may not work for kindle readers, which is a slight flaw of the book from a publishing aspect. 

Overall, this was a brilliant and enjoyable read that was full of twists and turns. There had been so much attention to detail that left an intricate mystery to be solved.

Saz

P.S. I asked my new date to meet me at the gym but he never showed up. I guess we aren’t going to work out 🙂

A Corruption Of Blood

To be back in 1850s Edinburgh traversing the streets with Raven and Sarah was incredible to say the least. It felt nostalgic to be back solving another murder.

As with its predecessors, the writing was downright brilliant; simple yet descriptive. A real sense of Edinburgh’s dark side was felt throughout the pages. The blend of history and fiction was perfect. It was evident that a lot of research had been done before putting pen to paper.

The story explored in depth the struggles of women, especially those from the lower classes. It was insightful to get a glimpse in to the harsh realities that women were faced with, and in a way still face in today. It was shocking to read the ghastly realities of women.

There was just something about the vibrancy of the different characters depicted, especially Simpson, Raven and Sarah. Simpson’s energy bounced off the pages. Sometimes, I wished that he had featured more. Raven and Sarah’s bond was heart – warming to witness through the support and friendship they provided for each other. There was an undertone of chemistry between them that felt so natural, which involved complicated and confusing emotions for each other.

One prominent aspect of this series that I’ve always admired is how both Sarah and Raven contributed to the investigation. It was refreshing to see how both their skills sets complimented each

other, were fully utilised and acknowledged throughout the story; as opposed to focussing on just one of the characters.

It was a slow start and took a while for the plot to come together. However, this can be easily overlooked. Once the foundations had been laid, the plot was immersive, addictive and full of surprising twists. This book was one that was easily finished in one sitting.

The way the two seemingly separate investigations connected was brilliant and immensely satisfying. The attention to detail was flawless.

In a nutshell, this was an incredible read. It was one of those that I felt compelled to finish to find out what happened, but at the same time didn’t want to end.

Happy Reading,

Saz

P.S. Two blood cells fell in love. But alas, it was all in vein 🙂

The Appeal

I can honestly say that I have read no other book like ‘The Appeal’. Presented as an array of documents, it was an invitation to the reader to solve a murder featuring fifteen potential suspects in a community where all is not what seems. How could anyone have possibly resisted?

At first, it was overwhelming keeping track of all the characters and their relationships with one another whilst simultaneously piecing together the mystery. The good aspect about this was that the pool of potential murder suspects was that much bigger, making the mystery a tad more intricate and complex.

Being challenged as a reader to put together the pieces of a jigsaw in the form of correspondence between the different characters was an incredible experience; having to sift through the newspaper clippings, emails, transcripts and text messages to keep in mind the relevant clues and disregard the surplus ones. This was definitely a captivating read that soon had me spinning all sorts of possibilities, theories and connections.

One aspect that was particularly intriguing was how there had been no direct correspondence from the victim or their partner. This left a lot to be read between the lines to infer what was going on. All the necessary clues to solve the murder had been hidden amongst the documents presented. All that was left, was to fill in the remaining blanks to complete the picture.

The pacing at first was slow and would occasionally continue to dip as the story progressed. The conclusion could have been portrayed in a more concise way. Yet, it was a satisfying end that made complete sense and left no room for further speculation.

I really enjoyed trying to solve this complicated murder mystery in such an ingenious way. It took a while for my little grey cells to unravel the hidden clues and continue on the right path after being faced with a handful of clever mis-directions and confusing clues.

In a nutshell, this was beyond amazing and a definite recommendation for anyone that enjoys solving mysteries. Even after knowing all the answers, I went back to the story to see how beautifully each piece fit the puzzle.

Happy Solving,

Saz

People of Abandoned Character

I can’t quite remember how I came across this particular book, but I do remember the synopsis did intrigue me.  There was something about a historical murder mystery featuring Jack the Ripper that drew me in. Not knowing what to expect, I picked up a copy and began to read.

It was a slow read to start off with. The pace was slow but the narrative was well written. However, it took some time getting used to the constant shift between past and present. At first, this felt disjointed but after a while, it was barely noticeable. The story plodded along at a decidedly steadily slow pace for the most part.  However, towards the middle, the tension began to rise and the pace quickened considerably. Disappointingly, this was not sustained and again, just before the closing pages, the pace dropped again to that steady plod. At times, the direction of the plot was unfathomable and started to verge on the point of ridiculous.

The mystery element threaded itself nicely throughout the narrative. As the story lapsed from time to time, attention would be brought back to the intrigue that was the figure of Jack the Ripper. The question that remained woven into the background was whether there was a link between Thomas and Jack the Ripper. This was what kept me reading, hungry for answers.

The book was definitely interesting in that it explored an alternative perspective on the Jack the Ripper murders, and how they had taken place. The ending was a perfect reflection on history, as Jack the Ripper’s identity was left open to interpretation. It was also fascinating to get in to a glimpse into the lives of the destitute women that ended up as victims and their perspectives on their lives.

None of the characters were particularly likeable in the least. Although, it was somewhat easy to sympathise with Susannah to an extent. It was more than understandable to see why Susannah felt she was trapped in a loveless marriage as well as within her own household. Her clashes with Mrs Wiggs further threatened her position in the house. For all her faults, Susannah was clever and was able to apply her knowledge to think on her feet when the situation needed it.

Throughout the book, there was a subtle commentary on gender inequality stitched into the pages that formed part of the Victorian era. There was a palatable fear that Susannah’s cries for help would fall on deaf ears simply because she was a woman. Escaping her husband seemed impossible, as in this time she would just be ‘returned’ to him.

Overall, this was an interesting historical read that took a different interpretation on Jack the Ripper murders. The element of intrigue had been woven throughout and the subtle commentary on gender inequality was fascinating to read about.

Happy Reading,

Saz

The Betrayals

I had been drawn to ‘The Betrayals’ by its beautiful cover and intriguing synopsis. A small part of me that was doubtful as to whether I would even like this book, given my musings about ‘The Binding’. Despite that small niggling feeling, I found a comfy spot in the garden, grabbed some fresh fruit (mainly strawberries, pineapple and peaches) and buried my head into that familiar fragrance of pages. However, after a while, I found my focus drifting and soon enough I was becoming restless. Something about the book wasn’t quite clicking for me. After hours of what felt like tortuous forced reading, I made the sad decision to leave this book on my ‘did not finish’ pile.

Being narrated from four different perspectives, I felt that this had the potential to be interesting, with some real character development.  I never did find out whether this had been achieved. There certainly had not been any by the time I had ditched. But then again, it was early days. Three of the four given perspectives were verging on the edge of being dull and boring (or as Puffs would say in such an eloquent (so he thinks so) way, ‘lacklustre’). From the little that I had read, none of the characters particularly stood out. The pacing of the book was far too slow. What was supposed to be a tantalising mystery ended up being a source of frustration and impatience.

My frustration at the slowness of the pace was dampened down by the overwhelming confusion of what the book was actually about.  If anybody was to ask, I would be hard pressed to give an adequate answer; one that did not involve lots of pauses and sentences that trailed. Given that the grand jeu played a pivotal role in the story, it surprised me to no end to find that no explanation or proper description had been provided. Rather, I was just supposed to know or figure it out as the book carried on. Before my confusion led to a spontaneous nose bleed, I tried to look up what the grand jeu meant, but ultimately failed to grasp even the basics.

There was no sense of plot direction or even what time period it was set in. The writing itself appeared to be heavy handed, with the chapters being dense and filled with unnecessary descriptions. All throughout my time reading, questions of when would the pace pick up and where exactly is this story going filled my mind, making it more or less difficult to fully concentrate.

“Sometimes I wonder whether any of us tells the truth about anything.” 

I was actually curious about the twists that had been mentioned and whilst I had been reading it, had my own suspicions. Those were quickly put aside as I realised  they may have been a little too far fetched. Turns out my suspicions were pretty much spot on. So really, even the element of mystery (the only part that had really caught my attention) of it wasn’t nearly as mysterious as the book would have liked.

Overall, I was glad to leave this book when I did and did not regret the decision in the least. After all, thanks to San, I am well aware of the concept of opportunity cost and have learnt some lessons on a handful of our read alongs.

Ciao,

Saz

P.S. I recently decided to sell my vacuum cleaner — all it was doing was gathering dust 🙂