mystery

West Heart Kill

/ Brienna / Leave a comment

I love me a good mystery novel. West Heart Kill, my friends, is not that.

West Heart Kill is set at a hunting lodge in the 70s. The bodies start piling up, and our ace detective, Adam, just happens to be there for the holiday celebrations.

I knew from the first few pages that I did not like the writing style of this book. I thought it might grow on me, or prove interesting in other ways. Perhaps there would be some decent characters, or an interesting plot twist. Well, turns out the joke’s on me, the writing style is the plot twist.

The novel is written, in part, in the second person, 4th wall breaking, POV, that on certain TV shows, I love. For a mystery novel, not so much. This alternates with some bits written in the third person following our detective Adam. And then, interspersed within all this, are some reflections on the history and tropes of mystery novels.

The character list is lengthy, and even with a list of who’s who, it’s hard to keep them straight. The novel is too set on its inventive writing style to devote much time to character depth, or arc. The writing style detracts from the overall story. Which may or may not be a good thing, given that the story isn’t very interesting, the characters are all pretty ugly and unlikeable, and in the end, it doesn’t really matter who killed who, I was just glad it was over.

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own.

latest reads

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Here’s another update on some of the books I’ve read lately. This collection is the books that I read while on vacation in Puerto Rico last month.

A Tree Growsin Brooklyn by Betty Smith

A Tree Grows in BrooklynThis book was read by my book club before I joined. It came highly recommended and was an overall good read. It’s very character based and focuses on Francie Nolan as she grows up in Brooklyn. If you are looking for action or a plot-driven fiction, this probably not the book for you.

 

 

Legend by Marie Lu
Day is wanted by the republic, June is the republic’s child prodigy. Legend is the story of how they meet, and an introduction to world they live in. I was hoping for something a little deeper, it didn’t feel as strong as Hunger Games or Divergent, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good.

 

 

Paris Ransom by Charles Rosenberg
A mystery-thriller that wasn’t very good. The writing wasn’t great and the story took a long time to resolve, and wasn’t that interesting. This was shared with me, otherwise this is not something I would have picked on my own to read.

 

 

Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall
I received this for free as part of the Kindle First program, and was excited to read it. This is the story of a teenage girl dealing with weight, body image, and family issues. I wanted to love this book, but I felt that some parts of it were very cliched. Sugar, our main character, knows she’s overweight, isn’t happy with her weight, eats her emotions, etc. The turning point comes when she meets a boy who changes her life.

Why did it have to be a boy? 

 

 

Fur Covered Wisdom: A Dog Can Change the Way You See the World by Gila Kurtz
Also free. Gila is the co-founder (and co-owner) of Dog Is Good, a lifestyle brand that sells clothing and dog accessories. Some time between acquiring this book and actually reading it, I forgot who she was, so it was a pleasant surprise to rediscover that while reading.

This is another book I really wanted to love. However, I feel her analogies between dog behavior and human life are very weak and very contrived to fit the points she wanted to cover about herself and her life.

It was inspiring to read about her reaching and striving to achieve her goals in life, but all in all, not the most interesting or well written book.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches: A Flavia de Luce Novel

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The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley is the 6th book in the Flavia de Luce mystery series.

In general, I find mystery novels hard to review without giving away too much of plot. This is doubly so for Flavia’s 6th murder investigation.

11-year-old Flavia Sabina de Luce is one of my favorite protagonists. She is the youngest of three sisters, and lives in a mansion, where she has taken over the chemistry lab of her dearly departed Uncle Tar. When she is not experimenting with poisons in the lab, she is out sleuthing for clues to the latest murder in Bishop’s Lacey, the quiet English village where the de Luce family resides.

If you haven’t read any of the series, I highly recommend you start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, the first in the series. From here, you will follow Flavia on her journey and come to know the de Luce family, as well as many others from Bishop’s Lacey, and the surrounding towns.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches is one of the best yet. This novel propels Miss Flavia into a new chapter in her life, and illuminates some of the mystery surrounding her mother Harriet’s disappearance.  I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series, to see what future awaits for dear Flavia Sabina de Luce.

Disclaimer:  I received an advance copy of this through NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

book review: Gone Girl

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

My rating: 5 / 5

OMG!!! This book is crazy!  This is one of those books that’s really hard to review without giving anything away.

Basically, seemingly normal guy, Nick, comes home to find seemingly normal wife, Amy, gone.  Missing.  Kidnapped?

And then we learn that they are not normal.

This book is not too overly graphical, considering it could be classified as a murder mystery.  However, the characters are indeed sick, and very, very twisted.  I really enjoyed the whole thing!