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strawberrymivvy's reviews
564 reviews
The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Another solid book in the Matthew Venn series. This time a local doctor is found stabbed to death in his daughter's studio in a rural location, and Matthew struggles to find a motive. Before too long another man, this time an artist at the same studio, is killed in the same way - what is the connection?
Matthew's husband is on the fringes of the investigation again but has a smaller part in the novel on this occasion, and we see an increasing role for Ross, the super eager DC who seems to be developing worrying traits in his attitude and behaviour towards his wife.
So many ways this series could go, and so many flawed - ie human! - characters!
Matthew's husband is on the fringes of the investigation again but has a smaller part in the novel on this occasion, and we see an increasing role for Ross, the super eager DC who seems to be developing worrying traits in his attitude and behaviour towards his wife.
So many ways this series could go, and so many flawed - ie human! - characters!
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny and Suicide
The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I didn't enjoy this as much as The Prophet and the Idiot, in part because the events of the book take part further in the past and I didn't know as much about them.
For all that, Allen is a very likeable character, slightly dim-witted - or is he? - who somehow always comes out on top having met the most incredible people along the way.
Having climbed out of his window at the care home where he lives on the day of his birthday party he unwittingly ends up accused of murder, theft and goodness knows what and gradually accrues a following of equally unusual characters along the way.
Their adventures are interspersed with tales from his younger adulthood where of course he helped presidents, dictators and warmongers along the way!
For all that, Allen is a very likeable character, slightly dim-witted - or is he? - who somehow always comes out on top having met the most incredible people along the way.
Having climbed out of his window at the care home where he lives on the day of his birthday party he unwittingly ends up accused of murder, theft and goodness knows what and gradually accrues a following of equally unusual characters along the way.
Their adventures are interspersed with tales from his younger adulthood where of course he helped presidents, dictators and warmongers along the way!
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listened to this as an audio book which I think added to the tension as the cast (not just one narrator) did a great job.
Two women who are "birthday twins" meet by chance in a restaurant on their 45th birthday. Alix seems to have it all, handsome husband, two beautiful kids, a popular podcast and a nice home. Josie is estranged from one daughter, never sees the second despite living in the same house, and has an abusive relationship with her husband. Josie seeks out Alix and seems determined to turn her own life around, but at what cost?
As always the author does a great job in building up the tension, a few surprises thrown in along the way, to keep the pages turning. I did find the ending a little dissatisfying but it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book
Two women who are "birthday twins" meet by chance in a restaurant on their 45th birthday. Alix seems to have it all, handsome husband, two beautiful kids, a popular podcast and a nice home. Josie is estranged from one daughter, never sees the second despite living in the same house, and has an abusive relationship with her husband. Josie seeks out Alix and seems determined to turn her own life around, but at what cost?
As always the author does a great job in building up the tension, a few surprises thrown in along the way, to keep the pages turning. I did find the ending a little dissatisfying but it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book
They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story by Peter James
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As a fan of the Grace novels, I was always going to read Sandy's story when it was written, but I found this disappointing.
Whilst I appreciate that people do have hard lives and addiction problems, this all felt a little too much for me, and her various escapes just in the nick of time stretched the realms of possibility for an average woman.
I'm glad to have learned where she was for the years she was missing, but if this was my first Peter James novel it wouldn't inspire me to pick up any more
Whilst I appreciate that people do have hard lives and addiction problems, this all felt a little too much for me, and her various escapes just in the nick of time stretched the realms of possibility for an average woman.
I'm glad to have learned where she was for the years she was missing, but if this was my first Peter James novel it wouldn't inspire me to pick up any more
Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Three 12 year old girls sneak out from a sleepover to the abandoned rail yard. In the early hours of the morning, one is found seriously hurt with her friends nowhere in sight. Who would want to hurt Cora, and why?
A story about an urban myth, the need to fit in and social pressures, and the danger of talking to people online.
I really enjoyed the first 90% of this book, tense writing with a few red herrings thrown in, no idea if the girls really were truly friends or not. By the end of the book I wanted to throw it out of the window, a very unsatisfying ending that honestly felt like a cop out.
Not my first book by this author, and unlikely to be the last, but this ended up being a disappointment
A story about an urban myth, the need to fit in and social pressures, and the danger of talking to people online.
I really enjoyed the first 90% of this book, tense writing with a few red herrings thrown in, no idea if the girls really were truly friends or not. By the end of the book I wanted to throw it out of the window, a very unsatisfying ending that honestly felt like a cop out.
Not my first book by this author, and unlikely to be the last, but this ended up being a disappointment
The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was not my favourite of this author's books that I've read, but as the first in a new series I think there is potential and will try more.
I enjoy a flawed protagonist, particularly in crime novels, but there was something about Ffion that I just didn't warm to, maybe I just need to get to know her more.
A man is found dead in a lake on a New Year's Day "polar plunge" swim, and with the lake right on the Welsh/English border, 2 police forces become involved. There is the small Welsh village where everybody knows everybody and outsiders are not welcomed, and the exclusive cottage resort across the lake where the outsiders keep themselves to themselves. We learn the supposed hero of the village is not the man everyone thought he was, and there are so many people with a reason to want him dead...
I enjoy a flawed protagonist, particularly in crime novels, but there was something about Ffion that I just didn't warm to, maybe I just need to get to know her more.
A man is found dead in a lake on a New Year's Day "polar plunge" swim, and with the lake right on the Welsh/English border, 2 police forces become involved. There is the small Welsh village where everybody knows everybody and outsiders are not welcomed, and the exclusive cottage resort across the lake where the outsiders keep themselves to themselves. We learn the supposed hero of the village is not the man everyone thought he was, and there are so many people with a reason to want him dead...
The Prophet and The Idiot by Jonas Jonasson
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really enjoyed this whimsical and warm-hearted madcap caper.
Fun characters embark on a cross Europe adventure to try to put right a wrong before the end of the world, all whilst ending up on first name terms with Barack Obama and the Secretary General of the UN and somehow changing the fortunes of a small African country.
A gentle reminder that life has a way of catching up with the people who mistreat others.
I will definitely read this author’s back catalogue
Fun characters embark on a cross Europe adventure to try to put right a wrong before the end of the world, all whilst ending up on first name terms with Barack Obama and the Secretary General of the UN and somehow changing the fortunes of a small African country.
A gentle reminder that life has a way of catching up with the people who mistreat others.
I will definitely read this author’s back catalogue
Gone So Long by Andre Dubus III
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Whilst I did ultimately finish this book, I came close to giving up several times.
It was a slow, heavy read and whilst the premise was somewhat interesting, the changing timelines and switching between first and third person narration, often in the same paragraph was confusing.
Despite the premise of the book, and the feeling that I SHOULD be sympathetic to Susan after her traumatic childhood, it was Daniel who came across in a better light - and maybe that was supposed to be the theme of the book - redemption, justice, forgiveness...
Not an author I would read again
It was a slow, heavy read and whilst the premise was somewhat interesting, the changing timelines and switching between first and third person narration, often in the same paragraph was confusing.
Despite the premise of the book, and the feeling that I SHOULD be sympathetic to Susan after her traumatic childhood, it was Daniel who came across in a better light - and maybe that was supposed to be the theme of the book - redemption, justice, forgiveness...
Not an author I would read again
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Think Twice by Harlan Coben
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have long enjoyed Coben's books, and will continue to do so, and particularly enjoy the dynamic between Myron and Win, but this was not one of the best.
The story felt complicated and confusing, with illogical leaps in reasoning to link a series of deaths to a single serial killer, and those in turn to a former client of Myron's, long dead.
Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind whilst reading, but it felt like there was a lot of back story it would have been useful to remember, and too much going on
The story felt complicated and confusing, with illogical leaps in reasoning to link a series of deaths to a single serial killer, and those in turn to a former client of Myron's, long dead.
Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind whilst reading, but it felt like there was a lot of back story it would have been useful to remember, and too much going on
The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book had so much potential but was too fluffy with overly trite/simplistic dialogue so none of the characters really came to life.
We meet Sophie as a teen in Vienna as the Nazis are coming to power. As her parents realise what is to come, they urge Sophie to take her younger sister and get away. Sophie (somewhat simplistically) gets recruited by the British secret service to work for them undercover in the library at Windsor Castle. This novel is essentially a "what might have been, we just don't know..." kind of story, and whilst I'm sure it's true life was (to some extent) simpler then and people more trusting, the narrative just didn't read right to me.
In a dual timeline we have Lacey, an American woman in her 20s coming out of Covid and making a discovery about her grandmother that leads her on a journey to Windsor.
Though I enjoy historical fiction, the clunky dialogue and too much suspension of belief marred this one for me and it just didn't hit the mark
We meet Sophie as a teen in Vienna as the Nazis are coming to power. As her parents realise what is to come, they urge Sophie to take her younger sister and get away. Sophie (somewhat simplistically) gets recruited by the British secret service to work for them undercover in the library at Windsor Castle. This novel is essentially a "what might have been, we just don't know..." kind of story, and whilst I'm sure it's true life was (to some extent) simpler then and people more trusting, the narrative just didn't read right to me.
In a dual timeline we have Lacey, an American woman in her 20s coming out of Covid and making a discovery about her grandmother that leads her on a journey to Windsor.
Though I enjoy historical fiction, the clunky dialogue and too much suspension of belief marred this one for me and it just didn't hit the mark