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gabiann m.

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clever concept and some well executed scenes but ending was as irritating as the narrator

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 20-01-2025

this isn't a bad book and some parts are really very well executed. the way information is presented, the meta style of referring to structure and page numbers works. I also liked a number of the red herring paragraph structures.
I felt a lot of the characters were a bit underdeveloped but overall the story went along at a good pace.
the story structure was good but the ending made no sense at all which was a real let down.
I also did not care for the narratir of the audio book whose voice was so irriatibg... but to be fair that may have reflected the protagonist character voice.

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great story with fantastic historical detail and an intriguing plot

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 30-12-2024

loved this historical crime novel. mcDermid knows crime but her understanding of period and place is often under rated. this book, set at a time of great civil unrest across the UK, focuses on the Scottish efforts of independence. like all Mcdermid's best books, this one excels because it has a complex but accessible storyline, intriguing characters and engaging setting. not as good as my all time favourite McDermid book Skeleton Road, 1979 is certainly worth a read and a spot in your Val Mcdermid collection.

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keeps you interested throughout

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 30-12-2024

this was well performed and the pace was excellent. short enough to enjoy on a small holiday commute.
tiny bit predictable end but the overall narrative and characters kept you interested.
some issues with structure that it was hard to keep track of some of the events_revelations but overall this did not overly spoil the story

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good historical fantasy but slightly too long

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 24-10-2024

I liked this book and loved the concept. Adding La Roux as a character was interesting and well developed but the story dragged a bit in places and the ending just seemed to go on and on a bit.
overall a good story, nice writing but probably could have done with a stronger edit.

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felt cliched

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 24-10-2024

all the time I was reading this I just felt like it had borrowed every trope from every other horror story I had ever read.
it held no great surprises and while the story was ok, it never felt particularly believable. I didn't really care about any of the characters and it never felt scary.
kept reminding me of the Stephen King short story Snakes, which I thought was much more interesting.

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Not as good as Mcdermid's other books

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-10-2024

I love Val mecdermid as an author and have read many of her other works in other series. this was my first of this series and it just didn't have the realism and gripping storyline that she has achieved in other works.
the basic story of a private detective tracking down a long lost creative song writer for a slightly fading popstar lacked any tension. The characters seemed quite uninteresting and the world of the book seemed dulled and lacking in any sense of vibrant character intrigue. the inevitable murder took too long to occur and wasn't compelling to solve

overall it felt like this was a book written to fulfil a publishing schedule.
val Mcdermid is so much better than this and I am still a huge fan, but I would give any more books in this particular series a miss

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nice well plotted story

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 28-09-2024

good character study of two sisters with different perspectives - a kind of Irish law and order as the police and law world is examined in an excellent short form crime drama.
Dervla McTiernan is a skilful storyteller and her books are always an entertaining read.

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original and darker than expected

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-09-2024

well written original and effective story with some truly creepy elements.
The difficult infuriating and yet totally familiar relationship between the siblings was so well realised and created a strong emotional core to the book.
one of my favourite audio choices of the year.

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Good solid King with a good mix of stories

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 25-08-2024

This book has some great stories and a few that seem like filler, but overall well worth the read.

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Surprisingly enjoyable

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 25-08-2024

This is an enjoyable supernatural mystery. The narration is good and the story is effective and well structured. It took a little while to reach its stride but once it found its tonal range it worked well.
Quite happy to continue to read this series

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