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Melle

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Ultimately a little unconvincing

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

Reviewed: 14-10-2024

This story starts well enough and goes into a lot of detail but does get a little silly towards the end - too many red herrings, particularly for a case where the police followed no other leads. Also it goes from being very methodical and detailed to being very rushed - it would have benefitted from more explanations at the very end. There are quite a number of things I still don't understand about what happened.

I don't know how accurate the researching for the podcast is, but some major elements are extremely unlikely - especially in how quickly they are enacted.

The narration is good, great to hear the New Zealand accents.

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I'm all in on this series

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

Reviewed: 11-01-2024

Hugely entertaining, narrated to perfection by the author. If you love this style of story, a kind of comedic farce where the mystery is just the backdrop for wonderful exchanges and colourful characters, I can not recommend highly enough.

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Too much going on

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

Reviewed: 11-01-2024

Ultimately there is too much going on in this story, too many characters being introduced, too much unnecessary background story and too many plot threads. A trimmer, tauter story could have been quite gripping. Restricting the story to the two main points of view, Andrea and Hayley, would have worked better.

Other trimming would have been helpful too. There is a lot of detail that becomes a tedious, and doesn't add anything. Also, the characters don't talk or react authentically to me - particularly in the final chapters. The ending is unsatisfying and the epilogue is ABSURD! Most frustrating is feeling that there is a potentially interesting story in here, but it doesn't end up being told.

The story structure works ok, although it does make some parts of the story drag. You certainly need to understand where and when you are in the story.



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Decent domestic thriller

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

Reviewed: 29-05-2023

This is a slow burn, very clever plot setup...a few elements were a little too much for me later in the story but this is a decent thriller. Casting Nicola Walker was a stroke of genius, she elevates the material for sure and Richard of course a highly experienced narrator. If you enjoy domestic thrillers, give this one a go. As a first novel, this is pretty accomplished.

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Exceeded my expectations

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

Reviewed: 29-05-2023

I saw the word "nemesis" is the blurb and was a bit hesitant - I am a bit over the stories were they "hate" each other to begin with - but was very pleasantly surprised. He's only a nemesis in as much as he works for another firm in the same industry. Their actual relationship develops quite naturally and sweetly and it all worked for me. Most important, I really liked Kitty and rather developed a crush on Leo. I am THRILLED that female characters can be competent and act rationally, despite having some emotional trauma to work through. I think this story deals with a few worthwhile and quite complex issues, not just trite manufactured tensions. The very end maybe didn't quite work for me but overall I really enjoyed this and wanted to keep hanging out with these people.

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Loving this series

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

Reviewed: 01-12-2022

Horowitz finds a clever way to make a follow-up to the brilliant first book in this series. I think the concept is so brilliant, I like the characters so much, I am all in on this series.

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Very disappointing, poorly conceived

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

Reviewed: 01-12-2022

I don't like being super negative, and I know everyone has different tastes, but I really really didn't like this book. The blurb made the concept seem so promising and I generally enjoy time travel based stories, but I don't feel like this author has thought through the concept and there are so many holes and absurdities, it just doesn't hold together. The heroine is deeply unlikable and seems to have multiple personalities. She goes from calmly coping with time travel and her life being in peril, to bursting into "sobs".

I persisted, hoping there was a satisfying conclusion. There isn't. And you then learn aspects of her time travel that I found utterly offensive and repugnant. I don't know whether there is any attempt to address these things in the following books but I do know I won't be reading to find out. I'd be curious to know if anyone found something enjoyable or relatable here.

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As good as it gets

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

Reviewed: 01-12-2022

This is where audiobooks take the experience of a book into another stratosphere. Bono reading his own memoir, singing his song lyrics, adds so much it can't even be compared to reading the hard copy. What a privilege.

The book is brilliant. Intimate, candid, beautifully expressed.

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A worthy addition to the Sherlock Holmes collectio

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

Reviewed: 08-11-2022

Reading his other novels, it is obvious Anthony is a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. This book in many ways is a fan letter to the originals, an affectionate homage. He might be a little heavy handed with the Sherlock tropes and ideas but I enjoyed it.

The story itself is quite dark, and remains compelling. Maybe not complex or clever enough to live up to the originals but a worthy attempt.

My main bugbear is the narration. Watson is excellent, but I didn't like the Holmes. Just a personal peeve I suspect. If you like the originals, you will enjoy this one.

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More of these please !

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

Reviewed: 08-11-2022

I LOVED the first Magpie Murders, couldn't wait for this one. Anthony expertly knows how to use the same convention from the first book (ie a novel within a novel) and change it up so it isn't just a repeat. Extremely clever. For me, it's such a bonus to get two mysteries in the one novel.

The separate narrators are vital to the concept and both are excellent.

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