Getting back into reading. A fan of mystery, suspense, and thrillers, among others. I always review my reads, and I make sure to always add them fully onto bookwyrm's database. :)
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66% complete! Matt has read 8 of 12 books.
Retired publisher Susan Ryeland is running a small hotel on a Greek island with her long-term boyfriend. It should be …
Think you know wizards? Think again.
Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There …
Picked this book up after randomly seeing it on Bookwyrm, and decided to give it a go.
It's a fun high fantasy story with plenty of sarcastic wit and humour from our narrator, and has plenty of world building and lore to explain the fantasy world and all of its constituents. The plot was interesting, if a little vague at times, and the band of characters ("The Malevolent Seven") are varied and funny in their own way.
My only real issue was the second half of the story felt a little rushed, but not really enough to dock off any points.
Absolutely stoked to read the sequel when it comes out in paperback.
Think you know wizards? Think again.
Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Old, skinny …
Think you know wizards? Think again.
Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Old, skinny …
A woman is strangled six hours after organising her own funeral.
Did she know she …
'The Word is Murder' is the first book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, where Anthony Horowitz inserts himself as the sidekick of Daniel Hawthorne, a private investigator who is eerily similar to that of Sherlock Holmes.
The book itself leads with a very interesting premise: A woman organised her funeral and there was a murder six hours later - and the book does not disappoint with the follow up on this exact point. The characters it introduces are likeable and relatable, and there's enough motives, red herrings, and information reveals to get you really thinking about whodunnit, and wanting to know how it all ends.
By the end of the book I was satisfied with the conclusion, as like all other good whodunnits, it wraps itself up with a neat little bowtie, and like all good mysteries, you never figure it out yourself.
The book gets 4-stars from me …
'The Word is Murder' is the first book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, where Anthony Horowitz inserts himself as the sidekick of Daniel Hawthorne, a private investigator who is eerily similar to that of Sherlock Holmes.
The book itself leads with a very interesting premise: A woman organised her funeral and there was a murder six hours later - and the book does not disappoint with the follow up on this exact point. The characters it introduces are likeable and relatable, and there's enough motives, red herrings, and information reveals to get you really thinking about whodunnit, and wanting to know how it all ends.
By the end of the book I was satisfied with the conclusion, as like all other good whodunnits, it wraps itself up with a neat little bowtie, and like all good mysteries, you never figure it out yourself.
The book gets 4-stars from me because the author made the lead detective an anti-hero; an unlikeable bastard that everyone puts up with because they're extremely clever and good at their job. This is not a problem in itself, but about a quarter into the book we learn that Hawthorne is homophobic, and the author's handling of this point is very clunky, as he makes some statement about how we should listen to those who are against gay people, even if he firmly believes that homophobia is wrong.
I don't think Horowitz is a homophobe, just an older person who is a little misguided on the subject, and since LGBTQ+ rights have been very topical for the past few years, he picked this as a trait for his anti-hero, but I think this was the wrong move.
But other than that, it was a very good book and I recommend it for anyone who likes mysteries.
A woman is strangled six hours after organising her own funeral.
Did she know she was going to die? Did …
A woman is strangled six hours after organising her own funeral.
Did she know she was going to die? Did …
Seven for a mystery that needs to be solved...
Crime writer Alan Conway has been …
This is the first adult book by Anthony Horowitz that I have read, after enjoying his young adult series as a teenager (specifically, the Alex Rider and Power of Five series).
As a fan of murder mysteries, this is the first one I've also ever actually read (as opposed to TV and video games), and it does the genre justice. It constantly keeps you wondering what's next, and trying to figure out things yourself. All the characters are relatable and enjoyable to learn about, and the lead character (Susan Ryeland) is a breath of fresh air in the genre.
The book's main premise is that it's about a book within the book, and the way it uses this is very clever, and trying to explain it would not be doing it justice - definitely give this book a read.
Seven for a mystery that needs to be solved...
Crime writer Alan Conway has been a bestselling author for years. …
Seven for a mystery that needs to be solved...
Crime writer Alan Conway has been a bestselling author for years. …
