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purpleberryblue's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
valefimbres's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lelia_t's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite Roderick Alleyn mysteries are the ones that feature Agatha Troy and this book is our (and Alleyn's) introduction to her. Amid rather horrific murders, we get to see Alleyn in love, which is a treat. We also meet his mother, a regal old lady, who seems to have a talent for turning all the men (Fox, Bathgate, even Alleyn himself) into fawners. (Eudora Welty, in a letter to Ross MacDonald, describes how Alleyn goes to his mother's home each night "sits on her bed and lets her guess what's happened and pronounce on who couldn't possibly be the murderer, while they drink sherry and call each other 'Darling.' He is just meeting Troy in time...") Fox is fabulous as always. Nosy reporter Nigel Bathgate is tedious as usual. The mystery is fairly fun, though. I've read this one twice and enjoyed the investigation even more the second time, knowing who'd done it.
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to the audiobook of this which I enjoyed very much. The crimes are particularly cruel murders, and Inspector Alleyn gets to the correct answer - but he has to contend with falling in love with Agatha Troy along the way: one of the murders takes place in her studio, and her art students are the focus of the investigation.
spinch4's review against another edition
5.0
I've been waiting for this series to get good and it finally did! A classic mystery that will keep you guessing.
claudia_mary's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
johnw613's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nolegirl's review against another edition
4.0
I eenjoyed this mystery quite a bit. The story had just enough twists to keep it interesting. Plus how can you go wrong when the reader is Benedict Cumberbatch? I'll be listening than other in this series I'm sure.
tarshka's review against another edition
2.0
Introduction of the detective's love interest. Pretty boring because they are both boring.