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aswirlgirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was ok. It wasn’t bad. Katie’s passivity was beyond annoying, even though I know it stemmed from years of indoctrination by her horrible grandmother. I’m interested enough in Banks and his fellow officers to read the next book in the series.
grandmahigginsclark's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dearestchuck's review against another edition
Another good Inspector Banks novel. While investigating, Banks takes a Week in Toronto. Fun Canadian versus English references.
nuthatch's review against another edition
5.0
The small Yorkshire village of Swainshead has had an unusual number of murders. It also has a lot of secrets. An Inspector Banks novel with an abrupt but very satisfying ending.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
3.0
I think I will take a break from this series. I believe it has plateaued at a 3 for me.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
I'm having a great deal of trouble deciding if I actually like these or not. I do like the Toronto bits of this one--set right near where we lived when I was a child!
lisanussd's review against another edition
4.0
I am reading through the series, albeit, out of order. This book is early in the series and Banks seemed to be undeveloped as compared to the later books. It was still an enjoyable British mystery with a nice trip to Toronto!
whippycleric's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Another dci banks novel, and it's a decent read. I didn't find it quite as suspenseful as previous entries but the characters are definitely coming into their roles as the series progresses. The ending of this one was a bit more sudden and darker than previous entries and saved the book from being a bit bland. It's clearly one of the weaker entries in the series but the side characters start to come into their own in this book and as long as they become important later then it will have made this book worthwhile, otherwise it's a bit of a filler. I'll surely continue with the series though as even when bland they're very easy to read and relax to, like watching an episode of Midsommer murders on a rainy Sunday
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
2.0
I've read many books in the Inspector Banks series, not in order, and this would have to be the weakest so far. The main character in this series is Inspector Banks but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise while reading this book. The secondary characters in a novel play an important role in any story but they seem to take over a little too much with this story and really didn't add much to the series.
It was enjoyable enough but I found it slow to read at times and the ending was just so much of a let down as to be disappointing.
It was enjoyable enough but I found it slow to read at times and the ending was just so much of a let down as to be disappointing.