Reviews

Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway by Sara Gran

pannapark's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Anyone else find that the main character, Claire de Witt’s, constant coke and pill popping habit got in the way of the plot? I mean how many mystery solving ‘little grey cells’ would one have left with all the reckless over usage of drugs? That and the random sex with strangers and stealing their prescription drugs.
Oh and all the references to the detective’s bible got on my nerves too!

kathrinpassig's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

"I felt my head buzz and I lay down on the cool white tile floor. It smelled like pine. I wondered how anyone’s bathroom floor could be so clean. Maybe they cleaned it. My mind raced."

Dieser zweite Band war so gut wie der erste, aber ohne die peinliche Geschichte mit dem schwarzen Protagonisten, dem die weiße Privatdetektivin einen Gefallen damit tut, ihn ins Gefängnis zu schicken, wo er, wie man in diesem Band leider erfährt, zum ersten Mal in seinem Leben die Chance hat, was aus sich zu machen. Aber das kommt hier nur nebenbei vor, und fast alles andere mochte ich sehr, den Hardboiled-Stil, die surrealistischen Elemente, die Zitate aus dem fiktiven Silette-Buch. Es kommen verwirrend viele Figuren vor, aber dank Volltextsuche im Open-Library-Scan war das kein Problem. 

sandygx260's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

I'm still so pissed off at this book that I can't write a coherent review. Really? After the amazing first book this is what we receive? Well fuck that.

Like I said, still pissed off.

katel1970's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I liked this one, but, man, it was dark. Not as fun as the first one, that's for sure.

vandermeer's review against another edition

Go to review page

1.0

Sie ist die ganze Zeit zugedröhnt und löst dann am Ende dennoch den Fall. Die Lösung war offensichtlich und sie war sehr nervig.

monicadee88's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

While I appreciate that Claire DeWitt is unlike many other heroine detectives, I couldn't help but feel disconnected from her and the other characters. Perhaps the characters were not developed as fully as I would have liked, or perhaps the writing style isn't my taste. Either way, the story left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

nullasalus3's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Sara Gran continues to offer a peculiar version of a PI in Claire Dewitt. She has some of the classic flavor of a noir detective, especially in this novel, given her functional (and then not) addictive behaviors. Her investigation techniques feel more traditional here than in her first appearance, though she still relies on dreams and chance more than a typical detective.

Two mysteries unfold during the course of this novel, and they’re both reasonably engaging. However, at times I found myself losing interest in her downward spiral due to grief because I lacked an emotional connection to Claire. She seems determined to keep herself emotionally walled off from those around her, and, consequently, I felt distanced from her as well.

holyshark's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

dark, pacey and kept me pretty gripped, following our (kinda fucked up) detective claire dewitt as she figures out who killed her ex. it was nice to delve further into claire's relationships but also i found it really hard to keep track of all the characters. i like the slight magical realism (?) aspects of the series and will probably read to completion :-)


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

books_n_critters's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I really enjoyed this. Claire is such a great character. She makes me think of Sherlock Holmes with her less that perfect ways of dealing with things. She's broken, but still fighting...I dunno, I can't quite find the words I want. She's just cool.

mcf's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

A lot has been written recently in praise of Sara Gran, and it's all deserved. In Claire DeWitt, she's created a wildly original character, and in telling her stor(y/ies), she consistently achieves the difficult task of simultaneously presenting a main character who isn't always very likable, and still managing to keep the reader on her side. Gran is just spectacularly talented, and reading her is a weird, wonderful adventure.