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leandy88's review against another edition
1.0
I'm generally not a fan of mainstream detective novels but, as a northerner, I wanted to read this because of the isolated northern setting. I'm impressed with anyone who can write a coherent book, so kudos to the author for that, but the characters and plot just didn't grab me. Overall, too formulaic (but so are many of the top bestsellers, so perhaps this genre just isn't for me).
bookslifeandeverythingnice's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways. As always, an honest review.
Strange Things Done by Elle Wild is a dark tension filled thriller set in the middle of an isolated town. The novel is filled with a complex cast of characters that help to make Strange Things Done the suspenseful story that it is. Most people in the town are suspicious and at times disturbing, which makes for a great story. The author sets up the book with an interesting premise; the main character, Jo, is trying to solve a murder from a night that she doesn’t remember. She is also new to the isolated town and doesn’t know who she can trust. Starting from the first chapter the writing is filled with tension and is making me nervous for what’s to come. The author is great at setting up the story, so the reader easily picks up on the feelings of isolation, uneasiness, frigid temperatures, and inability to trust the townspeople. It’s a very terrifying story; being stuck in a small town for the winter without a way out. The tension and fear continues to build as the novel goes on, making for a great suspense filled story. I did think the romance was a little strange and confusing. But other than that, I didn’t have any big issues with this book. Strange Things Done by Elle Wild did not disappoint. It was heart poundingly great and filled with lots of red herrings, suspense, a unique setting, and interesting characters. It’s a novel I won’t soon forget.
Strange Things Done by Elle Wild is a dark tension filled thriller set in the middle of an isolated town. The novel is filled with a complex cast of characters that help to make Strange Things Done the suspenseful story that it is. Most people in the town are suspicious and at times disturbing, which makes for a great story. The author sets up the book with an interesting premise; the main character, Jo, is trying to solve a murder from a night that she doesn’t remember. She is also new to the isolated town and doesn’t know who she can trust. Starting from the first chapter the writing is filled with tension and is making me nervous for what’s to come. The author is great at setting up the story, so the reader easily picks up on the feelings of isolation, uneasiness, frigid temperatures, and inability to trust the townspeople. It’s a very terrifying story; being stuck in a small town for the winter without a way out. The tension and fear continues to build as the novel goes on, making for a great suspense filled story. I did think the romance was a little strange and confusing. But other than that, I didn’t have any big issues with this book. Strange Things Done by Elle Wild did not disappoint. It was heart poundingly great and filled with lots of red herrings, suspense, a unique setting, and interesting characters. It’s a novel I won’t soon forget.
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this book and rate it four out of five stars. I want to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley.com for sending me this book in return for an honest review. The book is about a woman reporter who goes to Dawson City, Yukon, Canada to be the editor of the local newspaper. She has left Vancouver, B.C.,Canada because she feels guilty about holding back information, at the request of the police, about a serial killer.
Unfortunately people start to die in Dawson City and she is a suspect. She decides to find out who, what and why, placing herself in danger.
Some quotes: "Dawson City was a ghost town, with snow drifting along the wooden boardwalks instead of tumbleweed."
"Sourtoe Saloon. Between the human toe in her drink...."
This book takes place at the start of a brutal Yukon territory winter, when the population of Dawson City shrinks from summer peak of 60,000 to 1,000. A great book to read during a hot summer. There were enough plot twists that I was not sure who the killer was until near the end. Once I was halfway through,I found it hard to put down, reading it in two days.
Unfortunately people start to die in Dawson City and she is a suspect. She decides to find out who, what and why, placing herself in danger.
Some quotes: "Dawson City was a ghost town, with snow drifting along the wooden boardwalks instead of tumbleweed."
"Sourtoe Saloon. Between the human toe in her drink...."
This book takes place at the start of a brutal Yukon territory winter, when the population of Dawson City shrinks from summer peak of 60,000 to 1,000. A great book to read during a hot summer. There were enough plot twists that I was not sure who the killer was until near the end. Once I was halfway through,I found it hard to put down, reading it in two days.
arathi's review against another edition
3.0
just about 5+ yrs late in writing this review - this book was ok, not too bad - but not as suspenseful as I thought it would be.
Body of a local politician is found right in the heels of Jo Silver arriving in Yukon - so she is the 1st suspect, and she sets out to prove the cops wrong. She learns a lot of things in the course of her investigation - she has moved to this city to be away from one of her past cases
there was a lot going on in this book.
Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC #strangethingsdone
Body of a local politician is found right in the heels of Jo Silver arriving in Yukon - so she is the 1st suspect, and she sets out to prove the cops wrong. She learns a lot of things in the course of her investigation - she has moved to this city to be away from one of her past cases
there was a lot going on in this book.
Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC #strangethingsdone
amandacole's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted at Desert Island Book Reviews
This small-town mystery started off with an interesting premise, but for me, there were some flaws that detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. I liked Jo, the main character, who was a journalist seeking redemption, and I liked Cariboo, the main police officer in the tiny town of Dawson City.
And when I say tiny, I really mean tiny. With under 2,000 residents, you’d think suspicious deaths, murders, missing people, and other criminal activity would be surprising. You’d think people would want to know what’s happening. You’d think it would be rare. And yet, in this book, this tiny town is rocked by crime, and it seems like people don’t really care all that much through most of the book. It seems weird to me that there could be more than one missing person/suspicious death in the span of a week or two in a town this size, especially when these things happen just after a newcomer arrives. It wasn’t entirely believable to me.
I also didn’t love the missing memory idea or the pacing, which I found to be unbearably slow at times.
What I did like, though, was Jo’s perseverance and her insights into a town that has many secrets. I didn’t expect many of the plot elements and I liked the idea that anyone could be guilty. In many mysteries, the sleuth has ruled out certain people because of his or her personal relationships, but here, because Jo is new to town, everyone is a suspect. We’re left wondering what’s going on and who’s involved up through the end, which I really enjoyed.
Overall, I gave this book three stars. Some parts of it worked for me, and some didn’t, but I think that this could be a good read if you’re interested in small-town mysteries where everyone is a suspect and no one is safe.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This small-town mystery started off with an interesting premise, but for me, there were some flaws that detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. I liked Jo, the main character, who was a journalist seeking redemption, and I liked Cariboo, the main police officer in the tiny town of Dawson City.
And when I say tiny, I really mean tiny. With under 2,000 residents, you’d think suspicious deaths, murders, missing people, and other criminal activity would be surprising. You’d think people would want to know what’s happening. You’d think it would be rare. And yet, in this book, this tiny town is rocked by crime, and it seems like people don’t really care all that much through most of the book. It seems weird to me that there could be more than one missing person/suspicious death in the span of a week or two in a town this size, especially when these things happen just after a newcomer arrives. It wasn’t entirely believable to me.
I also didn’t love the missing memory idea or the pacing, which I found to be unbearably slow at times.
What I did like, though, was Jo’s perseverance and her insights into a town that has many secrets. I didn’t expect many of the plot elements and I liked the idea that anyone could be guilty. In many mysteries, the sleuth has ruled out certain people because of his or her personal relationships, but here, because Jo is new to town, everyone is a suspect. We’re left wondering what’s going on and who’s involved up through the end, which I really enjoyed.
Overall, I gave this book three stars. Some parts of it worked for me, and some didn’t, but I think that this could be a good read if you’re interested in small-town mysteries where everyone is a suspect and no one is safe.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
happy_hiker's review against another edition
3.0
I overall liked this book. I liked the setting; it was unusual and the author did a nice job depicting a chilling ( and bitter cold) atmosphere. I didn't really connect well with Jo; I didn't always get her motivation and I thought she made questionable decisions. I thought some of the secondary characters could have been developed more. The first quarter of the book really grabbed my attention (atmospheric), the middle lagged, and then it picked up again (action). Solid debut.
Thanks to netgalley and Dundurn for an advance copy of the book.
Thanks to netgalley and Dundurn for an advance copy of the book.
natalia's review against another edition
3.0
This is my first NetGalley read- I was super intrigued by the premise (I have a soft spot for mysteries) and the setting. Also, saying that it was similar to The Luminaries in one of the descriptions I read certainly helped.
What I enjoyed:
- I liked Josephine. I'm not going to say that I actively tried to hate her, but I find that I'm really picky about my female MCs (not too try-hard, not weak or worthless, etc.). There were times when I was thinking to myself: "Girl, no!!!" in regards to several events. But I liked her. She was reminiscent of Stephanie Plum with slight hints of Jessica Jones.
- I loved the idea of the freeze-up trapping people in town after a certain point. I wish it had been utilized just a little bit more.
- Sally! She was fun, in a slinky, sketchy sort of way.
- As much as I didn't want this to end up being romance-y in any way, I ended up being a damn sucker for Johnny and Jo.
- I thought that the small town atmosphere was captured really, really well. I loved the cast of the town, the venues, all of that. It probably also helped that my boss is menopausal and constantly has the A/C on 60 degrees so while I read this book I was transported right up to the Yukon.
What I didn't enjoy:
- Christopher Byrne. I didn't like his relationship with Jo and.
- The Alice/Johnny subplot was very haphazardly mentioned and in the same way haphazardly tied up. I could have used way less of Byrne and a lot more of Sally and Johnny/Johnny's history with Alice.
- More of Frank! I was so intrigued by his character and his relationship with Jo that I wish we would've gotten to meet him in person.
All in all, I give this a solid three stars because once I started, I couldn't stop reading. I enjoyed the pace of the story, the cast of characters, and most of the subplots. I would read another book by this author, definitely another book featuring Josephine (would love the story of the Surrey Strangler). 3/5 stars.
[ I received my copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review, and this did not influence my opinions. All thoughts are my own. ]
What I enjoyed:
- I liked Josephine. I'm not going to say that I actively tried to hate her, but I find that I'm really picky about my female MCs (not too try-hard, not weak or worthless, etc.). There were times when I was thinking to myself: "Girl, no!!!" in regards to several events. But I liked her. She was reminiscent of Stephanie Plum with slight hints of Jessica Jones.
- I loved the idea of the freeze-up trapping people in town after a certain point. I wish it had been utilized just a little bit more.
- Sally! She was fun, in a slinky, sketchy sort of way.
- As much as I didn't want this to end up being romance-y in any way, I ended up being a damn sucker for Johnny and Jo.
- I thought that the small town atmosphere was captured really, really well. I loved the cast of the town, the venues, all of that. It probably also helped that my boss is menopausal and constantly has the A/C on 60 degrees so while I read this book I was transported right up to the Yukon.
What I didn't enjoy:
- Christopher Byrne. I didn't like his relationship with Jo and
Spoiler
I definitely didn't like that he was ultimately the killer. I understand that by going against the traditional 'twist' of a mystery novel (having the perpetrator be somehow linked to the crime by a series of clues peppered into the text) is different, unexpected. But I also expected it? To be fair, I was surprised that it wasn't Doug- though the subtextual finger pointing for him was laid on rather thick so, shame on me I guess- The Alice/Johnny subplot was very haphazardly mentioned and in the same way haphazardly tied up. I could have used way less of Byrne and a lot more of Sally and Johnny/Johnny's history with Alice.
- More of Frank! I was so intrigued by his character and his relationship with Jo that I wish we would've gotten to meet him in person.
All in all, I give this a solid three stars because once I started, I couldn't stop reading. I enjoyed the pace of the story, the cast of characters, and most of the subplots. I would read another book by this author, definitely another book featuring Josephine (would love the story of the Surrey Strangler). 3/5 stars.
[ I received my copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review, and this did not influence my opinions. All thoughts are my own. ]
a_wondrous_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Strange Things Done is Elle Wild's debut album and what a great debut! The story starts in the in the small town of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. I love the dark and tense atmosphere that builds up in her narrative. I liked the way Elle Wild developed her characters, but I have to admit that I never quite warmed up to Jo. The chilling small tall narrative reminded me a bit of some of Stephen King's great classics such as Salem's lot. For that same reason, at times the story was a little slow for my taste. Overall, I highly recommend this dark and chilly novel.
I would like to thank Dundurn and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I would like to thank Dundurn and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
angrygreycatreads's review against another edition
4.0
Strange Things Done by Elle Wild is set in an isolated town in the Yukon. During the winter freeze the tourists and some of the residents leave as the town before the town is completely cut off. Jo Silver, a journalist, arrives to take over the local paper, fresh on the heels of a career and personal disaster. Then, the dying begins.
This is a complex and tension filled novel. The environment alone can kill you, much less a human with a motive. The sense of place here is marvelously done, the isolation, the cold, the pack mentality of the humans living in such conditions, and the beauty that exists is all here. The characters are fully fleshed out and in some cases quirky, reminding me of the TV show Northern Exposure. The mystery itself is engaging with red herrings and plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing.
Great dark and suspenseful mystery. An example of Canadian Noir!
This is a complex and tension filled novel. The environment alone can kill you, much less a human with a motive. The sense of place here is marvelously done, the isolation, the cold, the pack mentality of the humans living in such conditions, and the beauty that exists is all here. The characters are fully fleshed out and in some cases quirky, reminding me of the TV show Northern Exposure. The mystery itself is engaging with red herrings and plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing.
Great dark and suspenseful mystery. An example of Canadian Noir!