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roscoehuxley's review
3.0
By Ayelet Waldman, wife of Michael Chabon, and author in her own right. Discovered this series while tracking down book-group questions for Kavalier & Clay.
An entertaining quick read! Not too heady, not too involved, but kept me interested and up late. Quick summary: Juliet, former attorney now home with a two year old and 8 months pregnant, decides to investigate a murder. I admit I figured out who did it about 1/2 way through the book... but it was still amusing to finish the book. Another series!! Yippee!
An entertaining quick read! Not too heady, not too involved, but kept me interested and up late. Quick summary: Juliet, former attorney now home with a two year old and 8 months pregnant, decides to investigate a murder. I admit I figured out who did it about 1/2 way through the book... but it was still amusing to finish the book. Another series!! Yippee!
marie_gg's review
3.0
First novel by Waldman. Her protagonist is a lawyer now turned unfulfilled stay-at-home mom. The plot was not particularly complicated, but it was a fun read.
megatsunami's review
3.0
It was kind of fun to read a murder mystery where the investigator is a pregnant mom. Especially after all those books where the glamorous detective is out staking vampires until 2 am and then is awakened at 5 am by a werewolf trying to attack her and then stays up all day running around town investigating her client's mysterious disappearance and... Reading those books makes me so tired these days. I'm like "EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP! YOU NEED THEM!" So this was refreshing: "I stayed up a little too late investigating X on the computer and then I had a big bowl of ice cream and went to bed." Yeah, that's my kind of P.I.
At the same time, it was like "So... you and your glamorous writer husband just kinda hang around all day hanging out with your daughter and each other? Oh excuse me... he stays up late writing and then sleeps till 11, and THEN you just hang around all day. And then you go on tours for ridiculously expensive preschools. And then you call your Hollywood movie star friend." So, okay, this is a very privileged mommyhood. That said, I liked that Juliet explored her ambivalence about staying at home vs. working outside the home, and expressed feelings on both sides of the fence.
Re: the plot/ story, I just don't have much to say, because I just didn't really care that much who murdered who. The secondary characters (including victim and suspects) were just not that three-dimensional. And Ayelet Waldman's wry, goofy humor (which I like) does kind of take away from the tension which murder mysteries are supposed to have. If you expect a pulse-pounding Agatha Christie/ Hitchcock, this is not it.
P.S. Juliet did a few really stupid dangerous things of the type which amateur investigators in mystery novels always do, but which, as a public defender, Juliet should have known better than to do. Like asking the nanny whether the dad hits the wife and kids... and then leaving her card with the nanny. That was really dumb. Or going to confront the killer when she realizes who it is. That was also really dumb.
P.P.S. What's with the gratuitous disrespect to polyamory? Give it a rest, Ayelet. Kinda sounds like you had a bad experience with it or something.
At the same time, it was like "So... you and your glamorous writer husband just kinda hang around all day hanging out with your daughter and each other? Oh excuse me... he stays up late writing and then sleeps till 11, and THEN you just hang around all day. And then you go on tours for ridiculously expensive preschools. And then you call your Hollywood movie star friend." So, okay, this is a very privileged mommyhood. That said, I liked that Juliet explored her ambivalence about staying at home vs. working outside the home, and expressed feelings on both sides of the fence.
Re: the plot/ story, I just don't have much to say, because I just didn't really care that much who murdered who. The secondary characters (including victim and suspects) were just not that three-dimensional. And Ayelet Waldman's wry, goofy humor (which I like) does kind of take away from the tension which murder mysteries are supposed to have. If you expect a pulse-pounding Agatha Christie/ Hitchcock, this is not it.
P.S. Juliet did a few really stupid dangerous things of the type which amateur investigators in mystery novels always do, but which, as a public defender, Juliet should have known better than to do. Like asking the nanny whether the dad hits the wife and kids... and then leaving her card with the nanny. That was really dumb. Or going to confront the killer when she realizes who it is. That was also really dumb.
P.P.S. What's with the gratuitous disrespect to polyamory? Give it a rest, Ayelet. Kinda sounds like you had a bad experience with it or something.
Spoiler
Really, no alt.polyamory people would ever suggest that the best way to get your partner involved in polyamory is to cheat on them, then let your partner find you in bed with the cheatee! OMG no! I'm not saying some weirdo would never come up with this idea, but a whole bulletin board full of poly people would NEVER express approval of it. Apparently Ayelet thinks poly people are dumb enough to be blamed for an idea this stupid. Nice.hugbandit7's review
4.0
1st in a series of a former public defender turned stay at home mom (and pregnant to boot) who investigates the death/murder of the head of a preschool.
I would give this 3.5 stars but can't do half stars so went for 4.
I would give this 3.5 stars but can't do half stars so went for 4.
deservingporcupine's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this up because I've enjoyed the author's nonfiction take on motherhood. But this mystery was just sort of run of the mill.
robint1981's review
5.0
I actually gave this a 4.5/5.0 rating. Good book did not continue with the series but I think I may pick it up again in the near future.
arianappstrg's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
allycd8's review
adventurous
funny
tense
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? Yes
3.75