Reviews

Ode to Murder: A Larkin Day Mystery by Nicole Dieker

theavidreaderandbibliophile's review

3.0

Ode to Murder by Nicole Dieker is the debut of A Larkin Day Mysteries. Larkin Day has moved back home to figure out her life. Larkin’s mother signs her up to participate in a local community choir. One evening the accompanist, Harrison fails to return to rehearsal after the break. At the end of the evening, Larkin finds Harrison dead. Larkin decides to investigate Harrison’s death in the hopes it might help her get her life on track (makes total sense). Larkin with help from her new friend Anni sets out to get answers. I struggled to finish Ode to Murder. It seemed to go on forever. I was not a fan of Larkin Day. She is thirty-five and has no clue what to do with her life. Larkin is supposed to be working on her dissertation, but she spends more time lounging then writing. The murder happens early in the book. The mystery progresses slowly. Larkin questions her fellow choir members on what has not been ruled a murder. She gets help from fellow choir member Anni. In the end, Larkin identifies the killer (if you make it that far). There are clues to help readers solve the crime ahead of the reveal. Larkin makes friends along the way, finds some romance, and, maybe, her purpose in life. After the crime is solved, the chapters following are lethargic (a good cure for insomnia). It would have been better with peppy pacing. I can tell the author is a musician from the many musical references. I felt that the characters lacked development. It was difficult to know the age of the secondary characters. Their clothes, though, are described in detail. I believe Ode to Murder is supposed to be amusing, but I failed to find the humor. There is a lot of repetition especially about Larkin failing to notice details. As you can tell, Ode to Murder was not for me. Ode to Murder is a midwestern cozy mystery with a community choir, a departed pianist, mounds of debt, cups of coffee, and a caught killer.

knitplanjess's review

3.0

I don’t normally enjoy murder mysteries but this being tagged as a comedy is what real drew me to it.

Larkin is a theater girl who has to move to Iowa and live with her mom while she gets back up on her feet. There she joins the choir and discovers a murder!

While it took me reading to nearly the 50% mark to really hit my interest, I love that the “who-dun-it” wasn’t as easy to guess as I thought it was going to be. By the end of the book, I was surprised by the murderer and overall, I really enjoyed the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shortwave Media for the ARC!

candicanepdx's review

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

stitchinthyme's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I struggled to get through it. I couldn't really identify with the main character or sympathize with her lack of direction, as she seems to make the mistake so many people do of assuming that the job you choose is your entire life. She seems not to have realized that it's okay to work just to pay the bills, and save your passion for your non-work hours. The murder mystery was pretty secondary to Larkin's existential crisis.