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A review by shreyas1599
A Date to Die For by E.V. Hunter, E.V. Hunter
4.0
3.5 stars rounded to 4 only because the romantic trope was not made permanent.
I think that a lot of how I decide to rate books these days comes down to my mood and expectations prior to picking up the book. I dove into this one, looking for a fast-paced cozy crime thriller that I can complete in a couple of hours and it did do justice to it. Perhaps, if I was in the mood to read a more "fantastical" plot, I might've given this a 2.5 or 3.
Anyhoo, on the story itself - It's a standard cosy, small-town murder. Alexi, a high-achieving journalist is let go from her job by her newspaper and moves to visit her best friend (who she hasn't seen in ages) in a small town for a couple of days to let things cool. But of course, there wouldn't be a story if things stayed quiet. Her best friend's friend is missing and the police are doing squat about it, so it's up to Alexi to find out what's wrong.
A male protagonist, in the form of an ex-cop turned private investigator, teams up with Alexi (for reasons of his own) - and together the duo dig out the mystery behind the disappearance of the woman. There is also severe sexual tension between the leads and I'm only giving this a 4-star because that romantic entanglement did not see a fulfilment as the book comes to a close. It's just left hanging in the air.
I do see the point of its presence in the story. With a limited suspect pool, a small town, with no access to police babble and detective speak filling up the pages, its presence does make sense to me. I also enjoyed the presence of the cat that can make out a human for what they are. It sort of adds to the coziness appeal of the story.
If you are in between serious reads and looking for something light to finish in an afternoon, I'd recommend picking this one up.
I think that a lot of how I decide to rate books these days comes down to my mood and expectations prior to picking up the book. I dove into this one, looking for a fast-paced cozy crime thriller that I can complete in a couple of hours and it did do justice to it. Perhaps, if I was in the mood to read a more "fantastical" plot, I might've given this a 2.5 or 3.
Anyhoo, on the story itself - It's a standard cosy, small-town murder. Alexi, a high-achieving journalist is let go from her job by her newspaper and moves to visit her best friend (who she hasn't seen in ages) in a small town for a couple of days to let things cool. But of course, there wouldn't be a story if things stayed quiet. Her best friend's friend is missing and the police are doing squat about it, so it's up to Alexi to find out what's wrong.
A male protagonist, in the form of an ex-cop turned private investigator, teams up with Alexi (for reasons of his own) - and together the duo dig out the mystery behind the disappearance of the woman. There is also severe sexual tension between the leads and I'm only giving this a 4-star because that romantic entanglement did not see a fulfilment as the book comes to a close. It's just left hanging in the air.
I do see the point of its presence in the story. With a limited suspect pool, a small town, with no access to police babble and detective speak filling up the pages, its presence does make sense to me. I also enjoyed the presence of the cat that can make out a human for what they are. It sort of adds to the coziness appeal of the story.
If you are in between serious reads and looking for something light to finish in an afternoon, I'd recommend picking this one up.