Scan barcode
A review by luffy79
Murder on Bamboo Lane by Naomi Hirahara
2.0
Maybe it's the 20/20 hindsight talking, or else perhaps I'm too aware of the author's budding career, but this book felt like a first draft. Sometimes the author seems naive, other times she's too laid back, confident, and easily pleased with what she's written. The book feels like a rough copy.
Like many other authors before her Naomi Hirahara is eager to include many characters in the book so that it becomes impossible to guess the murderer's identity. I'm always humbled when I can't remember what's going on. This may mean, with most people, that the fault is mine. I disagree. The fault of obscure and convoluted writing always lies with the writer. I believe that.
I've realized that most people who rate this type of book do so for very precise and superfluous reasons...such as the constant harping to the attractiveness of non white characters, or the age, job, or dilemmas of the heroine, or simply the recognition of the setting of the location (this time it's Los Angeles). It's always something unfair that tips the balance for a few readers. The mystery here was quite ho hum and wouldn't hook armchair sleuths in. The only reason I've not given this book 1 star is that it was fairly good in the beginning and I didn't find a single unlikable person.
Like many other authors before her Naomi Hirahara is eager to include many characters in the book so that it becomes impossible to guess the murderer's identity. I'm always humbled when I can't remember what's going on. This may mean, with most people, that the fault is mine. I disagree. The fault of obscure and convoluted writing always lies with the writer. I believe that.
I've realized that most people who rate this type of book do so for very precise and superfluous reasons...such as the constant harping to the attractiveness of non white characters, or the age, job, or dilemmas of the heroine, or simply the recognition of the setting of the location (this time it's Los Angeles). It's always something unfair that tips the balance for a few readers. The mystery here was quite ho hum and wouldn't hook armchair sleuths in. The only reason I've not given this book 1 star is that it was fairly good in the beginning and I didn't find a single unlikable person.