Scan barcode
A review by alexauthorshay
The Suicide Murders: A Benny Cooperman Mystery by Howard Engel
3.0
PI novels are generally not my thing. But since Benny is licensed rather than the "amateur sleuth" type, it was more like he was a real detective. The style and tone of the book was still a bit light and fluffy like cozy mysteries that feature PIs, but it took itself seriously and didn't shy away from the gorier details. Benny is definitely one of the more unique characters I've come across for a protagonist, especially within the mystery genre. I don't know if PI novels contrast with police procedurals like this all the time, but it was nice in a way, while at the same time being a little surprising. Benny is a bit overweight and not that well in shape, and you think he'd need to be both in order to keep up with his work. But, he usually handles divorces, not murders, so maybe not.
I was originally really happy to come across this title because it's Canadian, and most of the tropes I hate in mysteries are not present in this book. But I don't know if it was just how long it took me to read it or what, but every time I picked up the book to continue it, I had a very hard time remembering which characters went with which names, who had most recently done what, and even as I was reading scenes at the time, I often struggled with why Benny was talking to certain people or going certain places or how he connected things. Maybe if I read it again I'd clue into more, but I'm not invested in it enough to lend my time to it a second time around.
I bought the first three books, so I'll give the second book a try and see how it goes. This series has a LOT of books, but I don't know if it's a series I would pursue beyond this book had I not bought more than one. It was something different, a very good palate cleanser if you will, but not something I would want to pursue long term genre wise.
I was originally really happy to come across this title because it's Canadian, and most of the tropes I hate in mysteries are not present in this book. But I don't know if it was just how long it took me to read it or what, but every time I picked up the book to continue it, I had a very hard time remembering which characters went with which names, who had most recently done what, and even as I was reading scenes at the time, I often struggled with why Benny was talking to certain people or going certain places or how he connected things. Maybe if I read it again I'd clue into more, but I'm not invested in it enough to lend my time to it a second time around.
I bought the first three books, so I'll give the second book a try and see how it goes. This series has a LOT of books, but I don't know if it's a series I would pursue beyond this book had I not bought more than one. It was something different, a very good palate cleanser if you will, but not something I would want to pursue long term genre wise.