Ray

Characters left their brains in the previous book

Revisado: 09-11-19

I enjoyed the first Bunburry mystery. And I understand that some logic must go by the wayside in order to give the characters another murder to investigate. But (apart from an amusing pretend-butler and the sweet Russian mother) this book was just annoying
In this book's universe, a rich white businessman (a) can't speak up for himself, (b) gets irrationally abused by police, then waives the right to have that abuse reviewed, (c) fails to get a lawyer when arrested on suspicion of murder, yet (d) rejects his own defense as mere "circumstantial evidence."
Further brainlessness: One potential suspect is described as a Russian, and then someone asserts that he must have been speaking in code, because the English-speakers didn't understand what he said. Not-a-real-spoiler alert: It turns out that he had been speaking in Russian. This kind of foolishness is what makes me think the characters' brains were left behind in book 1.
I could live without the "which woman will he wind up with" storyline, too, although at least that's within the realm of cozy stories, unlike the over-the-top malice from an unchecked police sergeant. I hope the rest of the books in the series are better.

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So glad to hear E.M. Delafield’s work

Revisado: 10-17-18

Delightful account of the daily travails of an accomplished writer who managed to fit her career in the interstices of house, family, friends, lack of funds, and an array of demanding neighbors. It’s a pleasant escape from our own time.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Good setup; long, drawn-out resolution

Revisado: 08-30-18

Poirot lives on in this series, and Insp. Catchpool is good as his sidekick and putative narrator. Plus, the vocal narrator, Julian Rhind-Tutt, is excellent.

I wish Poirot and Catchpool could be surrounded by some more likable characters. I understand that a murder mystery necessarily involves people who could be capable of terrible acts, but I prefer suspects & witnesses who might be implicated without being so unpleasant.

I don’t know if the attitudes portrayed are accurate for the era. The topic of illegal abortion was raised a couple of times, with an enraged kid talking about murder, countered only by an unsympathetic provider who apparently didn’t care whether or not the patient wanted the procedure. (I somehow doubt providers were forcing the upper class to have unwanted illegal abortions.) And why would Poirot summon children at play to attend his big reveal about murder and multiple families’ secrets? It doesn’t seem like something kids would need to learn about in a big group setting. Also, the word “murder” is thrown around a lot, unquestioned. I waited for an alleged murder victim to pipe up and ask if there weren’t other crimes on the books to cover dishonesty, without calling it murder.

I enjoyed a lot of the book, including clever twists and some nice musings on forgiveness. But I found the second half of the story needlessly long and hard to believe. The underlying wrongdoing seemed to me a silly basis for the alleged crime. There was also a three-day affair that was supposedly one’s only possible love. I wondered how one kid got so preternaturally well-adjusted. I also don’t understand the perspective that hanging is the only acceptable outcome of a criminal case.

In sum, though, the book was a fairly pleasant journey, because it captured Poirot’s attitude and approach so well, and because the narration is superb.

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esto le resultó útil a 8 personas

Disappointing collection of fantasy stories

Revisado: 04-09-18

I think the theme is unlikable characters plus surprise endings, with the occasional lack of logic (e.g., to whom is the Antihypoxiant narrator speaking?). I like imaginative fantasy stories, but these were mostly pessimistic scenes setting up twist endings.
There were a couple of good stories in the collection: Bored World (until the unnecessary conclusion) and The Egg. The narrators were good.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Hoping for more intelligence from Intelligence

Revisado: 07-10-13

I stuck with it to the end, so the plot was adequately engaging. And I liked the world travel. But it's the first and last book I'm reading by this author. If the story is supposed to reflect the thoughts or conduct of intelligence operatives, then I'd worry about the intelligence of the people involved. For example, undetected in a detention facility, Our Hero the agent overhears one guard saying to another, "If there are any requests, the answer is no." Our Hero thinks this might mean that the guards are going to see a prisoner, but he pauses to acknowledge that the evidence isn't conclusive. I thought, "How does he make it through a typical day, if he needs more conclusive proof of the obvious?"

The book felt like a Young Adult novel, where a young man repeatedly insists that he is not a boy anymore, and demands the respect of his mentor. It also shared a YA approach to emotion -- if your buddy is killed in action, then you're allowed to have big feelings, but mostly just focus on your Very Important duty.

If we accept a world where supposedly noble people kill without even asking why, then I guess morality is out the window. And if we venerate a world where people suppress emotions, then I suppose they'll stop to have silly conversations about whether someone was an ex-girlfriend, when regular people would be focused on avoiding death or capture.

Possible-spoiler alert: I can't figure out why we should respect protagonists who express no awareness of the idea of human rights, but who then become shocked at the violation of an American's rights. Perhaps in their world, doing the same acts to a non-American would have been fine. Ugh. Finally, the bad guys don't get as much come-uppance as I like for vengeance fantasy.

It's great that other readers really get into this series. I just don't enjoy feeling smarter than "expert" characters.

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Bleak but well-written and well-performed

Revisado: 11-28-12

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I think this book could come with a cautionary label: Song of Time is a primarily dystopian look at the world of the near future, told from the vantage point of a terminally ill person.

And it could have a suggested prerequisites list: Readers who understand musicians' dedication will be at an advantage.

That way, I could choose a time when I felt too cheerful, and enjoy the lovely but bleak story.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Should be labeled Part One

Revisado: 11-29-10

Engaging story, but the author/editor made no effort to complete the story in this book. I assumed there must be a piece missing from my download, but it turns out that one has to buy another book to find out how this mystery is resolved. You'll probably be happier if you purchase it with this understanding.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas