Welcome to Litsy!

Too slow-moving for me. I skipped most of the 2nd half and just read the last few chapters.

From the cover, I was expecting a noir thriller, but the first Stephens & Mephisto mystery was as jovial and upbeat as a story about a serial killer can get.

I particularly enjoyed Edgar's cynical commentary. Griffiths writes in a very readable voice and although the underlying mystery (and its resolution) was just OK, the tone pace and dry, observational humour make it an easy pick from me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Giving this a pick because I liked the locked room mystery angle and the diverse cast. There were a lot of subplots and the story itself was kind of uneven, but often first books are rough as the author finds their footing and learns the new characters and setting. Overall, a decent cozy.

#cozymystery

Two of my favorite #covers for #NationalBirdDay. #JanuaryJazz @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I‘d slept on this mystery until it made the year end lists. I liked the puzzle of the mystery and the abundance of red herrings, but found the solution too complicated for my tastes.

#roll100 picks for Jan:

- Fifty-fifty - another Steve Cavanagh courtroom thriller with a fascinating premise
- The Zig Zag girl - my first Elly Griffiths
- Infinite ground - this will be a surprise. I bought it because I liked the cover. I think it said something about suiting fans of Jeff Vandermeer

This'll be an interesting month!

Been on a good reading streak lately. Was trying to decide what to close out the year on and thought I‘d start the tagged.

The Magician‘s Hat written by Malcom Mitchell and illustrated by Dennis Campay tells the story of story of David the magician. David doesn‘t perform regular magic like other magicians. Instead David understands the magical powers if books. Through books he can explore dreams and be creative! This book is great for any young reader who thinks books can take you anywhere!

Characters could have been more fleshed out - now this felt like there was more telling and less showing.

I loved the family with several magicians and all those secret doors & hidden places. But the writing made this still feel a bit dry and boring.

I think the story itself was okay and it was interesting to see how the mystery would get solved. But I think this was way too long for this amount of action.

#Spookoween2022 #SeriesRead2022

Happy Halloween 🧡👻