Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (246)

Content

Hangman's Curfew

Gladys Mitchell

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

This is a Vintage Murder Mystery. You can rediscover Gladys Mitchell - one of the 'Big Three' female...

The 4.50 from Paddington

Agatha Christie

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

A facsimile first edition hardback of the Miss Marple books, published to mark the 75th anniversary...

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Closed Casket: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery in Books

Jul 28, 2017

A good adaptation of a classic but leave it be

I really quite enjoyed this version of Agatha Christie's classic Belgian detective despite being a huge fan of the original. Having read most of the collection I was a bit irked at having it rehashed under someone else's guise. Sophie Hannah has done a good job of bringing the old elements from the original but it should be said to leave it be. Hannah quite easily could have created a new character without taking literary licence from Christie.

It seems that in order for her book to be noticed in an already over saturated area, Hannah has reincarnated the character. She needs more confidence in her writing - so I hope that she chooses to be a bit more original next time.

Kudos

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle in Books

Mar 28, 2018

The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle

Stuart Turton | 2018 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.9

(24 Ratings)

Book Rating

Convoluted murder mystery

I would love to watch this as a TV series because as a book it seems rather all over the place. Following Aiden Bishop, who seems to be appear in a new host body every day in order to solve a Gosford Park-style murder, he's also stacked against competitors desperate to flee this entrapment.

The premise is fantastic - it's Inception mixed with Agatha Christie- but I feel the author Stuart Turton may have overstretched himself because by the end it's a tangle of a mess, and finishes rather abruptly, trying to tackle loose ends. I may be in the minority, but I found myself drifting away quite a bit, actually forgetting characters. There's far too many murders and body swapping, and I don't think it reached its potential.

Kudos

Milleen (47 KP) rated The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle in Books

Jan 14, 2019

The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle

Stuart Turton | 2018 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.9

(24 Ratings)

Book Rating

Mindblowing Murder Mystery

Any fan of a jolly good, old fashioned murder mystery may enjoy a new spin on the favourite format. Imagine an Agatha Christie style thriller from the point of view of several characters, a narrator who swaps bodies and arrives at different times in their week. He must solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, avoid the evil Footman and play time to his advantage if he is ever allowed to leave Blackheath. This was a complex, and yet highly enjoyable, work of fiction. Within three chapters you will begin to appreciate the work it must’ve taken Turton to create this tense thriller. It’s an exhilarating peek into the minds of other characters and their perspectives, the more their individual stories overlap, the more the narrative flows. Definitely a book for discussion.