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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2560 KP) rated Mother-Daughter Murder Night in Books

Jul 5, 2024

I Enjoyed the Book, but I Wanted to Like It More

When Los Angeles based real estate mogul Lana Rubicon is diagnosed with cancer, she moves to the central California coast so her daughter, Beth, and granddaughter, Jacqueline (aka Jack) can take care of her, a scary prospect since Lana doesn’t necessarily get along with them. But when a kayak group that Jack is leading discover a dead body, Lana jumps into the case to help her granddaughter. Will this prove to be the distraction and bonding agent that three of them need?

I really wanted to like this book, and there were things I did. While a bit slow, especially at the beginning, the mystery did drawn me in. On the other hand, I figured out the killer pretty early. Lana has some rough edges, and it took quite a while to warm up to her. Since most (but not all) of the book is told from her third person point-of-view, that was an issue. It helped that I liked Beth and Jack and their relationship. I was also pretty discouraged by how most of the men in the story were portrayed. The setting came to life, and I enjoyed spending time there. Overall, the book has a serious tone and is more a traditional mystery than a cozy. It’s definitely not a thriller. As I said, this was a mixed bag. I’m glad I read it, but I will hesitate before I pick up anything else from this author.

Kudos

Algebra I: Textbook for Students of Mathematics

Alexey L Gorodentsev

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Book

This book is the first volume of an intensive "Russian-style" two-year graduate course in abstract...

Research and Policy in Education: Evidence, Ideology and Impact

Geoff Whitty, Jake Anders, Annette Hayton and Sarah Tang

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Book

The OECD tells us that 90 per cent of education reforms are not properly evaluated. So it seems that...

Revealed Preference Theory

Christopher Charles Chambers and Federico Echenique

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Book

Pioneered by American economist Paul Samuelson, revealed preference theory is based on the idea that...

Are Guinea Pigs the Right Pet for You: Can You Find the Facts?

Emma Milne

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Book

Owning a pet is a big commitment, lasting years. Children and parents often don't think about the...

The Magicians

7.2 (38 Ratings) Rate It

TV Show

Quentin Coldwater, a grad student at Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, has been fascinated by...

Magic The Magicians SYFY Television Book to Screen

David McK (3791 KP) rated Mortal Engines (2018) in Movies

Sep 18, 2021

Mortal Engines (2018)

2018 | Fantasy, Sci-Fi

6.7

(57 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Cyberpunk sci-fi movie that should really have been a series, set in the far future centuries after the cataclysmic sixty-minute war and where there are now two main kinds of settlements: the 'traditional' (here, viewed - at least initially - by the main protaganist as barbaric) and mobile: giant cities (London is one) powered by some form of locomotion, who pursue a philosophy of Municipal Darwinism ie hunt down and consume smaller cities to provide supplies and materials.

The problem, however, is that this movie just tries to pack too much into its runtime; too much if the action from the source book on which it is based, with the result that the characters never really seem to develop all that much and, in some cases, are given short shrift (which is why I feel a series would have been better).

Good effect, though.