American Panda
Book
At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’...
The Man on the Middle Floor
Book
Lionel Shriver meets Mark Haddon in this break-out debut. Despite living in the same three-flat...
Butterfly (Drakon IV)
Book
The fourth and final book in the Drakon series, the debut of C.A. Caskabel The thrilling...
The Accident
Book
A tragic accident, an unbearable loss and a marriage in crisis – but who can she trust or is she...
Thriller Fiction Psychological Thriller Suspense
An Ideal Husband
Book
Although Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) created a wide range of poetry, essays, and fairy tales (and one...
It Is Wood, It Is Stone
Book
With sharp, gorgeous prose, It Is Wood, It Is Stone takes place over the course of a year in São...
Pity
Book
The town was once a hub of industry. A place where men toiled underground in darkness, picking and...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2652 KP) rated The Jig is Up in Books
Aug 22, 2024
I’m a little surprised we haven’t seen an Irish touristy town as a series theme before now. While I did feel things and characters could have been a bit more fleshed out, I enjoyed what we got here. The theming is fun and made me smile multiple times. The characters are, likewise, charming, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better. The mystery got off to a strong start, and the book kept me engaged, even with some things that might have annoyed me in lesser hands. You’ll dance through this debut and be left anxious for the encore.
Obiefuna has to keep his sexuality hidden as Nigeria moves to criminalise homosexuality, and he finds himself living a lie at school, and even participating in another boys brutal beating.
This could just be an emotionally devastating story of an ostracised boy, but there is love in this, from Obi’s mother and those he meets when he leaves school. He is a resilient boy and man who does find love.
I listened to this on audiobook (from Xigxag) and it was read so well by Fejiro Emasiobi and Tariye Peterside. This added much to the story itself - even just by teaching me how to pronounce the characters names properly. They also ramped up the emotion for me, especially when Obi is a boy.
This is a stunning debut and well worth a read (or a listen!!).


