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40x40

Ross (3284 KP) rated The Paris Mysteries in Books

Dec 27, 2019  
The Paris Mysteries
The Paris Mysteries
Edgar Allan Poe | 2019 | Crime, Thriller
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Crime fiction stripped bare - all tell
"Show, don't tell" is the mantra of many authors. It means give the reader the information so they can decipher the plot at their own pace, with various tidbits of information scattered throughout a book. It doesn't mean long rambling sections of exposition.
This phrase was clearly coined after Poe's demise, as he doesn't seem to have ever heard it.
Yes, he is undoubtedly the first and most important writer of detective/crime fiction. This by no means suggests it is any good.
The three stories are really just a setting out of a mysterious crime with some facts/suspicions, with a lengthy monologue where C August Dupin solves the mystery. That's it. No suspense. No character development. No real scene setting. Just a slightly puzzling crime followed by a smartarse giving the solution.
The main thing to take away from these three Poe stories is that the police and detectives used to be rubbish and looked for the wrong evidence, or were sidetracked by what they wanted to see. There are many crimes and stories with apparently impossible solutions which can't seem to be unravelled. This idea absolutely was the genesis of the rich and varied crime genre we have today. The idea that a strange set of circumstances can arise where an apparently normal crime can be committed but with the evidence so obscure and tangled that unravelling it would take a genius.
Sadly, Poe didn't put the story around the bare bones of these crimes. So all we have is three exam questions with a know-it-all giving the answer, with no charm, no suspense, no thrilling conclusion. One of them barely even concludes the murderer, just spends an age picking holes in the logic applied by various newspapers in trying to document the crime.
I might be interested in reading a retelling of these stories (except the one where a letter has simply gone missing and is found my looking somewhere obvious), where someone actually weaves a narrative around the bare bones.
I appreciate Poe's efforts because of what followed, but not for what they themselves are.
  
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TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated The Red Ribbon (True Colors #8) in Books

Feb 23, 2021  
The Red Ribbon (True Colors #8)
The Red Ribbon (True Colors #8)
Pepper D. Basham | 2020 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
While this is not my first time reading a book by Pepper Basham it is one of my favorites! She combined two of my favorite things in one book (Mystery + Sweet Romance) and did it in a thoroughly enjoyable way. The True Colors crime series by Barbour has been one of my most looked forward to installments over this past year, each author bringing a different writing style and creativity to the table.

The Red Ribbon had great character build-ups, sweet moments, and mystery on every page. Ava and Jeremiah were an interesting couple that kept me engaged swept up in the story with them. The story itself was well written and a great mystery; I am glad Pepper Basham chose to write about this mystery as I had not heard of it before. I think because the story was based in her backyard that Pepper Basham was able to bring a lot of realism and vivid descriptions to town life, the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the character's actions. Fans of mysteries need to put this on their TBR pile as it will give them a very interesting story to read!

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for the great characters, the intriguing mystery, and for the well-developed storyline that pulled me in and would not let go.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.