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David McK (3679 KP) rated Playing with Fire (Skulduggery Pleasant, #2) in Books

Nov 9, 2025

Hmmmm ... I'm unsure what to feel about this one.

The second in Derek Landy's 'Skulduggery Pleasant' series (after Skulduggery Pleasant), this - for large part - feels juvenile, very much aimed towards a younger audience.

And then we get short, sudden shocks of pure body horror, enough to give (I imagine) the more sensitive young reader nightmares.

So, if it was a movie, large parts PG, maybe, with certain other sections more like an 18.

Anyway, knowing that (and with that in mind), it's enjoyable enough, continuing on the story of Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain that was started in the previous novel, with plenty of plot threads left hanging open for the sequels.

Kudos

Sue (5 KP) rated Hair of the Dog in Books

Aug 13, 2018

Winery owner and amateur sleuth Penny Lively is knee deep in another murder. There is trouble at the veterinarian’s office where Cousin Annie is being accused of murder. She is found standing over the body of her business partner and holding the murder weapon. It is not what it looks like so Penny is on the case to find the real murderer and clear Annie’s good name.

The book has a lot of great suspects to choose from; the grieving widow, the fired vet tech, an old friend that’s in love with the grieving widow, a flirty business rep, and a bookkeeper with memory problems. Just when you think you know who the murderer could be, another murder takes place. The characters are quirky and enjoyable, the pace of the book is good, and the plot/mystery has enough twists and turns.

This is the third book in the series but can be read as a stand-alone without much confusion.