Ross (3284 KP) rated Dyed in the Wool in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Other than one or two slightly clunky plot devices (working out someone's identity from their chat board user name) this was a compelling, well-written crime novel.
Synners
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Synners are synthesizers - not machines, but people. They take images from the brains of performers,...
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James Atlas and John Clellon Holmes
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The novel that launched the beat generation's literary legacy describes the world of Jack Kerouac,...
Mr Mercedes
8.5
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Mr. Mercedes is an American mystery thriller television series based on the novel of the same name...
Mr Mercedes
The Godwulf Manuscript (Spenser Series #1)
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The first detective novel featuring Boston PI Spenser, in Robert B. Parker's acclaimed and...
Midge (525 KP) rated House of Beauty in Books
Feb 14, 2019
I was lured by the premise of a crime novel centring around a beauty salon, featuring the murder of a schoolgirl, concealed by corrupt officials involved in massive healthcare fraud, all happening in Bogota in Columbia. It sounded like a brilliant idea for a novel! I was also drawn by the notion of a beauty salon as a safe place to go, where women can discuss their innermost secrets with each other with no male intrusion.
HOUSE OF BEAUTY was an interesting read which brought a reality that touches on current and pertinent social aspects in Columbia.
I did not enjoy this novel as much as I might have, as some of my enjoyment was lost in the translation. Putting the issue of translation difficulties aside, I found there to be some confusing elements in this novel and not enough detail about the motive for the murder and the ensuing investigation. The detail of the murder itself is very specifically explained which I liked. The book is told from the perspective of two women, after the murder of Sabrina Guzman has already taken place. Claire, a customer at the salon and ghostwriter Lucia, are both middle-class Columbians. However, there’s nothing to make their respective points of view distinctive, so I was frequently puzzled as to which one of them was currently speaking. There are also third-person chapters from the perspective of Karen, a beautician at the salon; from Sabrina Guzman, the girl who dies; and from Sabrina’s mother, Consuelo.
I was fully involved in the story and was keen to know how Karen dealt with all of her difficulties she had with her life, however, I felt that I didn’t really understand the precise reason for the crime being committed. The conclusion, although it had some interesting twists, did not bring everything totally together for me, but maybe that was the author’s intention. It definitely left some room for further thought even after I had finished reading.
All in all, I would recommend Melba Escobar’s HOUSE OF BEAUTY for its originality.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the northerly town of Gravik, death arrives in the shape of suicide: the owner of the town's main employer - a liqourice factory - throws himself to his death one morning.
It's solid piece of crime fiction with a plot that weaves around and throws out plenty of misdirection, keeping the reader on their puzzle-solving toes.
What gives this book edge is the characters. Dean has delivered some of the most believable female characters I have ever read, and chief amongst them is Cece. That old woman is an absolute delight and should have books all of her own. I don't know if she is modelled on a flesh and blood person, but Will gets full marks just for writing her in.
Who Killed These Girls? The Unsolved Murders That Rocked a Texas Town
9.0
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The facts are brutally straightforward. On December 6, 1991, the naked, bound-and-gagged, burned...
The Last of the Stansfields
8.0
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A mystery, a love story, and a search through a shadowy past. Two strangers unite in this novel of...