Syd Moore

I really wish I'd read the reviews before diving into this one. I would have sworn that the author was male based on the way this female protagonist is written, but apparently the author is a "loud and proud Essex girl" which is fair enough; my family is from Essex so I'm well aware of the stereotype and applaud any woman who aims to beat it. However, the author doesn't seem to have a clue whether she's actually trying to prove the stereotype right or wrong. On the one hand, she introduces a really interesting hypothesis about the hysteria of witches gradually becoming the modern-day stereotype of 'Essex Girls' (a quick google shows that the author has published an opinion piece on this). However, it isn't the female protagonist that introduces this - it's a male character. It's a male character that is portrayed as being the intellectual one while the protagonist is the out of her depth dimwit.

And it only gets worse from there. As soon as she meets this man, who is, of course, gorgeous she's talking about her breasts and how a girl "always" needs a generous amount of bounce. Umm, what??? Then begins the constant thoughts of her jumping into bed with him. This all before page 124.

I'm sure there's probably a terrible sex scene at some point, and I was prepared to skip over it because the plot intrigued me. What I couldn't overlook was the protagonist's blatant bigotism. The protagonist is a Benefits Fraud Officer who delights in hunting down people receiving benefits and 'catching them in the act' because, of course, everyone on benefits is just scheming the government in some way. The way the protagonist's comments come across leaves me in no doubt of the author's political persuasion put it that way.

The final straw came on page 124 when snide remarks were made about an old woman, a total stranger, which the protagonist and her intellectual companion approached as part of their investigation. There was absolutely zero reason for the following description other than being callous:

" [...] although I had a hunch that she had been cursed with the kind of face that probably looked old in her teens. "

And let's not forget the follow up judgemental comment: "We’d interrupted her enjoying a rare pleasure: the thin, white book in her hand could have been a Mills & Boon. Or something that was fifty shades more fruity."

The author had already made a point of referring to the couple as "Enjoying their baby-boomer retirement, sucking the life out of the NHS and the government pension pots".

Yep. After all that I decided that as interesting as the plot was, I didn't have the stomach for more of the judgemental bollocks. I can get enough of that IRL, I don't need it in something I read for pleasure.… (altro)

Nice premise that isn't delivered upon. The book is oddly repetitive and slowly paced, and the will they, won't they-dynamic that feels as if it's supposed to drive a lot of the tension is juvenile and soulless, with no real chemistry between the characters (petty bickering is not the same as witty repartee).

Also, the main character's motivations are unclear and muddled: she repeatedly states that she doesn't belive in magic, but seems to have no problem with discussing the ramification of curses and hauntings as a matter of facts

The end result is something of a mess. Best avoided.… (altro)

“Strange Sight” is the second instalment in Syd Moore’s projected “Essex Witch Museum” trilogy. I hadn’t read the first novel in the series ([b:Strange Magic|32073145|Strange Magic (Essex Witches, #1)|Syd Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1485260662s/32073145.jpg|52720646]), but this did not detract from my enjoyment of this book, not least because as we go along the author deftly fills us newbies in with the facts we need to know. The back story can be briefly summed up. Rosie Strange unexpectedly inherits a “witch museum” set up by her grandfather Septimus, whom she hardly knew. Rosie is a down-to-earth, thirty-something “Essex girl” and scepticism runs in her blood (she’s a benefits fraud inspector, so one would hardly expect otherwise). She is bent on a quick sale of the museum, but finds herself oddly attracted to it. And to its resident curator, Sam Stone. She soon also becomes embroiled in enquiries of an otherworldly bent. In the case of “Strange Sight”, Strange and Stone are called to investigate ghostly manifestations in a high-end London restaurant, only to discover that the chef has been killed in what seems to be a ritual murder. The ghostbusters turn sleuths as they try to crack the link between this terrible crime and the ongoing hauntings.

Of course, crime and supernatural genres have been combined before. One thinks of [a:William Hope Hodgson|51422|William Hope Hodgson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1246727581p2/51422.jpg]’s Carnacki series or, closer to us, [a:John Connolly|38951|John Connolly|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201288913p2/38951.jpg]’s Charlie Parker novels. What I liked about Moore is that the supernatural aspect does not drown out the “crime novel” elements. Indeed, the mystery is well-plotted, satisfactorily concluded and could stand its ground even without the otherwordly baggage. The ghostly sub-plots however add an element of frisson and there are hints that there is an overarching mystery directly involving Rosie Strange which will only be unravelled in the final book. What makes this novel a success is the endearing investigative duo, and especially the funny, charismatic Rosie, who doubles as narrator. Part Mulder and Scully, part Holmes and Watson, with some Bridget Jones thrown into the mix, it is the unlikely chemistry between the two which drives this book. That and the witty dialogue.

This is an entertaining novel, a perfect read for summer (or make that a spooky autumn afternoon), and one which I wouldn’t mind seeing adapted for the screen.

An electronic copy of this novel was provided through NetGalley in return for an honest review… (altro)