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Sto caricando le informazioni... Murder on the Housedi Juliet Blackwell
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Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. One of the worst mysteries I have ever read…& that is saying a lot. First of all, our protagonist is described as an independent, talented, & accomplished woman—successful & confident in her abilities to make decisions & take care of herself. Even though that is how she is described, that is not how she behaves. In actuality, she is constantly manipulated & talked down to by the assorted men in her life. Throw in the obligatory patronizing boyfriend who keeps tabs on her movements & incessantly intrudes when he is not wanted, and you get a female sleuth who can’t help but appear infantile & weak-minded. I don’t know what is more embarrassing: the fact that these types of characters are standard to the modern-day mystery novel, or the fact that these simpering females are often created by female writers. The mystery around which this book is centered is equally vapid. The murderer is obvious almost from the get-go; and, quite frankly, the plot is neither compelling nor well-constructed. The author also has a tendency to leave what could have been cleverly crafted clues lying around untended and unused. And don’t even get me started on the protagonist’s lame ghostly encounters…sheesh! In addition, there is so much conflict, antagonism, nagging, & straight-up bickering among all the detestable characters in this book, it left me with a sour stomach. And what is up with the protagonist’s bizarre obsession with her former stepson? He has a mother; he has a father; he even has a new stepmother. So, why does she constantly hover around him like a specter? He’s a teenager, not her pet monkey. Her fixation on him was just disturbing. Even more disturbing was the author's derisive treatment of Kim & Marty, the prospective B & B proprietors. Kim & Marty hail from Fort Wayne, Indiana, so it is naturally taken for granted they are a couple of backwater hayseeds worthy of contempt and ridicule from all of the other characters in the book. Yes, it is a truth universally acknowledged (by Juliet Blackwell, anyway) that everyone from Fort Wayne and—by extension—the Midwest is an inbred rube who rates only slightly lower than pond scum when it comes to rankings in inherent value, intellect and sophistication. From personal experience, I know for a fact that people residing in the Bay Area—especially in Oakland—have no legitimate claims to superiority. It is one thing to have a couple of characters who are comedic bumpkins who just happen to be from Fort Wayne, Indiana; it is quite another to create a couple of characters who are considered simpleminded buffoons BECAUSE they are from Fort Wayne, Indiana. It’s just a completely unnecessary way to flagrantly insult a large segment of readers & an even broader segment of anyone with common sense & decency. But we mustn’t give Juliet Blackwell any credit for respecting the integrity of her readers or of her chosen genre. Overall, this book reads more like an ACLU propaganda treatise than a cozy mystery novel. Blackwell literally bludgeons her readers over the head with an endless supply of sermonizing about “alternative lifestyles”, gun control, illegal immigration, ICE, the environment, and any number of other tired political agendas. Whether I agree with, disagree with, or am indifferent to the opinions churned out by Blackwell, I certainly do not look for such heavy-handed, sanctimonious soapboxing in my weekend selections for light reading. And, for all of my vegetarian friends out there: sad to say, this is a book that contains yet another one of those seemingly ubiquitous snarky comments about tofu…for no apparent reason. You’ve been forewarned. This utter cowpat of a book has deservedly found its way into my rubbish bin, and I certainly will go out of my way to avoid other works by this author. In the future, Juliet Blackwell should consider climbing down off that high horse of hers. It will probably make it easier for her to write; it will definitely make her writing easier on her readers. family-dynamics, friendship, relationship-issues, renovation, general-contractor, ghosts Mel the anthropologist/general contractor/lover of all things old house is slowly edging into some kind of comfort level with her ability to see and communicate with ghosts. And that is one thread in the story. Another is her relationship with a man she is attracted to, and yet another is with her ex-stepson and his father. Besides interacting with the owners of the house she is helping to bring into code for a Bed And Breakfast she is becoming friends with the little girl who has lived there since before her death in 1912. And then there is the current murder to be investigated and all the copies of the will to be found. Great story! Xe Sands has great skills in interpreting the characters as their narrator. Another 3 1/2 and still feel there should be six or seven stars to give a true estimate of enjoyment. I forgot to put down my feelings of reading over audio in last book....reading is better by a huge magnitude. Listening was interesting but I noted when reading that I missed so much of the actual story, all the details. I much prefer hearing the voices as my mind makes them or not as the case may be. I had a choice of reading or listening to this book and chose reading. I have noted that reading on a Kindle is less focused than reading a paperback and listening is even less focused. I am liking this series and am off to read book four next. I have 4 1/2 and 5 and preordered book six so you know I like it. nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
Appartiene alle Serie
Fiction.
Literature.
Mystery.
Word has spread that contractor Mel Turner can communicate with the spirits of the dead, and she's having a hard time maintaining a low profile. She decides to embrace her reputation for the chance to restore a historic house that calls to her. The new owners, who hope to run a haunted bed-and-breakfast, want Mel to encourage the ghosts that supposedly roam the halls to enhance the house's paranormal charm. The catch: Mel has to spend one night in the house to win the project. During the spine-chilling sleepover, the estate gains another supernatural occupant when someone doesn't survive the night. As Mel tries to coax the resident spirits into revealing the identity of the killer, she risks becoming the next casualty of this dangerous renovation. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyClassificazione LCVotoMedia:
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I was able to figure out the mystery of the older deaths pretty easily from the clues given, but there were enough suspects for the current murder mystery for the final reveal to be satisfying. There's some light romance, and I find the whole trope of the MC obviously being far more attractive than she thinks she is annoying, but still would recommend.
The author slips in a little commentary on the role of immigrants/undocumented workers in the construction business and the challenges they face and some truly unsavory business practices they are subjected to.
Audiobook via Audible. The performance by Xe Sands really enhances this story. ( )