Category: Mystery

James Polkinghorn’s “Liquid Shades of Blue” is a breezy summer read that delivers on suspense. The story kicks off fast and keeps you turning pages, eager to unravel the mystery surrounding Jack Girard’s mother’s death.

The Florida setting adds a layer of atmosphere, and the pacing is spot-on. However, the characters felt a bit one-dimensional. Jack, the protagonist, is a likable enough ex-lawyer, but could have benefited from more depth. The same goes for the supporting cast.

There were also a few plot detours that felt unnecessary, like distractions from the central mystery. These side stories didn’t quite land and pulled me out of the main narrative at times.

That being said, the ending was satisfying. Polkinghorn ties things up neatly, delivering a resolution that feels earned.

Overall, “Liquid Shades of Blue” is a decent choice for a quick and entertaining mystery read.

“The Figurine” by Victoria Hislop is a slow-burning Athens adventure fueled by ancient secrets and simmering tension. Unveiling family mysteries through a trove of antiquities, Hislop masterfully blends suspense and a love of Athens and Greek society. Though the ending may peek through, the journey grips you tight, a page turner!

“Harlem after Midnight” by Louise Hare attempts to transport readers to the atmospheric scene of Harlem in the 1930s, promising a blend of mystery and historical fiction. However, the novel falls short of its potential, leaving readers feeling unsatisfied.

The novel opens with a crime scene, as the story unfolds, the plot is divided into two distinct threads that never quite come together cohesively.

While the book maintains an air of mystery throughout, it fails to provide satisfying resolutions to the mysteries it presents. There are numerous references to past events that are confusing and never adequately explained or clarified, leaving the reader frustrated.

“Harlem after Midnight” is the second installment in a series, but it lacks the standalone quality that would allow new readers to jump into the story without feeling lost, it relies too much on knowledge from the first book.

While “Harlem after Midnight” offers a promising setting and an initial intriguing crime scene, it ultimately fails to deliver on its potential due to disjointed plotlines, unresolved mysteries, and a heavy reliance on prior knowledge from the series. This lack of cohesion and explanation makes it an unsatisfying read for those not already invested in the series.

Ragnar Jonasson is a highly acclaimed Icelandic writer who I had never heard of before reading The Girl who Died.

Una has taken a job as a school teacher in a remote Icelandic community to escape from her stifling life in Reykavik. the only problem is that the tiny village only has 10 residents and they are both unnaturally close to each other and unfriendly to outsiders. Una struggles to assimilate or to build a relationship with her two pupils. She has brief sightings of an unknown girl that no one acknowledges but perhaps she has been drinking too much.

Then a young girl is found dead and with only 9 people left in the village suspicion starts to grow.

This is dark and sort of scandi atmospheric but overall it is unsatisfying, I pressed on to the end but didn’t really care how it would resolve.

2/5