Reviews - Ian Rankin, Dorothy L. Sayers
Hide and Seek (Ian Rankin)
I've read this one before, but my memories of it were so hazy that I wasn't surprised by anything, but I didn't remember much before I read it, either. It isn't really very memorable, and Rebus as a character is less interesting than in the first book, bouncing around from hangover to hangover without even interesting blackouts to dignify himself with. I find it hard to understand how the brains of the Marlowes and Rebuses of crime fiction aren't rotted away to nothing by all the alcohol... Tartan noir, indeed.
It's entertaining enough, particularly if you like the strongly Scottish flavour or want to follow Rebus further. I'm planning to read (or reread) all of the Rebus books, because I never finished them before, and I'm told they get very, very good. Besides, I like to read all of a series, once I've started.
Clouds of Witness (Dorothy L. Sayers)
I do like Lord Peter. I was surprised at how little of him there was in this one, considering the family connection. In the first book, there were hints at his PTSD and such, but I didn't feel like the narrative of this book was as close to him. He wasn't so annoying, either, in his speech or attitude: part of that was probably knowing what to expect, of course, but still, it all felt somewhat toned down in this one, and not much by way of overarching plot seemed to happen -- I'm told it will, later on; I'm just eagerly watching out for it.
This one's a good mystery. Plenty of red herrings to keep one occupied, but not so difficult that it doesn't come straight near the end. Some things I got ahead of time, too, but not everything, which nicely balances the need to feel clever with the need for mystery to keep one reading.
The scenes/transcripts from court got perhaps a little too long-winded, but for the most part I found it nicely paced and easy to read.
Definitely a fun one.
Unnatural Death (Dorothy L. Sayers)
Still not seeing much of Lord Peter as a character, to date. In fact, looking back over it, this book didn't really spend much time with him at all, at least not much time of any consequence -- even less than in Clouds of Witness, though there was, of course, a family connection there. It doesn't seem strongly tied to the other books: there's little reference to Peter Wimsey's family, or Parker's interest in Lady Mary, or such things. I could have wished for more of Bunter, too. I'm not sure if it's my interest in the characters making me expect them to be included more, or whether there's genuinely less of them.
It's an interesting little mystery, anyway, and I probably wouldn't have figured out the cause of death if I hadn't seen a similar scenario in NCIS a couple of days ago. A lot of the mystery in this is in figuring out how it was done. Again, there was a nice sense of me being able to figure things out, with enough mystery left behind that I needed to keep reading.
Fun to read, like the others.
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Dorothy L. Sayers)
I figured this one out far too quickly, before I was even half-way through reading it. That made it just a little tiresome, especially as it isn't very plotty in any over-arching way. I do love Lord Peter as a character, though -- initially I didn't, for much the same reasons as I do now: his manner, his way of talking... He lightens it, in some ways. I wish there was more of Bunter, really, more than ever. He did very little in this book.
One thing I did like was the characters we get introduced to, in this book: Sheila Fentiman for one, with her devotion to her husband, and I really rather liked the Dorland girl when we actually got to know her a little. I was glad for the chance of a happy end for her, really.
Fun in its way, but I figured the mystery out too fast, which made some parts drag rather. I hope the more character-driven stuff comes soon...
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I've read this one before, but my memories of it were so hazy that I wasn't surprised by anything, but I didn't remember much before I read it, either. It isn't really very memorable, and Rebus as a character is less interesting than in the first book, bouncing around from hangover to hangover without even interesting blackouts to dignify himself with. I find it hard to understand how the brains of the Marlowes and Rebuses of crime fiction aren't rotted away to nothing by all the alcohol... Tartan noir, indeed.
It's entertaining enough, particularly if you like the strongly Scottish flavour or want to follow Rebus further. I'm planning to read (or reread) all of the Rebus books, because I never finished them before, and I'm told they get very, very good. Besides, I like to read all of a series, once I've started.
Clouds of Witness (Dorothy L. Sayers)
I do like Lord Peter. I was surprised at how little of him there was in this one, considering the family connection. In the first book, there were hints at his PTSD and such, but I didn't feel like the narrative of this book was as close to him. He wasn't so annoying, either, in his speech or attitude: part of that was probably knowing what to expect, of course, but still, it all felt somewhat toned down in this one, and not much by way of overarching plot seemed to happen -- I'm told it will, later on; I'm just eagerly watching out for it.
This one's a good mystery. Plenty of red herrings to keep one occupied, but not so difficult that it doesn't come straight near the end. Some things I got ahead of time, too, but not everything, which nicely balances the need to feel clever with the need for mystery to keep one reading.
The scenes/transcripts from court got perhaps a little too long-winded, but for the most part I found it nicely paced and easy to read.
Definitely a fun one.
Unnatural Death (Dorothy L. Sayers)
Still not seeing much of Lord Peter as a character, to date. In fact, looking back over it, this book didn't really spend much time with him at all, at least not much time of any consequence -- even less than in Clouds of Witness, though there was, of course, a family connection there. It doesn't seem strongly tied to the other books: there's little reference to Peter Wimsey's family, or Parker's interest in Lady Mary, or such things. I could have wished for more of Bunter, too. I'm not sure if it's my interest in the characters making me expect them to be included more, or whether there's genuinely less of them.
It's an interesting little mystery, anyway, and I probably wouldn't have figured out the cause of death if I hadn't seen a similar scenario in NCIS a couple of days ago. A lot of the mystery in this is in figuring out how it was done. Again, there was a nice sense of me being able to figure things out, with enough mystery left behind that I needed to keep reading.
Fun to read, like the others.
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Dorothy L. Sayers)
I figured this one out far too quickly, before I was even half-way through reading it. That made it just a little tiresome, especially as it isn't very plotty in any over-arching way. I do love Lord Peter as a character, though -- initially I didn't, for much the same reasons as I do now: his manner, his way of talking... He lightens it, in some ways. I wish there was more of Bunter, really, more than ever. He did very little in this book.
One thing I did like was the characters we get introduced to, in this book: Sheila Fentiman for one, with her devotion to her husband, and I really rather liked the Dorland girl when we actually got to know her a little. I was glad for the chance of a happy end for her, really.
Fun in its way, but I figured the mystery out too fast, which made some parts drag rather. I hope the more character-driven stuff comes soon...
Stuff here is posted first to Dreamwidth. I won't disable comments here, but I prefer to receive comments on DW. Go here to do so. If you need a DW invite, ask. There is a tutorial on how to set up your OpenID here. If you comment anonymously, please sign your comments!