This series just keeps getting better. The series is so good at surprises. I was surprised that Kuldesh was the victim, I figured he would play a part after he was introduced last book, but not in this way. I was surprised at Steven’s choice, I was like Joyce and thought he was going to move to a nursing home, but it made sense for his character. I was surprised at the police chief from head office. I actually really love how she ended up allies with Donna and Chris. That sarcastic comment from Donna after meeting the chief ended up being the exact truth 😂
Sort of surprise related, but one of the things I like is knowing that things are going to be linked back to each other, but having no idea how. In this case it was the romance scammer. Although technically they weren’t related, but Joyce used one case to help further their progress in another which was quite smart. And I was wondering about the horse stuff, but that was a red herring 😝 Although Nina did reference horse killings in her confession. Which felt like a wink from the author haha.
I really liked the introduction of Bob. I feel bad that he gets referred to as Computer Bob though 🤣 The main four are all pretty unreserved in their behaviour so I feel like Bob can be the cautious element of the group. Mervyn is frustrating, but then so is Joyce and her pursual of him lol. And another new resident introduced at the very end, I’m very curious about what his personality is like.
I love the progression of Connie and Ibrahim’s relationship. I feel like Ibrahim has fully gotten over his fear from the second novel. I really like how Ibrahim will notice differences in Connie’s behaviour, which then get explained from Connie’s point of view later on. And once again, the puppet master pulling more strings and getting away with it 😁 I guess that’s another thing the series does consistently, the characters don’t care about the whole truth, they just care about getting the outcome they want. Which is fair enough, they’re not the justice system.
I was happy about the appearance of Jason and Karen, I was hoping their relationship was going well. The Only Fans thing was pretty funny. It did make me wonder if this will make the book dated. I thought the same about the other series mentioned in the author’s afterword, which I have read and also wondered them about how dated it would be since it was very reliant on ChatGPT in it’s current state. I think what this indicates is that I should try to read Osman’s books as they come out so I can appreciate them in the moment. Oh and speaking of relationships, Bogdan crying and asking Donna to sing him a lullaby or something and her responding with details on the latest murder, and that apparently satisfying his request, was hilarious. And even more impressive was the timing of the scene. It was sad, but somehow the humour didn’t feel out of place, I guess because it was totally in character. That was masterful writing in my opinion.
Now I actually have to wait for the next novel. I hope Victor gets to play a bigger part, I think he’s such a fun character. And farewell Steven, he will definitely be missed 🥲
Categories: Book Reviews
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