Book Reviews: Quick looks at some crime and related reads

 October was a busy month, but I did get through some crime reads! Here's what I thought about each.

1. A Man With One of Those Faces by Caimh McDonnell

This was fun, well-paced, and very funny in places. I love the Irish humour and also maudlin strains, and I thought Paul and Bridget were excellent protagonists, with a vivid supporting cast along for the madcap ride. I did guess the outlines of the ending long before we got there, but that didn't make it any less entertaining. My only small caveat is that I found Bunny McGarry more irritating than I think he was meant to be, so I wasn't completely rapt with him playing such a major role in the second half of the book in particular. Still, very entertaining! 7.5/10.

2. Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

There has been such a lot of buzz about this book, and yet I had never got around to it til now (thanks Top 100 Australian Books poll for giving me the nudge!) In the end, I enjoyed it, especially the main character (Elsie / Mabel) who was vividly realised, but I thought the reveals were quite obvious (I picked all of them) and there were a couple of logical errors that irritated me. That said, Hepworth's writing is lively, engaging and fun to read, and I flew through it. 6.5/10 overall.

3. The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett

The latest in Hallett's epistolary efforts, I found this book a lot of fun, as always, but the twists were much more predictable and less clever than in past Hallett efforts, and it wasn't nearly as compelling a read for me. I think her schtick may be almost played out now, which is not to say I didn't have a good time reading it! 6/10.

4. Death Writ Large by Susie Dent

This was very enjoyable, even though I seem to have accidentally started in book 2 of a series. I thought the Oxford setting was used extremely effectively, and I loved the lexicographic hook - the dictionary staff and their word nerdery really scratched my brain just right. (I also picked up a couple of new-to-me archaic words that I will be deploying into my own writing!) As a mystery, the first half was substantially better than the second half - once the first mystery (what is the historical wrongdoing for which this group of former close university friends are being persecuted?) is solved, the solution to the overall mystery was pretty obvious, so in that sense, the final 30% dragged a bit for me. The main cast of characters were quite engaging; I enjoyed Saffy, Theo, all the cops, and the various minor players, and I especially like Alex, whose independence, liveliness and spiky intelligence appeals to me as a woman close to her age. I did find Martha, the central protagonist, a wee bit of a sad sack, but I forgave that in the context of what was essentially an ensemble cast story that didn't rest entirely on relating to her. Overall, a really good read that I whipped through pretty quickly. Despite not really nailing its ending, I's still very much recommend it to mystery readers, particularly ones who are also word or puzzle fanciers. 7.5/10.