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Murder in a Small Town
"This book captures life in a small town. It tells of its uniqueness, its beauty, its simplicity and its dirty little secrets.
Murder, mayhem, wild ambition and sinister plots do not always fall under the exclusive domain of a big city environment. They can be secretly planned out, orchestrated and executed under the mantel of a quiet, picturesque country life where murder is served up with mom's hot apple pie."
Murder, mayhem, wild ambition and sinister plots do not always fall under the exclusive domain of a big city environment. They can be secretly planned out, orchestrated and executed under the mantel of a quiet, picturesque country life where murder is served up with mom's hot apple pie."
177 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 24, 2018
3.5 stars.
I won't lie and say that I loved this story, because I definitely had my issues with it.
A Murder in a Small Town is about two young people, Virginia and Kevin, who decide to play detectives after Virginia's great aunt's murder. The storyline is intriguing, strewn with historical facts and unexpected twists.
However, I found the characters relatively dull and flat. Never once does Virginia argue with Kevin, never do they have opposing thoughts or ideas, and never do either of them have doubts about the danger of their investigation. The only time the police are present is to tell them about how they can't catch the culprits because of lack of evidence or technically legal situations, or to back off. The two play-detectives are repeatedly asked to leave the investigating to the professionals, and yet they completely ignore them.
I did not sympathize, nor did I even remotely like, the two main characters. Nearly all of the supporting characters had a clear role as either a bad guy, or an innocent, (and ignorant) stand-by. Filler. I would've liked to see more suspicious characters who acted as shapeshifters or tricksters.
The dialogue annoyed me, as it didn't feel real. It was more like one of those detective apps, where you're given all the information you need to find the next clue: it's out in the open, clear, and obvious, not at all how people would speak in reality, save for a few humorous jokes.
At some point Virginia had a dream, which was written in 1st person, unlike the rest of the entire book.
Lastly, the repeated typos and awkward sentence structure made the reading choppy.
However, I did like the message at the end, and the epilogue was unexpected.
I won't lie and say that I loved this story, because I definitely had my issues with it.
A Murder in a Small Town is about two young people, Virginia and Kevin, who decide to play detectives after Virginia's great aunt's murder. The storyline is intriguing, strewn with historical facts and unexpected twists.
However, I found the characters relatively dull and flat. Never once does Virginia argue with Kevin, never do they have opposing thoughts or ideas, and never do either of them have doubts about the danger of their investigation. The only time the police are present is to tell them about how they can't catch the culprits because of lack of evidence or technically legal situations, or to back off. The two play-detectives are repeatedly asked to leave the investigating to the professionals, and yet they completely ignore them.
I did not sympathize, nor did I even remotely like, the two main characters. Nearly all of the supporting characters had a clear role as either a bad guy, or an innocent, (and ignorant) stand-by. Filler. I would've liked to see more suspicious characters who acted as shapeshifters or tricksters.
The dialogue annoyed me, as it didn't feel real. It was more like one of those detective apps, where you're given all the information you need to find the next clue: it's out in the open, clear, and obvious, not at all how people would speak in reality, save for a few humorous jokes.
At some point Virginia had a dream, which was written in 1st person, unlike the rest of the entire book.
Lastly, the repeated typos and awkward sentence structure made the reading choppy.
However, I did like the message at the end, and the epilogue was unexpected.
June 12, 2019
Murder in a Small Town By Frank Hicks
I think this small town writer has written a very good mystery. There is humour, suspense, intrigue, and a love story. I read this book in one sitting always anxious to read to the next page. A mystery well crafted, a must read for mystery fans.
I think this small town writer has written a very good mystery. There is humour, suspense, intrigue, and a love story. I read this book in one sitting always anxious to read to the next page. A mystery well crafted, a must read for mystery fans.
January 5, 2018
Murder in Small Town was written by a local colourful character in my home town, with the book based loosely on many colourful characters in this same town. This is a fun, fast paced whodunnit murder(s) which had me flipping pages until the very end, with one last unexpected surprise! Bravo, Frank!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews