C. (Comment, never msg).’s Reviews > The Last Word > Status Update

Well now we are trotting along. We knew there were personal developments galore but despite flat narration and throwaway dialogue for the first half, we feel the heart of every development and personal development now and are well-invested in them and moved by them. Furthermore the mystery, which never lacked originality, has accumulated intriguing clues that I am enjoying immensely. I will coast through this now.

Narration and dialogue lack the oomph of legendary authors I have read lately. That must be what it is, unless an author can be more stilted than usual, because I loved Ellery Adams's first two novels. Perhaps an additional contributer was the need to summarize so much now. As I wrote, however; all the ingredients are here for me to love this story and I do. It grows personal quickly and I am invested in it all.

I prefer "standard mystery" to "cozy mystery" and cats to dogs by far but enjoyed this 40 year-old heroine. We need more of them. However, this volume is starting out flat and narrating at us, instead of "showing". We'll see if I dig it like the others.

What I need is modernity! My whopping 5 novels so far were from 1927, 1930, 1989, 2000 set in 1893 and 2000 in Botswana, which felt far off and old. Hello 2011!