Magpie Murders by Anthony HorowitzMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Strange that I should be giving only two stars to a book that I found hard to put down but the end was so lame that it quite ruined the book for me. Horowitz captures the golden age style of writing splendidly - I would love reading the earlier Atticus Pund mysteries- but the frame-narrative was disappointing. The opening lines, however, are some of the best out there:
"A bottle of wine. A family-sized packet of Nacho Cheese Flavoured Tortilla Chips and a jar of hot salsa dip. A packet of cigarettes on the side (I know, I know). The rain hammering against the windows. And a book.
What could have been lovelier?"
Indeed what can be lovelier though I can do without cigarettes and replace wine with tea.
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Sorry to hear you didn't like this one more than you did, Neeru. I have to agree with that quote, though. Except no thank you on the cigarettes...
ReplyDeleteThat quote is absolutely lovely,isn't it, Margot? Oh..the thrill of reading a mystery while a storm rages outside...
DeleteIt's strange how important an ending is to our overall perception of a book. I've had similar experiences with books, though not with this one. I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog, Kate. The end has often ruined a book for me and in this case the motive for murder was pretty thin. I am in a minority, though:)
DeleteI agree on endings. A good ending can make me love a book I was indifferent about, and a bad one can sour me on the book entirely.
ReplyDeleteGlad we agree on this, Tracy. A bad ending has been a bane of many a book that till then I found unputdownable
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