Rating: Not For Me (2 Stars)
Source: Publisher
Description: In Columbia Mansions, secrets don’t stay behind closed doors for long…
It's rare for a room to open up in London’s storied Columbia Mansions, and lonely Gwen is thrilled when an unexpected new subletter, Pixie, turns out to be a friendly breath of fresh air to its stuffy halls. Their unlikely cross-generational bond soon becomes the bright spot in Gwen’s quiet life.
But Gwen can’t help noticing cracks beneath Pixie's cheerful surface—especially when it comes to her questionable financial arrangement with her live-in landlord, Alec. As suspicions mount, Gwen’s protective instincts go into overdrive, triggering a dangerous chain of events no one is prepared for.
The last thing Columbia Mansions wants is a scandal on its hands...
Let alone a murder.
Genre: Mystery
Why I Picked This Book: I love a good nosy neighbor mystery and I haven't read anything by this author before.
My Impression: I really wanted to love this one. I love an older main character/amateur sleuth and loved the Only Murders in the Building vibe to the premise. Unfortunately, in execution it just didn't work for me. The book is told through Gwen's perspective and as the book went along the less I liked her. It's not so much that she's a bad person but more that she has absolutely no sense. She never met a secret she wouldn't tell the absolute wrong person or a wrong place she couldn't show up in. The rest of the characters weren't much better.
In a thriller I don't mind not liking the characters if the story is fast paced and engaging enough. Unfortunately, again this was not the case. Things are slowly revealed past the point where I cared. The book starts off with a bang but then fizzles out completely. By the time the murder actually happens I was really struggling to keep reading.
Despite the fact that I didn't really enjoy the story I was intrigued by the author's writing style. I enjoyed her ability to create a fleshed out and claustrophobic setting. I'm curious to see try another book by this author.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would read another book by this author because I did like the writing style.
Would I Recommend this Book? Probably not. I didn't really enjoy the story or the characters.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
It's too bad that Gwen wasn't more likeable and that the story kind of fizzles. It has such a cute premise.
ReplyDelete