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The Undetectables #1
The Undetectables
Be gay, solve crime, take naps—A witty and quirky fantasy murder mystery if a folkloric world of witches, faeires, vampires, trolls and ghosts, for fans of Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey and T. J. Klune's Under the Whispering Door.
A magical serial killer is stalking the Occult town of Wrackton. Hypnotic whistling causes victims to chew their own tongues off, leading to the killer being dubbed the Whistler (original, right?). But outside the lack of taste buds and the strange magical carvings on the victims’ torsos, the murderer leaves no evidence. No obvious clues. No reason – or so it seems.
Enter the Undetectables, a detective agency run by three witches and a ghost in a cat costume (don’t ask). They are hired to investigate the murders, but with their only case so far left unsolved, will they be up to the task? Mallory, the forensic science expert, is struggling with pain and fatigue from her recently diagnosed fibromyalgia. Cornelia, the team member most likely to go rogue and punch a police officer, is suddenly stirring all sorts of feelings in Mallory. Diana, the social butterfly of the group, is hitting up all of her ex-girlfriends for information. And not forgetting ghostly Theodore – deceased, dramatic, and also the agency’s first dead body and unsolved murder case.
With bodies stacking up and the case leading them to mysteries at the very heart of magical society, can the Undetectables find the Whistler before they become the killer’s next victims?
A magical serial killer is stalking the Occult town of Wrackton. Hypnotic whistling causes victims to chew their own tongues off, leading to the killer being dubbed the Whistler (original, right?). But outside the lack of taste buds and the strange magical carvings on the victims’ torsos, the murderer leaves no evidence. No obvious clues. No reason – or so it seems.
Enter the Undetectables, a detective agency run by three witches and a ghost in a cat costume (don’t ask). They are hired to investigate the murders, but with their only case so far left unsolved, will they be up to the task? Mallory, the forensic science expert, is struggling with pain and fatigue from her recently diagnosed fibromyalgia. Cornelia, the team member most likely to go rogue and punch a police officer, is suddenly stirring all sorts of feelings in Mallory. Diana, the social butterfly of the group, is hitting up all of her ex-girlfriends for information. And not forgetting ghostly Theodore – deceased, dramatic, and also the agency’s first dead body and unsolved murder case.
With bodies stacking up and the case leading them to mysteries at the very heart of magical society, can the Undetectables find the Whistler before they become the killer’s next victims?
448 pages, Paperback
First published September 26, 2023
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Shelved as 'tbr-fantasy-slash-adventure'
April 5, 2023The cover has the tagline 'Be Gay. Do Crimes. Take Naps' on it and I have never hit the Want to Read button faster in my entire life
September 26, 2023
If this had lived up to its tagline, it would have been a great urban fantasy (seriously, it's such a great tagline!). Sadly, it's just mediocre, hence three stars.
On a positive note, Courtney Smith managed to capture the complicated dynamics of 20-something friends group. Mallory, Cornelia and Diana may be adults and fresh out of college, but peers' validation is still important for them. Especially Mallory, who feels (rightly so!) left out because of her chronic illness. There is this awful feeling of not being invited to social gatherings simply because people are fed up with your constant adult-life-caused refusals (young mothers would relate). It was interesting to read low-key fight scenes between female friends (they stage an intervention for one of them, because her boyfriend is a walking red flag), who grew up in internet discussion culture, where empathy is promoted as key component of an argument. Their fights are still heated, but they actually strive for a reconciliation, not ripping each others' throats. That was nice.
On the other note, despite quite good representation of a chronic illness (I'm not an expert here, so it's hard to determine actually how good it was), I have a feeling that it diminishes Mallory's character only to her condition. Her constant resting reflects badly on the plot dynamics and unnecessarily slows it down. Some scenes, especially never-ending conversations about feelings, also could have been edited for pacing sake.
But what really brought it down to three stars for me was the mystery. I don't have a problem with who the murderer was, but with the fact that I guessed it around 50% and the main characters are deliberately made less intelligent than before in order to be oblivious until very end, as the author apparently wanted to gain more space for other plot lines. Especially Mallory, who's big dream is to run a detective agency, is not as bright and skilled in connecting dots, as a detective should be. And I prefer my sleuths to be sharp.
On a positive note, Courtney Smith managed to capture the complicated dynamics of 20-something friends group. Mallory, Cornelia and Diana may be adults and fresh out of college, but peers' validation is still important for them. Especially Mallory, who feels (rightly so!) left out because of her chronic illness. There is this awful feeling of not being invited to social gatherings simply because people are fed up with your constant adult-life-caused refusals (young mothers would relate). It was interesting to read low-key fight scenes between female friends (they stage an intervention for one of them, because her boyfriend is a walking red flag), who grew up in internet discussion culture, where empathy is promoted as key component of an argument. Their fights are still heated, but they actually strive for a reconciliation, not ripping each others' throats. That was nice.
On the other note, despite quite good representation of a chronic illness (I'm not an expert here, so it's hard to determine actually how good it was), I have a feeling that it diminishes Mallory's character only to her condition. Her constant resting reflects badly on the plot dynamics and unnecessarily slows it down. Some scenes, especially never-ending conversations about feelings, also could have been edited for pacing sake.
But what really brought it down to three stars for me was the mystery. I don't have a problem with who the murderer was, but with the fact that I guessed it around 50% and the main characters are deliberately made less intelligent than before in order to be oblivious until very end, as the author apparently wanted to gain more space for other plot lines. Especially Mallory, who's big dream is to run a detective agency, is not as bright and skilled in connecting dots, as a detective should be. And I prefer my sleuths to be sharp.
September 25, 2023
On my blog.
Rep: mc with fibromyalgia, lesbian mc, gay mc, nonbinary side character
Galley provided by publisher
To say The Undetectables was not a book for me would be, with all due respect, more than somewhat of an understatement. I dragged myself through this book, page by page. And, yes, I could have (and probably should have) given up on it, but I didn’t. More fool me. Maybe one day I’ll learn.
In the interests of making this review as short as I can (haha), I will not attempt to summarise the book, especially given that it’s been a good while since I finished it and I have elected to erase any memory of it for my own sanity. I’m writing this review based on the increasingly frustrated notes I made while reading. But anyway, it’s a mystery novel, with a little bit of magic thrown in, and a ghost in a cat costume.
Chief among this book’s issues for me was that it couldn’t decide on the tone it wanted to take. Most of the issues I’m about to enumerate do actually stem from this, I believe, so let’s start here. Did it want to be a humorous cosy mystery? Did it want to be a darker fantasy tale? Did it want to be a serious tract on the carceral state and the general shittiness of the police? More than anything, it seemed to want to be all three. Now, I’m not saying you can’t have a humorous cosy mystery that does darker things, considers police states, and so forth, but it has to be done better than this. If you’re going to lean into the cosiness, for example, you have to integrate the whole prison system subplot in a way that’s smoother than just chucking it in as one character’s apparent personal crusade (which, by the way, didn’t make it seem all that seriously taken, but does get hammered into your head at every conceivable opportunity). Instead of trying to be everything, this book should have simply picked one thing to be and done that well.
This tonal issue leads me to my next point because apparently the way to be a humorous cosy mystery is to have your characters almost exclusively speak in memes. It might be alright if there was, say, one or two meme references, ones that were actually funny, but instead you just get meme after meme instead of actual human dialogue. Because, as well as these memes, the dialogue itself is painfully stilted. It doesn’t feel as though these are people talking to one another so much as saying what needs to be said in the scene to progress the story. I couldn’t even just skim the dialogue to get through because it simply made me want to die and that’s not an exaggeration.
I wish I could say something remotely positive about this book, really I do, but it was without a doubt one of my worst reading experiences this year. If that sounds mean, well, sure. Maybe it is, but it’s also the honest truth. It was, to me, badly written, full of magical coincidences and an uncompelling mystery on top of that. Not one I would come back to, and not one I could actually recommend.
However, everyone is, as ever, invited to ignore my review entirely, I guess, and pick it up anyway. Absolutely nothing stopping you, after all.
Rep: mc with fibromyalgia, lesbian mc, gay mc, nonbinary side character
Galley provided by publisher
To say The Undetectables was not a book for me would be, with all due respect, more than somewhat of an understatement. I dragged myself through this book, page by page. And, yes, I could have (and probably should have) given up on it, but I didn’t. More fool me. Maybe one day I’ll learn.
In the interests of making this review as short as I can (haha), I will not attempt to summarise the book, especially given that it’s been a good while since I finished it and I have elected to erase any memory of it for my own sanity. I’m writing this review based on the increasingly frustrated notes I made while reading. But anyway, it’s a mystery novel, with a little bit of magic thrown in, and a ghost in a cat costume.
Chief among this book’s issues for me was that it couldn’t decide on the tone it wanted to take. Most of the issues I’m about to enumerate do actually stem from this, I believe, so let’s start here. Did it want to be a humorous cosy mystery? Did it want to be a darker fantasy tale? Did it want to be a serious tract on the carceral state and the general shittiness of the police? More than anything, it seemed to want to be all three. Now, I’m not saying you can’t have a humorous cosy mystery that does darker things, considers police states, and so forth, but it has to be done better than this. If you’re going to lean into the cosiness, for example, you have to integrate the whole prison system subplot in a way that’s smoother than just chucking it in as one character’s apparent personal crusade (which, by the way, didn’t make it seem all that seriously taken, but does get hammered into your head at every conceivable opportunity). Instead of trying to be everything, this book should have simply picked one thing to be and done that well.
This tonal issue leads me to my next point because apparently the way to be a humorous cosy mystery is to have your characters almost exclusively speak in memes. It might be alright if there was, say, one or two meme references, ones that were actually funny, but instead you just get meme after meme instead of actual human dialogue. Because, as well as these memes, the dialogue itself is painfully stilted. It doesn’t feel as though these are people talking to one another so much as saying what needs to be said in the scene to progress the story. I couldn’t even just skim the dialogue to get through because it simply made me want to die and that’s not an exaggeration.
I wish I could say something remotely positive about this book, really I do, but it was without a doubt one of my worst reading experiences this year. If that sounds mean, well, sure. Maybe it is, but it’s also the honest truth. It was, to me, badly written, full of magical coincidences and an uncompelling mystery on top of that. Not one I would come back to, and not one I could actually recommend.
However, everyone is, as ever, invited to ignore my review entirely, I guess, and pick it up anyway. Absolutely nothing stopping you, after all.
Read
August 3, 2023If you're looking for a quippy, unapologetically queer paranormal murder mystery, look no further.
The highlight of the book for me was the fibromyalgia rep, more chronic illness rep like in genre fiction pls.
The highlight of the book for me was the fibromyalgia rep, more chronic illness rep like in genre fiction pls.
September 25, 2023
*4.5 stars*
The Undetectables is a quirky magical mystery with the best chronic illness rep I’ve read in a long time (it resonated SO MUCH), and it also captures with excruciating precision the fraught emotions and agonies of early-20s friends groups. I adored all 3 of the women in the central group and also Theodore, the ghost who attached to them in their very first joint case, back when they were teenagers. I absolutely tore through this book, caring desperately about what would happen to all of them. The only reason this lost half a star from me was that, personally, I thought that the way the central heroine, Mallory, lashed out at a particularly emotional moment went too far for me to keep empathy for her, and the story structure would have worked just as effectively without such an extreme action. However, that’s just a matter of personal opinion, and other readers may completely disagree. Overall, it was genuinely wonderful and I definitely recommend it!
The Undetectables is a quirky magical mystery with the best chronic illness rep I’ve read in a long time (it resonated SO MUCH), and it also captures with excruciating precision the fraught emotions and agonies of early-20s friends groups. I adored all 3 of the women in the central group and also Theodore, the ghost who attached to them in their very first joint case, back when they were teenagers. I absolutely tore through this book, caring desperately about what would happen to all of them. The only reason this lost half a star from me was that, personally, I thought that the way the central heroine, Mallory, lashed out at a particularly emotional moment went too far for me to keep empathy for her, and the story structure would have worked just as effectively without such an extreme action. However, that’s just a matter of personal opinion, and other readers may completely disagree. Overall, it was genuinely wonderful and I definitely recommend it!
August 15, 2023
Mixed feelings about this one. Probably a 3.5.
Lots of things I loved
- The murder mystery combined with fantasy elements.
- The friendship group of Mallory, Diana, Cornelia and Theodore. I wanna be part of this crew!
- The chronic illness rep was so good and soooo relatable. Recognised so much of Mallory’s thoughts, feelings and experiences.
- Lots of the dialogue and writing style was funny and entertaining.
However, it did feel quite long. I think some of the writing could have been slicker and I did guess who the Whistler was.
Even so, was an entertaining read and I would be interested in trying more from this author.
Lots of things I loved
- The murder mystery combined with fantasy elements.
- The friendship group of Mallory, Diana, Cornelia and Theodore. I wanna be part of this crew!
- The chronic illness rep was so good and soooo relatable. Recognised so much of Mallory’s thoughts, feelings and experiences.
- Lots of the dialogue and writing style was funny and entertaining.
However, it did feel quite long. I think some of the writing could have been slicker and I did guess who the Whistler was.
Even so, was an entertaining read and I would be interested in trying more from this author.
August 19, 2023
This book tries to be too many things at once. On the one hand, it is a fairly typical cozy mystery: A (group of) amateur sleuth(s) in a charming small town, where everyone seems to know almost everyone (and which, nevertheless, seems to have an impressive club scene). Sure, it's also a fantasy book; the town is an occult town, full of witches, vampires, fae etc. the sleuths themselves are witches, and the murders are also magical. It's also not aimed at quite the same age-group as the average cozy. The sleuths are in their 20s and there are so many Tumblr and TikTok memes. So many. Too many, I would say, but then perhaps I am no longer in the target age demographic for that kind of book.
Anyway, neither the witches nor the 'un-alived' jokes stop the story from feeling very cozy. And neither does the fact that the mein character has a chronic illness. Cozys have occasionally handled heavier topics. Sometimes well, sometimes not (I let someone who understand the topic better judge on which side this book falls).
So you're reading a cozy, and then you get suddenly hit with a ... side-plot? (or random mention? I'm not sure, actually) about for-profit prisons and how bad they are. And the main characters all have a deep distrust of the police. Police violence and institutionalized -isms don't actually get mentioned, though. They just don't like the police, because. They like neither occult police forces nor the apparent (non-magical) ones. Which are separate things. I think? At least occult towns are separate from apparent ones and have universal basic income, which seems to suggest some sort of separate government, but occult towns and apparent towns also seem to exist side-by-side in one country.
Ah, yes. Before I got distracted by the world-building, I wanted to say: there's a time and place for everything and the time and place for a condemnation of for-profit prisons, is perhaps not in a book that also features a cat-eared ghost who can't stop talking.
ARC received from NetGalley
Anyway, neither the witches nor the 'un-alived' jokes stop the story from feeling very cozy. And neither does the fact that the mein character has a chronic illness. Cozys have occasionally handled heavier topics. Sometimes well, sometimes not (I let someone who understand the topic better judge on which side this book falls).
So you're reading a cozy, and then you get suddenly hit with a ... side-plot? (or random mention? I'm not sure, actually) about for-profit prisons and how bad they are. And the main characters all have a deep distrust of the police. Police violence and institutionalized -isms don't actually get mentioned, though. They just don't like the police, because. They like neither occult police forces nor the apparent (non-magical) ones. Which are separate things. I think? At least occult towns are separate from apparent ones and have universal basic income, which seems to suggest some sort of separate government, but occult towns and apparent towns also seem to exist side-by-side in one country.
Ah, yes. Before I got distracted by the world-building, I wanted to say: there's a time and place for everything and the time and place for a condemnation of for-profit prisons, is perhaps not in a book that also features a cat-eared ghost who can't stop talking.
ARC received from NetGalley
October 15, 2024
Having a keen eye for the delicate ebbs and flows of early adult friendships, author Courtney Smyth follows a small friend group who made the decision as teens to be investigators when they encountered recently dead Theodore, confused and upset to find he was now a ghost. Mallory, the nominal leader of the group, calls their detective agency the Undetectables, and decides to find Theodore's killer.
They live in the Occult town of Wrackton, where there are witches (which the friends are), ghosts, demons, vampires, fae, and others.
Fast forward to their early twenties, and they're now living separate lives:
-Cornelia at university studying entomology
-Diana has been working as a makeup artist
-Mallory is still living in Wrackton, and suffers from fibromyalgia and is wracked by pain and exhaustion daily. She's sad, lonely, convinced everyone has moved on with their lives, but also doesn't want to rely on others, resents asking for help to compensate for her condition, or to speak with her friends about her hurt feelings. She's still tryin, unsuccessfully, g to figure out who killed Theodore, while studying forensic science. She's also toying with a way to identify the traces of magic left behind after it is uses
-Theodore has attached himself to Mallory, spreading sunshiny feelings around him, while also breaking electronic devices if his ghostly, sparking energy gets too close.
When an Apparent (human with no supernatural origins or powers) is found dead in Wrackton, the Undetectables are hired by the Night Mayor to find the killer. Cornelia and Diana have also recently returned and Mallory is both happy and feeling slightly upset, even while immediately eager to get started with the investigation.
Using their respective smarts, experience and skills, they begin detecting, but more die, including people they know well, before Mallory decides on the identity of the culprit. Along the way, the three women must own up to their feelings and their actions.
I totally enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, and how they had to re-figure out how to deal with each other once back in their hometown and working together. And I liked how Mallory had to learn to let go of some of her fears, which had been holding her back.
I was also impressed by the portrayal of chronic pain, and how heavily it influenced and hampered Mallory's thoughts, emotions and actions.
I am definitely reading the next entry in this funny, emotional, and quirky mystery series.
They live in the Occult town of Wrackton, where there are witches (which the friends are), ghosts, demons, vampires, fae, and others.
Fast forward to their early twenties, and they're now living separate lives:
-Cornelia at university studying entomology
-Diana has been working as a makeup artist
-Mallory is still living in Wrackton, and suffers from fibromyalgia and is wracked by pain and exhaustion daily. She's sad, lonely, convinced everyone has moved on with their lives, but also doesn't want to rely on others, resents asking for help to compensate for her condition, or to speak with her friends about her hurt feelings. She's still tryin, unsuccessfully, g to figure out who killed Theodore, while studying forensic science. She's also toying with a way to identify the traces of magic left behind after it is uses
-Theodore has attached himself to Mallory, spreading sunshiny feelings around him, while also breaking electronic devices if his ghostly, sparking energy gets too close.
When an Apparent (human with no supernatural origins or powers) is found dead in Wrackton, the Undetectables are hired by the Night Mayor to find the killer. Cornelia and Diana have also recently returned and Mallory is both happy and feeling slightly upset, even while immediately eager to get started with the investigation.
Using their respective smarts, experience and skills, they begin detecting, but more die, including people they know well, before Mallory decides on the identity of the culprit. Along the way, the three women must own up to their feelings and their actions.
I totally enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, and how they had to re-figure out how to deal with each other once back in their hometown and working together. And I liked how Mallory had to learn to let go of some of her fears, which had been holding her back.
I was also impressed by the portrayal of chronic pain, and how heavily it influenced and hampered Mallory's thoughts, emotions and actions.
I am definitely reading the next entry in this funny, emotional, and quirky mystery series.
July 11, 2024
I was so hyped for The Undetectables for no particular reason. It just seemed like a neat premise, and who doesn’t like the tagline, “Be gay. Solve crimes. Take naps”? Courtney Smyth promises a queernorm paranormal mystery involving witches, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and fairies. For the most part, she delivers, although the mystery part of the novel is perhaps the least satisfying.
Mallory and her two best friends, Cornelia and Diana, ran the eponymous onetime amateur detective agency in their hometown of Wrackton. After failing to solve their first and only case, the Undetectables started to drift apart as they each pursued their own goals in life. Mallory feels the most stuck: fibromyalgia has inhibited her social life and her career goals. She has spent the last several years halfheartedly staying on that first case while befriending the ghost of its victim, Thomas, condemned to exist forever wearing cat ears foisted upon him as a practical Halloween costume joke. Then someone starts brutally murdering residents of Wrackton, and the Undetectables reunite.
I love the setup and first part of this book. Smyth does a great job establishing the four protagonists and their defining traits. Similarly, she doesn’t waste time getting us into the main mystery and challenges our gumshoes will face. The Undetectables is set in a magicnorm world where magical and mundane beings have a cordial, if occasionally complicated, coexistence. I appreciate how Smyth avoids the temptation to infodump. Yes, I desperately want to know more about the different supernatural species, their histories and forms of government, and how they coexist with mundane humans—no, we don’t get much of that, and it’s for the best.
I wasn’t expecting but really appreciate the focus on disability and chronic illness in Mallory. I myself don’t have a chronic illness and don’t know what it’s like to deal with something like fibromyalgia. I can only imagine how little those who do feel represented in novels like this. From my limited perspective, Smyth seems to do a great job of sharing the complex way Mallory’s disability influences her life. I especially loved the exploration of Mallory’s anxiety about how it affects her friendships (something I can relate to): it’s so understandable, the small conflicts that result among her, Diana, and Cornelia, as a result of Mallory’s worries that her friends are leaving her behind. This is a great example of how no one is really “in the wrong” here, yet inadvertent ableism or poor communication results in friends letting each other down. The way that these three women deal with conflict in general, whether it’s over Mallory’s disability, Thomas, or Cornelia’s boyfriend, is laudable.
Where The Undetectables starts to lose me is in its climax and conclusion, as well as its tone. Tonally, this book is a mess. I can see what Smyth is trying to go for: a mix of quips and high stakes, which is possible and often enjoyable. Unfortunately, this feels more like a mash-up or pastiche than a successful combo of the two tones. The protagonists vacillate wildly between humorous or jovial and sombre.
I just also never really vibed with how the Undetectables go about their sleuthing. I guess they are supposed to be inexperienced, but they just don’t come across as very good detectives. I seldom like to brag that I figured out whodunnit long before the reveal (I don’t really think that’s a good litmus test for the quality of a mystery), but, uh, it was kind of telegraphed?
The Undetectables has a lot going for it, from original characters and premises to strong disability and queer representation. It’s just a somewhat messy, uneven novel, making it far less memorable and significant than I had hoped it would feel after reading. A good summer mystery though.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews.
Mallory and her two best friends, Cornelia and Diana, ran the eponymous onetime amateur detective agency in their hometown of Wrackton. After failing to solve their first and only case, the Undetectables started to drift apart as they each pursued their own goals in life. Mallory feels the most stuck: fibromyalgia has inhibited her social life and her career goals. She has spent the last several years halfheartedly staying on that first case while befriending the ghost of its victim, Thomas, condemned to exist forever wearing cat ears foisted upon him as a practical Halloween costume joke. Then someone starts brutally murdering residents of Wrackton, and the Undetectables reunite.
I love the setup and first part of this book. Smyth does a great job establishing the four protagonists and their defining traits. Similarly, she doesn’t waste time getting us into the main mystery and challenges our gumshoes will face. The Undetectables is set in a magicnorm world where magical and mundane beings have a cordial, if occasionally complicated, coexistence. I appreciate how Smyth avoids the temptation to infodump. Yes, I desperately want to know more about the different supernatural species, their histories and forms of government, and how they coexist with mundane humans—no, we don’t get much of that, and it’s for the best.
I wasn’t expecting but really appreciate the focus on disability and chronic illness in Mallory. I myself don’t have a chronic illness and don’t know what it’s like to deal with something like fibromyalgia. I can only imagine how little those who do feel represented in novels like this. From my limited perspective, Smyth seems to do a great job of sharing the complex way Mallory’s disability influences her life. I especially loved the exploration of Mallory’s anxiety about how it affects her friendships (something I can relate to): it’s so understandable, the small conflicts that result among her, Diana, and Cornelia, as a result of Mallory’s worries that her friends are leaving her behind. This is a great example of how no one is really “in the wrong” here, yet inadvertent ableism or poor communication results in friends letting each other down. The way that these three women deal with conflict in general, whether it’s over Mallory’s disability, Thomas, or Cornelia’s boyfriend, is laudable.
Where The Undetectables starts to lose me is in its climax and conclusion, as well as its tone. Tonally, this book is a mess. I can see what Smyth is trying to go for: a mix of quips and high stakes, which is possible and often enjoyable. Unfortunately, this feels more like a mash-up or pastiche than a successful combo of the two tones. The protagonists vacillate wildly between humorous or jovial and sombre.
I just also never really vibed with how the Undetectables go about their sleuthing. I guess they are supposed to be inexperienced, but they just don’t come across as very good detectives. I seldom like to brag that I figured out whodunnit long before the reveal (I don’t really think that’s a good litmus test for the quality of a mystery), but, uh, it was kind of telegraphed?
The Undetectables has a lot going for it, from original characters and premises to strong disability and queer representation. It’s just a somewhat messy, uneven novel, making it far less memorable and significant than I had hoped it would feel after reading. A good summer mystery though.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews.
October 18, 2023
I went into this book based on an author I like posting about it (Lillie Lainoff), the tagline, and the synopsis. And I wasn't disappointed! I was looking for a unique premise and awesome characters, and this book definitely delivered on both!
Let's get the minor notes out of the way first. I think that this definitely had a slower pace than I expected as a fantasy mystery. There are a few spots in the middle that lagged - but the characters do keep you interested! I think this might be more a debut thing since the author has written more short stories previously. And nothing against the book, but I did guess the villain earlier than the characters.
But my list of good far outweighs those notes!!
- I really loved these characters! They are quirky, badass, and relatable! Mallory is taller than average, Cornelia wears glasses and is blunt, and Diana is plus-size and THEY ARE ALL SMART IN THEIR OWN WAYS. They have their strengths and distinct personalities and they all love each other for who they are. It's honestly one of my favourite friendships I've read.
- queernormative characters - like, lots of them. And there are multiple nonbinary characters with they/them pronouns on page.
- chronic illness rep. Mallory has fibromyalgia and it is part of her character and the plot in a realistic way. It was great to see it part of the story and how it affects her, both physically and mentally. While I don't have chronic illness, I have migraine and pain days and Mallory felt really relatable to me in a lot of ways. Which is amazing to see in a fantasy novel!
- while I did see who the villain was going to be, I didn't see the backstory and WHY, how it's revealed coming, these were all a surprise to me and well done!
- Theodore.
While I don't think everyone will LOVE this book, there are definitely people who will appreciate everything I listed above with the mix of magic, witches, and the occult.
TW: murder, death, body horror, chronic illness, injury/injury detail, grief, medical content, kidnapping, abandonment, alcohol, confinement, fire/ fire injury, stalking, blood, toxic relationship, bugs (beetles, fill room of beetles, mention of spiders)
Let's get the minor notes out of the way first. I think that this definitely had a slower pace than I expected as a fantasy mystery. There are a few spots in the middle that lagged - but the characters do keep you interested! I think this might be more a debut thing since the author has written more short stories previously. And nothing against the book, but I did guess the villain earlier than the characters.
But my list of good far outweighs those notes!!
- I really loved these characters! They are quirky, badass, and relatable! Mallory is taller than average, Cornelia wears glasses and is blunt, and Diana is plus-size and THEY ARE ALL SMART IN THEIR OWN WAYS. They have their strengths and distinct personalities and they all love each other for who they are. It's honestly one of my favourite friendships I've read.
- queernormative characters - like, lots of them. And there are multiple nonbinary characters with they/them pronouns on page.
- chronic illness rep. Mallory has fibromyalgia and it is part of her character and the plot in a realistic way. It was great to see it part of the story and how it affects her, both physically and mentally. While I don't have chronic illness, I have migraine and pain days and Mallory felt really relatable to me in a lot of ways. Which is amazing to see in a fantasy novel!
- while I did see who the villain was going to be, I didn't see the backstory and WHY, how it's revealed coming, these were all a surprise to me and well done!
- Theodore.
While I don't think everyone will LOVE this book, there are definitely people who will appreciate everything I listed above with the mix of magic, witches, and the occult.
TW: murder, death, body horror, chronic illness, injury/injury detail, grief, medical content, kidnapping, abandonment, alcohol, confinement, fire/ fire injury, stalking, blood, toxic relationship, bugs (beetles, fill room of beetles, mention of spiders)
April 7, 2024
I finished this ages ago- so confused as to why it was still in ‘currently reading’. I swear I did a review too?!
Anyway, I remember really enjoying this one- good fun and easy. I think I guessed the ending a little before it happened, but overall a good book.
Anyway, I remember really enjoying this one- good fun and easy. I think I guessed the ending a little before it happened, but overall a good book.
October 14, 2024
3.5 rounded up!
It’s giving supernatural x heartstopper. Had to quietly cringe through some of the dialogue but it was very cute and had a really entertaining murder plot!
It’s giving supernatural x heartstopper. Had to quietly cringe through some of the dialogue but it was very cute and had a really entertaining murder plot!
March 1, 2024
I’m so happy I found this book
Want to read
July 19, 2023You had me at "Be Gay. Solve Crimes. Take Naps."
January 27, 2024
The concept of this book sounded amazing but unfortunately it was really not for me. I found myself dragging myself through it in hope it would improve but sadly it did not.
I was looking forward to the urban fantasy mix of magic and science and how these had been combined together. Unfortunately I felt they kind of diluted one another rather than creating something interesting. Also the occult town and the different magical species sounded great but I felt it lacked world building and we never really get a sense of place or atmosphere. There was details thrown in here and there but it could have been executed so much better.
The fibromyalgia representation was really nice to see as I've never seen this represented anywhere before. I'm pleased that, based on other reviews I've read, it has made people feel seen and able to relate to Mallory. Unfortunately I felt as though Mallory's character was often reduced to simply her condition. Which was a shame as it would have been nicer to have seen it represented but not the main thing about her as a person. I understand that it's important to show how this condition impacts day to day life. But in doing so it also significantly impacted the plot's pacing. The constant resting made the pace very stilted and slow. Which yes, may be realistic to representing life with this condition, but I don't think it should have significantly impacted the story's pacing this much. It could have worked better for other genres that are more character driven and slower paced. However I feel that a fun whodunnit fantasy mystery needs to be fast paced and this was not.
It's also really difficult for me to narrow down what the tone of this book was. Sometimes it felt it was trying to be a warm and cosy, other times it felt it was trying to be light hearted and fun, other times it was trying to be dark and serious. I would have preferred if it had picked just one if these and rolled with this. I understand something can be all these things at once and perhaps this was the intention. But in this book it just came across as messy and undecided.
I really struggled to click with the writing in this book. I just felt bored from the start and it was a challenge to keep going. I couldn't get excited about any of the characters and therefore wasn't particularly invested in their stories. The dialogue was very stilted and almost overdone so I didn't enjoy the interactions between the characters. The whodunnit was very predictable and yet the way it was uncovered and explained was very long. The reasoning behind the murders was not particularly satisfying and again felt overdone. The characters are, in fairness, amateur detectives. But I would have liked them to have been a bit more skilled to at least make the story more enjoyable.
As always, this is just my opinion and if you enjoyed it then that's great! But sadly it's not one I can say I enjoyed in any aspect really, hence my rating.
I was looking forward to the urban fantasy mix of magic and science and how these had been combined together. Unfortunately I felt they kind of diluted one another rather than creating something interesting. Also the occult town and the different magical species sounded great but I felt it lacked world building and we never really get a sense of place or atmosphere. There was details thrown in here and there but it could have been executed so much better.
The fibromyalgia representation was really nice to see as I've never seen this represented anywhere before. I'm pleased that, based on other reviews I've read, it has made people feel seen and able to relate to Mallory. Unfortunately I felt as though Mallory's character was often reduced to simply her condition. Which was a shame as it would have been nicer to have seen it represented but not the main thing about her as a person. I understand that it's important to show how this condition impacts day to day life. But in doing so it also significantly impacted the plot's pacing. The constant resting made the pace very stilted and slow. Which yes, may be realistic to representing life with this condition, but I don't think it should have significantly impacted the story's pacing this much. It could have worked better for other genres that are more character driven and slower paced. However I feel that a fun whodunnit fantasy mystery needs to be fast paced and this was not.
It's also really difficult for me to narrow down what the tone of this book was. Sometimes it felt it was trying to be a warm and cosy, other times it felt it was trying to be light hearted and fun, other times it was trying to be dark and serious. I would have preferred if it had picked just one if these and rolled with this. I understand something can be all these things at once and perhaps this was the intention. But in this book it just came across as messy and undecided.
I really struggled to click with the writing in this book. I just felt bored from the start and it was a challenge to keep going. I couldn't get excited about any of the characters and therefore wasn't particularly invested in their stories. The dialogue was very stilted and almost overdone so I didn't enjoy the interactions between the characters. The whodunnit was very predictable and yet the way it was uncovered and explained was very long. The reasoning behind the murders was not particularly satisfying and again felt overdone. The characters are, in fairness, amateur detectives. But I would have liked them to have been a bit more skilled to at least make the story more enjoyable.
As always, this is just my opinion and if you enjoyed it then that's great! But sadly it's not one I can say I enjoyed in any aspect really, hence my rating.
Want to read
August 9, 2023“be gay. solve crimes. take naps” is this fucking play about us
September 30, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a fun and interesting detective story with magic and supernatural creatures a plenty. There was a cool mix between magic and science/technology that I really liked.
Only thing that threw me off a little bit was that the trio of main characters felt like teenagers and not women in their early 20s. Kinda Nancy Drew-esc, which isn't really a bad thing, but a bit confusing at times.
But there were a lot of good characters and representation in the book, the mystery was a bit predictable, but it was an enjoyable and light story all together.
This was a fun and interesting detective story with magic and supernatural creatures a plenty. There was a cool mix between magic and science/technology that I really liked.
Only thing that threw me off a little bit was that the trio of main characters felt like teenagers and not women in their early 20s. Kinda Nancy Drew-esc, which isn't really a bad thing, but a bit confusing at times.
But there were a lot of good characters and representation in the book, the mystery was a bit predictable, but it was an enjoyable and light story all together.
November 14, 2024
This book was okay. I was a bit disappointed with it, however. I was intrigued by it and had hoped for a bit more.
The tone of the book varied wildly and i felt like the author couldn't quite decide what they wanted their book to be. Was it cute and cosy? Or was it dark and gritty? Was it a funky little urban fantasy or was it a grim commentary on society?
There was a lot of good representation. Some of it felt like representation for the sake of representation, but I'll never say it shouldn't be there. However there's no talent in adding this kind of representation. Many of the characters felt like cardboard cut outs, and you could have done a find/ replace on the character name and their chosen minority and altered it without it impacting the story in any real way.
The author was also a little too 'tell' rather than show. There was an occasion where the main character felt betrayed by her friends. How did i know this? Because for 3 or so chapters, they used the word betrayed repeatedly. I found this the case with the main character's illness. Mallory has fibromyalgia. This means she struggles a lot with pain and fatigue. There are many ways to show this, but instead we are just told that Mallory is exhausted.
The mystery component was also underwhelming. I worked out who it was very early on. The foreshadowing and hints were a little hamfisted. This meant that by comparison, the characters all seem incredibly dim. Which is frustrating when we are constantly told how smart they are, especially Mallory.
Cornelia's seemingly bottomless pit of a bank account also seemed like the easy way out. The Undetectables were pegged as 'amateurs', but it was like the author needed a get out of jail free card and couldn't figure out a way for them to get access to mass spec so sure, just make one character super rich and they can buy one. It feels a little bit like removing an obstacle that might have been interesting to watch them navigate as budding investigators.
I also struggled a lot with the ending, the last 30 or 40 pages. The typical villain monologue where he had to explain away himself went way to long and, frankly was rather superfluous. Most of it seemed to be so the author could show off their witty clues because the main characters weren't smart enough to figure it out themselves. It was pages and pages of exposition. And then, for some reason, even though we were just there with the character when everything went down, we have to go through it all again when they have to explain what happened to the others. A simple 'and they shared the story' would have sufficed.
All in all, this book was okay. I wouldn't tell anyone NOT to read it. If you read a lot of crime, you might be a little disappointed or frustrated. But if you like urban fantasy and queer/disability rep, then this book gets by just fine.
The tone of the book varied wildly and i felt like the author couldn't quite decide what they wanted their book to be. Was it cute and cosy? Or was it dark and gritty? Was it a funky little urban fantasy or was it a grim commentary on society?
There was a lot of good representation. Some of it felt like representation for the sake of representation, but I'll never say it shouldn't be there. However there's no talent in adding this kind of representation. Many of the characters felt like cardboard cut outs, and you could have done a find/ replace on the character name and their chosen minority and altered it without it impacting the story in any real way.
The author was also a little too 'tell' rather than show. There was an occasion where the main character felt betrayed by her friends. How did i know this? Because for 3 or so chapters, they used the word betrayed repeatedly. I found this the case with the main character's illness. Mallory has fibromyalgia. This means she struggles a lot with pain and fatigue. There are many ways to show this, but instead we are just told that Mallory is exhausted.
The mystery component was also underwhelming. I worked out who it was very early on. The foreshadowing and hints were a little hamfisted. This meant that by comparison, the characters all seem incredibly dim. Which is frustrating when we are constantly told how smart they are, especially Mallory.
Cornelia's seemingly bottomless pit of a bank account also seemed like the easy way out. The Undetectables were pegged as 'amateurs', but it was like the author needed a get out of jail free card and couldn't figure out a way for them to get access to mass spec so sure, just make one character super rich and they can buy one. It feels a little bit like removing an obstacle that might have been interesting to watch them navigate as budding investigators.
I also struggled a lot with the ending, the last 30 or 40 pages. The typical villain monologue where he had to explain away himself went way to long and, frankly was rather superfluous. Most of it seemed to be so the author could show off their witty clues because the main characters weren't smart enough to figure it out themselves. It was pages and pages of exposition. And then, for some reason, even though we were just there with the character when everything went down, we have to go through it all again when they have to explain what happened to the others. A simple 'and they shared the story' would have sufficed.
All in all, this book was okay. I wouldn't tell anyone NOT to read it. If you read a lot of crime, you might be a little disappointed or frustrated. But if you like urban fantasy and queer/disability rep, then this book gets by just fine.
August 26, 2023
a total banger! such a good mystery, well-drawn characters with fab queer and chronically ill rep, also the best banter.
October 4, 2023
I enjoyed this book! I think it is going to be first in a series! My favorite character was Theodore! A ghost in a cat costume! Three witches and Theodore solve mysteries! This first mystery was a good one! I enjoyed the book thoroughly!
July 5, 2024
This was buffy meets veronica mars from a gen z pov and took me 4EVER to read bc it was eyeballs only
3.5
3.5
October 31, 2024
A great read around Halloween!
November 22, 2023
The standout element of this book was the fibromyalgia rep, which was so refreshing and brilliant to read. Other than that, this was a fun read but ultimately felt a little long winded and sadly didn’t grip me as much as I’d hoped it would.
December 23, 2023
This writing style is absolutely my jam, and it makes me think I might be able to try writing prose again after all :) Lots of fun!
September 21, 2023
HIGHLIGHTS
~glowy magic beetles
~fibro rep so good it hurts
~let’s invent magical forensics!!!
~so much snark
~friends to the end (and beyond)
I knew I was going to enjoy The Undetectables as soon as I saw the tagline Be Gay. Solve Crimes. Take naps., but I am delighted to be able to tell you that I did not just enjoy it, I freaking loved it.
THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN.
It also made me want to cry a lot, because I’ve never read anything with a main character who has fibromyalgia before, and I was not expecting the representation to hit me so hard. Smyth has either done their homework incredibly well or has fibro themselves – obviously I hope for the former! – because Mallory’s struggles reflect my own painfully (hah) well. If you want a glimpse of what having fibro is like, well, The Undetectables has you covered: I can personally attest to the accuracy of the rep here.
(And if you claim it’s annoying or repetitive how often her pain or brain-fog comes up, I will straight-up BITE you. IT DOES SUCK HOW IT AFFECTS EVERY LITTLE THING, DOESN’T IT? NOW IMAGINE LIVING WITH IT.
Ahem.)
The Undetectables walks a very fine line with aplomb: people are dying horribly, which is serious and tragic and terrifying, but also, three witchy besties and their ghost buddy are being hilarious, clever, and single-handedly (…quadruple-handedly?) inventing the field of magical forensics with light-up beetles and Magic Magical Machines. I can’t imagine it’s easy to write a book that is simultaneously light-hearted and serious, that has that marvellous X factor that makes it easy to read but also leaves room for grief and fear – but Smyth pulls it off like an especially elegant spell, and yes, you can consider me enchanted.
The entire book feels like a magic trick, honestly, in how it manages to look like one thing while being another, making you watch one hand while the other brings a whole fluffle of jackalopes bounding out of the magician’s hat. Yes, it’s a murder mystery – but it’s also an exploration of how chronic illness affects friendships with those who aren’t ill, about tangled, thorny relationships and a few different takes on self-worth. It’s such a light, breezy read that you could almost miss how deep it is, how raw it gets, how honest – not just about fibromyalgia, but with regards grief, culture clashes, privilege, classism, how heavy the weight is when you’re trying to prevent more people from getting killed.
It has unexpected depths, is what I’m saying here.
But it is, fundamentally, utterly delightful.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
~glowy magic beetles
~fibro rep so good it hurts
~let’s invent magical forensics!!!
~so much snark
~friends to the end (and beyond)
I knew I was going to enjoy The Undetectables as soon as I saw the tagline Be Gay. Solve Crimes. Take naps., but I am delighted to be able to tell you that I did not just enjoy it, I freaking loved it.
THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN.
So let me get this straight. Or, should I say, gay.
It also made me want to cry a lot, because I’ve never read anything with a main character who has fibromyalgia before, and I was not expecting the representation to hit me so hard. Smyth has either done their homework incredibly well or has fibro themselves – obviously I hope for the former! – because Mallory’s struggles reflect my own painfully (hah) well. If you want a glimpse of what having fibro is like, well, The Undetectables has you covered: I can personally attest to the accuracy of the rep here.
Exercise was often touted as a cure, but Mallory couldn’t fathom how that was meant to work when she could barely stand up as it was.
(And if you claim it’s annoying or repetitive how often her pain or brain-fog comes up, I will straight-up BITE you. IT DOES SUCK HOW IT AFFECTS EVERY LITTLE THING, DOESN’T IT? NOW IMAGINE LIVING WITH IT.
Ahem.)
The Undetectables walks a very fine line with aplomb: people are dying horribly, which is serious and tragic and terrifying, but also, three witchy besties and their ghost buddy are being hilarious, clever, and single-handedly (…quadruple-handedly?) inventing the field of magical forensics with light-up beetles and Magic Magical Machines. I can’t imagine it’s easy to write a book that is simultaneously light-hearted and serious, that has that marvellous X factor that makes it easy to read but also leaves room for grief and fear – but Smyth pulls it off like an especially elegant spell, and yes, you can consider me enchanted.
The entire book feels like a magic trick, honestly, in how it manages to look like one thing while being another, making you watch one hand while the other brings a whole fluffle of jackalopes bounding out of the magician’s hat. Yes, it’s a murder mystery – but it’s also an exploration of how chronic illness affects friendships with those who aren’t ill, about tangled, thorny relationships and a few different takes on self-worth. It’s such a light, breezy read that you could almost miss how deep it is, how raw it gets, how honest – not just about fibromyalgia, but with regards grief, culture clashes, privilege, classism, how heavy the weight is when you’re trying to prevent more people from getting killed.
It has unexpected depths, is what I’m saying here.
But it is, fundamentally, utterly delightful.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
January 23, 2024
2.5
I picked this up based on the tagline and was rather excited to read it, but sadly it just didn't live up to what I thought it would be. The writing itself wasn't bad, but I could not for the life of me connect to the story or the characters. I adore the disability representation, but that still wasn't enough to make me like this story. I honestly think my issue was with the tone of the book, it didn't know if it wanted to be cozy, funny, dark, etc.
Normally, I think it's fun to have a few different tones, but for this book, it just felt a bit all over the place. Overall, I think I will be donating this book, and I do hope it gives someone else more enjoyment. :/
I picked this up based on the tagline and was rather excited to read it, but sadly it just didn't live up to what I thought it would be. The writing itself wasn't bad, but I could not for the life of me connect to the story or the characters. I adore the disability representation, but that still wasn't enough to make me like this story. I honestly think my issue was with the tone of the book, it didn't know if it wanted to be cozy, funny, dark, etc.
Normally, I think it's fun to have a few different tones, but for this book, it just felt a bit all over the place. Overall, I think I will be donating this book, and I do hope it gives someone else more enjoyment. :/
February 23, 2024
Didn’t really live up to the tag line. An easy read that tried to cover a range of issues but never quite seemed to dive into any of them properly. Unclear genre that maybe tried to do too much.
Read
October 16, 2023Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I think that the major part of this review will be a rant or full of complaints, because I am pretty mad at the book or, to be more precise, at the way they sell it to you. The book per se is not bad, not bad at all. We have a lot of good things going for it. The writing especially is pretty good. It is not that is poetic or beautiful (well, it’s not ugly, but that’s not my point) but it is smooth, and once you are reading is really hard to put it down, because it flows so well, and the story is captivating, and we have interesting characters, so the finished product is enjoyable, and I am not regretting reading it.
But this book is not what I was expecting. And, for once, this is completely not my fault. I am not new to having unrealistic expectations for books, and it happened that in my mind I decided that a certain book was in some ways, and then it wasn��t, and I have no problem taking the blame when the problem is me. It happened, and it will happen again. But this time it’s not because I didn’t read the plot, or because I decided with no reason that this book would have been something it was not.
1)Let’s start with the catchphrase, the thing that will catch your attention and would make you add this book to your TBR without a second thought: “Be Gay. Solve Crimes. Take Naps.”
Sounds great, right? And it is sassy. Or witty. And it led you to expect a certain tone from the book, if I can say so. But… Nope. We have one character that is sassy, or witty and that has great remark and gift us with some good dialogues and comic relief but… she is not the one up front center so… this doesn’t really work. And then we have the “solve crimes” part. Again, that’s not strictly true (and more on that part in the next point). And the take naps part? Whatever you are imagining, that’s not it. Again, more about this later on, but it is because the MC suffers from chronic illness. So the thing that would make you want to read this book is leading you around, and it won’t deliver.
2)Now, let’s talk a bit about the “solving crimes” part. It’s a lie. There is no detective agency. At all. When the first murder occurs, the three girls are teens and they have just started this so-called agency, but they are teens and they can’t solve Theodore’s murder (because they are little girls without a clue), and so they let it go (even if Theodore is now one of their friends, because he became a ghost, and Mallory, the MC is dead set on solving it, sooner or later), until today when they receive a job.
And let’s stop here a second. Between Theodore’s assassination and today, years passed. Our girls are no more teens but adults. Young, sure, but they are not teens. And this so-called detective agency is no more. It was a pet project of theirs when they were younger, but now the three of them have go on with their lives and all that. And still, they received a mysterious job. Some new murders happened, they seem linked to the one that happened some years ago, and they are hired to solve them.
And this does not make sense! We are not talking about solving something minor, we are talking about a detective agency that does not exist, if not in the mind of three young girls, hired to solve some gruesome murders. What the heck???
And the three girls, who obviously are happy to be involved and to resuscitate their pet project, have no clue at all about what they are doing. Sure, they are resourceful and brilliant (and it was fascinating seeing them doing magical things that are linked with science, that part was really brilliant from the author) but they are no detectives. Not at all. They discover the culprit because he grew tired of leaving them clues (and one of those is so clear that is like the assassin is screaming at them “It’s me! It’s me that you are searching for!!!) and kidnap one of them.
So… please, do not start this book expecting a detective story. It would be totally reasonable on your part since it is what the synopsis says, but you would be disappointed.
3)The naps part. We have an MC who suffers from a chronic illness. On the one hand, I appreciated this a lot. I loved the idea, and I think that we should get more books with this kind of rep. But I also think that you should advertise it, or say it somewhere in the synopsis. Because we choose which book to read even based on what we are in the mood for, right? And if I am feeling like reading something funny, or witty, something that would cheer me up, that would make me smile (and this is what I, but seeing what people wrote around it is also what other people too, surmised from the catch-phrase), and I find myself with a person that is constantly complaining because she is tired and she is suffering, well… things are not going to go well. Mind me, Mallory has every reason to complain about her suffering, because she is hurting and she is feeling tired all the time, and she feels like her friends are going on leaving her behind, and she has the right to say what she is feeling, but in the first part of the book especially, we get to hear her complain all the time. The first chapters are almost all about her feelings and… and if you go there expecting a sassy girl and you find a whiny one, well, even knowing that she has the right to it, you can be disappointed and annoyed all the same.
And the point here is all about expectations: if I know what to expect, I would be prepared, and I would choose the right moment to read it. If I want a pick me up, and you give me a tear me down I won’t be happy.
So, as you can see, I am mad at this book because it lies to you. And this hindered my reading experience a lot. I think that if you go in there knowing a bit better what this is all about, there are a lot of things to enjoy, because as I was saying, it is interesting to have an MC suffering from a chronic illness, and we have ghosts, gruesome murders, and more that make it the right book to pick up for the spooky season. And the plot is interesting, once the story starts going for good, the pace picks up and it becomes intriguing as hell! But the marketing here is a big problem. I think that the book as a whole should deserve 3.5 stars but I am not feeling so generous toward it, for all the reasons this book made me mad.
I think that the major part of this review will be a rant or full of complaints, because I am pretty mad at the book or, to be more precise, at the way they sell it to you. The book per se is not bad, not bad at all. We have a lot of good things going for it. The writing especially is pretty good. It is not that is poetic or beautiful (well, it’s not ugly, but that’s not my point) but it is smooth, and once you are reading is really hard to put it down, because it flows so well, and the story is captivating, and we have interesting characters, so the finished product is enjoyable, and I am not regretting reading it.
But this book is not what I was expecting. And, for once, this is completely not my fault. I am not new to having unrealistic expectations for books, and it happened that in my mind I decided that a certain book was in some ways, and then it wasn��t, and I have no problem taking the blame when the problem is me. It happened, and it will happen again. But this time it’s not because I didn’t read the plot, or because I decided with no reason that this book would have been something it was not.
1)Let’s start with the catchphrase, the thing that will catch your attention and would make you add this book to your TBR without a second thought: “Be Gay. Solve Crimes. Take Naps.”
Sounds great, right? And it is sassy. Or witty. And it led you to expect a certain tone from the book, if I can say so. But… Nope. We have one character that is sassy, or witty and that has great remark and gift us with some good dialogues and comic relief but… she is not the one up front center so… this doesn’t really work. And then we have the “solve crimes” part. Again, that’s not strictly true (and more on that part in the next point). And the take naps part? Whatever you are imagining, that’s not it. Again, more about this later on, but it is because the MC suffers from chronic illness. So the thing that would make you want to read this book is leading you around, and it won’t deliver.
2)Now, let’s talk a bit about the “solving crimes” part. It’s a lie. There is no detective agency. At all. When the first murder occurs, the three girls are teens and they have just started this so-called agency, but they are teens and they can’t solve Theodore’s murder (because they are little girls without a clue), and so they let it go (even if Theodore is now one of their friends, because he became a ghost, and Mallory, the MC is dead set on solving it, sooner or later), until today when they receive a job.
And let’s stop here a second. Between Theodore’s assassination and today, years passed. Our girls are no more teens but adults. Young, sure, but they are not teens. And this so-called detective agency is no more. It was a pet project of theirs when they were younger, but now the three of them have go on with their lives and all that. And still, they received a mysterious job. Some new murders happened, they seem linked to the one that happened some years ago, and they are hired to solve them.
And this does not make sense! We are not talking about solving something minor, we are talking about a detective agency that does not exist, if not in the mind of three young girls, hired to solve some gruesome murders. What the heck???
And the three girls, who obviously are happy to be involved and to resuscitate their pet project, have no clue at all about what they are doing. Sure, they are resourceful and brilliant (and it was fascinating seeing them doing magical things that are linked with science, that part was really brilliant from the author) but they are no detectives. Not at all. They discover the culprit because he grew tired of leaving them clues (and one of those is so clear that is like the assassin is screaming at them “It’s me! It’s me that you are searching for!!!) and kidnap one of them.
So… please, do not start this book expecting a detective story. It would be totally reasonable on your part since it is what the synopsis says, but you would be disappointed.
3)The naps part. We have an MC who suffers from a chronic illness. On the one hand, I appreciated this a lot. I loved the idea, and I think that we should get more books with this kind of rep. But I also think that you should advertise it, or say it somewhere in the synopsis. Because we choose which book to read even based on what we are in the mood for, right? And if I am feeling like reading something funny, or witty, something that would cheer me up, that would make me smile (and this is what I, but seeing what people wrote around it is also what other people too, surmised from the catch-phrase), and I find myself with a person that is constantly complaining because she is tired and she is suffering, well… things are not going to go well. Mind me, Mallory has every reason to complain about her suffering, because she is hurting and she is feeling tired all the time, and she feels like her friends are going on leaving her behind, and she has the right to say what she is feeling, but in the first part of the book especially, we get to hear her complain all the time. The first chapters are almost all about her feelings and… and if you go there expecting a sassy girl and you find a whiny one, well, even knowing that she has the right to it, you can be disappointed and annoyed all the same.
And the point here is all about expectations: if I know what to expect, I would be prepared, and I would choose the right moment to read it. If I want a pick me up, and you give me a tear me down I won’t be happy.
So, as you can see, I am mad at this book because it lies to you. And this hindered my reading experience a lot. I think that if you go in there knowing a bit better what this is all about, there are a lot of things to enjoy, because as I was saying, it is interesting to have an MC suffering from a chronic illness, and we have ghosts, gruesome murders, and more that make it the right book to pick up for the spooky season. And the plot is interesting, once the story starts going for good, the pace picks up and it becomes intriguing as hell! But the marketing here is a big problem. I think that the book as a whole should deserve 3.5 stars but I am not feeling so generous toward it, for all the reasons this book made me mad.
January 14, 2024
This is not a good “mystery”. I could forgive that if the characters were well developed and enjoyable but they are not and the periphery characters who could have been more are unsubstantial filler. Whispers of what could be cool arcs in the plot go no where.
There’s a very obvious suspect who had access to all murder scenes, people, etc. since the beginning. For ‘detectives’ to overlook this individual and barely use any skill or magic or detecting is annoying to this reader. Let’s conveniently overlook everything and not flesh out anything and just write words and more words and BIG emotions in ALL CAPS and a whole lot of not much. I was hoping the characters would demonstrate some skill instead of bumbling about through to the nonsensical ending.
Imagine Ralph’s (Simpsons) voice: I’m a detector! I’m helping. Hah ha uh oh I’m in danger.
It’s not a great look for an author to write “(sorry again about the plot holes)” in their acknowledgments.
There’s a very obvious suspect who had access to all murder scenes, people, etc. since the beginning. For ‘detectives’ to overlook this individual and barely use any skill or magic or detecting is annoying to this reader. Let’s conveniently overlook everything and not flesh out anything and just write words and more words and BIG emotions in ALL CAPS and a whole lot of not much. I was hoping the characters would demonstrate some skill instead of bumbling about through to the nonsensical ending.
Imagine Ralph’s (Simpsons) voice: I’m a detector! I’m helping. Hah ha uh oh I’m in danger.
It’s not a great look for an author to write “(sorry again about the plot holes)” in their acknowledgments.
January 12, 2024
This is a hollow book with cardboard cutouts for characters that have half arsed representation insted of personality. It reads like someone’s first story written on wattpad with the dialogue rotted by social media and the quipy stylings of marvel movies(a character uses the word unalive in spoken dialogue unironicly). The plot is mediocre at best with one of the least engaging mysteries I’ve ever read and every few chapters they kinda of try to make a statement but never back it up.
Also it’s ment to be set in England but feels like an American who’s never been here but has heard of a few towns wrote it. Over all it lacks soul this book is the equivalent of a puddle.
Also it’s ment to be set in England but feels like an American who’s never been here but has heard of a few towns wrote it. Over all it lacks soul this book is the equivalent of a puddle.
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