An English Murder

Rating:
Summary: A book that will stick with you
Review: AN ENGLISH MURDER is an amazing read! It has been a while since I was so completely engrossed in a story which starts out being so conventional, and quickly turns the entire "village mystery" genre into something quite different. The murders of a middle-aged couple and the disappearance of their teenage daughter Gemma cause quite a stir in the quiet Rutland village where Alison Akenside is a reporter with the local paper. Besieged by national media, Alison sees it as an opportunity to make a splash with a story of her own.

As we learn more about the dead couple, the daughter and Alison herself, the atmosphere becomes suffocating, and Alison more of an enigma. Fans of Ruth Rendell should rejoice over the discovery of AN ENGLISH MURDER.

Rating:
Summary: gently surprising
Review: An unusual book, filled with small surprises. The story of the murder itself is straight forward. The revelations of character in the town though are not. There is real originality here.

Rating:
Summary: A Waste of Time and a Waste of Money
Review: One of the worst "mystery" books I have ever read. As other reviewers have noted, there was really no mystery in this disappointing novel. The main character was not very likeable, and the details of her family were painfully boring and irrelevant. I kept hoping the book would redeem itself with a clever ending. It didn't.