Overall, what did you think of How to Kill a Crime Writer? (No spoilers in this topic, please.)
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I found the book difficult to read. The technique of using Leah, the crime solving lead in her mother’s detective novel as a character did not work for me.
It took me a while to get used to the concept of Leah communicating with Niamh in the book. Once I got over that, I thought the book progressed relatively quickly and I even enjoyed some of Niamh’s interactions with Leah.
Nothing was original in this book, lots of popular tropes: a young adult floundering, socially awkward, wealthy parents, then miraculously finds her way to being a writer, etc.
The fictional character coming to life is done so well by Horowitz that this pales in comparison. If you’re going to take that twist and incorporate into the story, it has to be novel and stand out in its own. This did not.
This was not a book I enjoyed. The way in which the fictional character was brought to life made the story seem completely unreal to me. The crude language also distanced me from the story. Just not my type of book.
Bringing Leah into the story was unusual. At least the author didn’t include a ghost! I kept waiting for better action. This could have been a short story.
I enjoyed the book. I viewed Leah as a subconscious voice for Nimah. The grief journey was interesting as a way to propel the story. Good twist to a cozy mystery.
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This was not a favorite of mine. I thought the relationship between Niamh and Leah would be different. Leah I thought would be more helpful instead of being so critical and nasty to Niamh.
This was one of the more challenging reads I have read in some time. It also took me weeks to finish this one, which is very unusual for me. The plot was a bit hard to follow, particularly in the beginning. I found myself going back pages to reread passages in order to confirm information. I do like this author very much, and I was surprised that this book was such a challenge for me. I could relate to the grief aspect and what was really going on in Niamh’s mind. That name, though, irritated me - “Niamh” - I wanted to pronounce it in my head, but could never really come up with a consistent pronunciation. Regardless, it was a good read, and I am glad that I finished it even if it was a struggle in the beginning.
A clever, but confusing conceit. Take all the elements of Nancy Drew and add alternating voices - it leads to a mystery, indeed! Who’s talking? What does that “character” know? Who done it?
Overall I liked it but I did have to research how to say some of the slang words.
This book was a hard read. I found Leah an enigma and off putting throughout the book. I couldn’t grasp her value other than what might have been an interesting concept to advance the plot but in the end was annoying.
It took me quite a while to get into the book. I stuck it out wanting to see where it would lead. I would not put this in a favorite or highly recommended book category but I was glad I finished the book. I could have done without the crude language but this was how the author felt it should flow. Upon reading the author’s acknowledgments and her back story I see this a bit better from her perspective.
Niamh is pronounced Neeve (at least according to Google)
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I enjoyed the book and found myself laughing quite a bit at the banter, once I realized the story was not to be taken too seriously. It wasn’t the best book but it was definitely entertaining.
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I really enjoyed the book. I liked the interactions between the main characters and the grief journey. Yes, there was low-key action, but I found the ordinariness of it appealing.
You made a good point. This was not a serious who-dun-it mystery so best to read it as a light piece of entertainment.
Don’t expect any sort of literary masterpiece. This is fantasy, wishful thinking all the way. Reminds me of the TV show The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (except for the romance thing). I did like how Leah’s knowledge of the real world (like a bathroom) was limited to what she had experienced in the books. I would never have thought about that…smart!
I enjoyed this book. Well written quirky mystery with clever characters - particularly Leah created by Niamh’s grief over mothers death.
I had a hard time sticking with this book from the beginning. I was determined to finish it, but I struggled with the whole “Leah as muse” concept and found myself getting lost in some of the rabbit holes the author went down. While I appreciated the author’s note at the end because it helped explain the inspiration behind the story, it didn’t completely change how I felt about the book. I’m glad I finished it, but overall it just wasn’t a book that worked for me, and it’s not one I’d be likely to recommend.