When I purchased this cozy mystery for my Kindle, I thought it was a full length novel. However, it is only 113 pages long. The story began well with the introduction of the characters, including a Persian cat named Monkey Business. The coronavirus shutdown has just begun in Christchurch, New Zealand where the story takes place. The author's dialogue between the characters was the apparatus used to advance the plot. In a modern twist, all of the dialogue was via Zoom community meetings. I knew that one day we would be reading stories that take place during Covidtide but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Because of the shortness of the script there was no sleuthing here. Gossip among the city residents tells the reader who killed Lilith, an elderly woman. No investigation of Lilith's murder is mentioned either. In this respect the book was a let down. I was impressed, though, at the naturalness of the conversations between neighbors as well as showing how they had a hard time adjusting to lockdown. I also expected that the series would prominently feature a feline. Monkey Business did not have a role in the plot so I am unclear what the title refers to.
There are 4 more books in this series. I can only assume that they are short like Persian Perpetrator. I think I will skip them. 1 out of 5 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment