The Prime of Ms Dolly Greene by E V Harte
| The Prime of Ms Dolly Greene by E V Harte | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Karen Grace
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| Summary: As a self-confessed chicklit fan, who's never read a crime novel before, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it....turns out I absolutely loved it! This book was definitely a real page-turner, with great characters and lots of twists and turns but at the same time light-hearted and funny. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 288 | Date: September 2017 |
| Publisher: Constable | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1472124241 | |
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I love reading full stop so I was excited to have the chance to read the first crime novel from established, well-regarded author Daisy Waugh, writing under a pseudonym. But, as a self-confessed chicklit fan, who's never read a crime novel before, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it....turns out I absolutely loved it!
I've always been put off thinking crime writing would be dark and gritty but this was the complete opposite. It was light-hearted and contemporary with one of the characters (or key witnesses) uploading pictures of the death scene to social media before a death was even confirmed. In fact the tone was very similar to my beloved romcoms, and surprisingly there was actually even a romance as well as a murder. The short chapters made it really easy to read – perfect for a quick five-minute sit-down.
Tinderbox Lane is a heart-warming community of seven teeny-tiny mews houses, located along a bike path in the 'depths of the depths' of outer Southwest London so hard to find that even 'Tesco who say Every Little Helps wouldn't deliver'. But, despite only having seven (eccentric) residents there are a lot of strange goings-on both real and seen in the tarot cards or visions by psychic Dolly Greene, who lives at number two. Smart, warm-hearted and extremely likeable character Dolly turns super sleuth but struggles to convince even her daughter, let alone the local police, that she's not insane.
All of the characters were so realistic and well described from flirtatious, belly-laughing neighbour Maurice to voluptuous Nikki with her turquoise nails and cheap gold bangles or even Professor Filthy that I could vividly picture them all and totally bought into their individual fates. They were also all cleverly and indirectly linked to each other, adding to the book's many twists and turns and subtle clues.
My only very slight criticism was that when the murder mystery was fully revealed the motives and conclusions were somewhat tame and fairly innocent (even for a girl who said she didn't want dark and sinister). But, I enjoyed the suspense and plot twists so much along the way that the ending was pretty inconsequential really in the grand scheme of things. This book was definitely a real page-turner, I just couldn't put it down and am so excited to hear that this was the first in a series featuring Dolly Greene because I literally cannot wait for the next one.
Thank you to The Bookbag and the publishers for introducing me to both a new author and a new genre. If you like this then you're bound to love the Agatha Raisin series of comedic murder-mysteries by MC Beaton starring a Cotswolds-based PR guru turned amateur sleuth.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Prime of Ms Dolly Greene by E V Harte at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Prime of Ms Dolly Greene by E V Harte at Amazon.com.
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