Gina Parrish

I appreciated the lack of pretension in this graphic novel. Some graphic novels feel like they are trying to be cool and edgy but this one felt very genuine. I appreciated the subtle humor and the nod to the struggle with grief, as well as the creativity in the story, the characters, and illustrations. The only thing I would rate it down for was the story's climax, which felt rushed. The conflict was built up nicely only to be solved very quickly. Other than that I loved it.

I really have been enjoying this series. When I started it, I told myself I would stop if the books started to feel gimmicky or like it was dragging on. But I am surprised to say I have liked the series more and more as I have gone on.

I was happy to have skipped ahead a few years between this one and the previous one, allowing the “children” to become much more interesting and self-reliant as characters.

The ending was darker in this one and the final page made me both nervous and excited for what is to come... hopefully she doesn't change her formula too much for the rest of the series, as some other reviewers have hinted at.

This was a light and entertaining murder mystery. I have been reading Christie's books chronologically and found this one less cleverly developed than the others, but still worth reading. I liked that there were people of many nationalities and backgrounds represented, which does not always happen in Christie's books.

One thing I have noticed is that she is able to talk more freely about taboo topics than her earlier works. It is interesting to see that change.

This is #33 of chronologically reading Christie's mysteries (minus short stories) and it was a mixed bag. It was a relief to have Superintendent Battle back again, but the structure of the story was odd this time and took a while to get going.

The idea is that a murder begins long before it actually occurs and that, instead of the story beginning with the murder, the story should end with the murder. Usually she moves away from 0 (that being the point of the murder), but in this story she moves towards it. I liked the concept, and you think you understand it from the start just the way I explained it, but she adds a twist. I don't think that's spoiling anything for you–after all, it is a mystery novel. The downfall of writing the story using this structure is that the first half of it felt a bit like a soap opera as you're just waiting for someone to be murdered. It sounds crude, but there it is.

Once the story took off a bit and Superintendent Battle came along it seemed to take off and feel like her other novels. However, if you have read a lot of her books like I have, you will probably guess “whodunit”. On the plus side, you probably won't guess how. She does a good job of turning everything you thought you understood on its head, even when you think you know the culprit.

Worth reading!

I am coming very close to finishing all of Christie's mysteries chronologically. Compared to some of her others, this one is bleh. Very predictable (identical twins...hmm...) and repetitive (mention the elephant metaphor one more time...) with lots of ideology about how crime is genetic. Not her best.