pick4 Stars • In A Whisper of Death (Raven & Wren #1) by Darcy Burke, set in 1868 London, Hadrian Becket, Earl of Ravenhurst, gains psychometric powers after surviving a stabbing. He teams up with sharp-witted private investigator Matilda "Tilda" Wren to solve his attack and her cousin‘s suspicious death. ⬇️
so-soA thriller that started off strong but I felt dragged. At its conclusion they answer one major question but you know it‘s going to end. Supposedly this is the start of a new series and main character but not enticing enough for me to read again.
panThis was absolutely crap.
I've just spent an hour explaining why on Goodreads, but I'm contemplating deleting my review because it isn't at all tactful.
Seriously though, it's not often that I get this salty over a book.
⭐️
One star
#HaikuADay #HaikuHive
Today‘s haiku is inspired by the corpse flower about to bloom in Kauai. It‘s been growing for 6 years & will finally bloom this weekend. They named it Pua Pilo which is “stinky flower” in Hawaiian. Several years ago I got to see one blooming here on Oahu—they only bloom for a couple of days & yes, they are very stinky, but beautiful.
Pua Pilo stirs
a corpse flower sighs of death
sweet rot on the breeze
Kristy_K, DebinHawaii, Mimi28, TheBookHippie, JenlovesJT47, Susanita, Reggie, vivastory, Itchyfeetreader, jdiehr, CBee, dabbe, kelli7990, Jari-chan, ImperfectCJ, lil1inblue, The_Book_Ninja, julieclair, AnnCrystal, bellabella, BooksandCoffee4Me
pickThree women and a boy are found shipwrecked on a small island in the South Pacific. They refuse to leave without someone from the CDRA. Adam Saint takes on the mission with the help of his sister and his nephew.
Plenty of twists and turns in another thriller. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger but since the book was published 11 years ago, I don't suppose we'll find out what happens next.
pickLow pick. Not bad but not amazing. I really liked Muriel as a character and how she wouldn‘t bow to Jekyll despite their history. I think I‘m just not a huge fan of stories where characters from other stories are borrowed or reimagined. Some I like but most are a miss. I‘ll continue with the next book in the series and see how it goes. Overall an entertaining historical mystery.
panThe description of this book sounded promising but it‘s just dumb. It‘s winking so hard at Holmes/Poirot that it‘s more like a grimace. And the construction of it just doesn‘t work. I wish I hadn‘t read it.
Tonight I made dandan (with bok choy, so it‘s basically healthy) and started the latest Dublin Driver mystery. I‘m looking forward to really getting stuck into it before bed!
pickWhat a gorgeous Hawaiian mystery drama!
I‘ve been to Hawai‘i many times, but surprisingly I have never been to Kaua‘i. I was very eager to get a glimpse of the island through this book and it did not disappoint.
This book may be classified as a mystery, but it is so much more than that. It explores Hawaiian life, especially the family dynamics.
Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/05/03/review-kauai-storm/
#AWhisperOfDeath #RavenAndWren #DarcyBurke #Bookish 2d