Hello Everyone :)
I pray today finds you all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.
While I read across a lot of different genres, and would always pick Christian fiction as my favorite, another one I usually end up enjoying is cozy mysteries.
It's been quite awhile since I last shared a review from a title in this genre with you all, and I decided today is a great day to change that fact.
I finally got the chance to read a cozy mystery that I picked up quite a few years ago from my local used bookstore, and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since.
This title is from a new to me author, and I hope you'll all keep on reading down below to find out what I ended up thinking about it.
Withering Heights by Dorothy Cannell:
Source: Bought for Myself
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: January 1st, 2007
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Ellie Haskell Mystery
Synopsis:
Ellie Haskell, sleuth and Gothic romance addict, visits Yorkshire moors Cragstone House with her husband Ben and sidekick Mrs Roxie Malloy, on behalf of his young cousin Ariel. The kindly cook Mrs. Cake fell downstairs, a visiting vicar dies drinking tea, and one of the neighbors is a glamorous old flame of Mrs Cake's husband.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I bought this one on a whim from the fifty cent shelf at our local used bookstore quite a few years ago, and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. The premise sounded kind of interesting, and I was intrigued by the connection to Wuthering Heights. I also usually enjoy a well written cozy mystery, so I couldn't wait to dive right into this one.
Unfortunately, I thought the characters and the mystery both fell flat, and I couldn't force myself to stay invested in the story. The characters all seemed exactly alike with no redeeming qualities, so it made it quite confusing trying to keep track of who was who.
The writing style was done in a way that appeared it was the author trying to be witty, but it ended up of coming across as disjointed and jerky, and I wasn't personally a fan. I kept on reading hoping that the ending would make up for the lackluster rest of the story, but even that didn't end up being anything spectacular, and left me pretty disappointed.
It had interesting potential, but it ended up not being my cup of tea, and I don't think I would rush out to read another title in this series in the future. I also feel that unlike so many other cozy mystery series, this particular series seems to need to be read in order to understand the background of what's going on. Since this was book eleven in the series, that also might have contributed to my overall lack of enjoyment.
Lastly, I have to mention what a missed opportunity it was to not include recipes. Ellie's husband is raved on for being a fantastic chef, but the story includes none of the recipes for the many delicacies mentioned throughout. That might have been enough for me to bump this up by another half star rating.
Final Rating: 2/5.
Overall, I personally wouldn't recommend this one, especially since there's many other wonderful titles within the cozy mystery genre.
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
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