2.5 stars.

This was a complicated knot of a read that really wound a lot up in a wandering plot. The first half of the book is confusing and it is difficult to sort out who the characters are and how the multiple plot lines are going to work themselves together. The movement of the different stories slowly toward one another is intriguing, but the jolting movements from place to place, time to time, and character to character, make things very convoluted. It requires a slow and in-depth read. This is an okay feeling to have and can make for a wonderful read, but it did create some frustration in the reading process and made the pacing drag down a bit as I tried to sort out all the interlocking pieces.

Beyond my struggles with plot organization and pacing, this was a good read. The characters were interesting and there was a lot of character development via the multiple plot lines. There is a lot of introspection and growth for the characters amidst a lot of chaos and difficulty. The weaving together of the plot lines is intriguing and does occur in a slowly revealed and interesting way. It's a very unique plot movement with a writing style that somehow reminds me of Stieg Larsson and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Though I did have issues with my read of this novel, I will say that the writing style is appealing and I am interested to see what this author produces in the future. She clearly has a good imagination and skill at developing a complicated plot. A debut novel with good promise for the future.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

I absolutely loved this Thriller Mystery

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend!

My copy of this book galley was archived before I could download and give my feedback. But I was able to obtain a copy. I enjoyed this book for the most part. Initially it was hard to stick with the story because there were so many seemingly unrelated plot points and story threads. It took a bit of guesswork to figure out how the various stories and everything fit together. I wouldn’t describe this book as a pure thriller. It was more like a traditional fictional story about Benedict trying to reconcile his feelings and past relationship traumas. I would recommend this book for someone interested in well written characters and a story that eventually has some twists and surprises.

I was having trouble with a different timeline in each chapter at the start only to realise as I progressed that it was essential for the story.
There is a double murder at the start and everything leads up to this murder at the finish. There are many surprises in an extraordinary plot with twists and turns to keep one alert.
As this clever story unfolds I came away feeling there was another important story in the background simmering away about love with its many facets, including failings, oppression, homosexuality, mothers, choices, guilt, and children so much so that this wonderful story has been in my mind going over and over for a week before attempting a review.
This has been such a hard book to review without giving away the storey. So, read and enjoy.
An independent review NetGalley

The cover is absolutely beautiful. My main reason to get this book were the cover and the title - it made me curious about the book, but I fear my expectations of this book wavered from what the book offered.
First I have to say, though - this book isn't bad. By no means, the style is interesting; personally, I love stories picking up pieces from the past and the present.
The problem I had with this book however - it wasn't your typical debut book. Reading this book felt like there was some other, previous story which you needed to read in order to completely be able to get this one, but since it's a debut, there wasn't anything to possibly read before. On a personally level, I also think the author tried too hard to connect four stories into one without giving much background on the characters. It's one thing to jump back and forth in time, but jumping in time and place after each chapter tends to end up confusing. In my opinion, it might have been better to hint on the murder in the first chapter, then focus on two of the character's stories, finish the book and pick up the murder and the third backstory in a second book.
It's a strong debut, but I can't help but wondering if the author maybe tried a bit too hard and went over the top.

I received a free ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very interesting, super abstract. It needs a little something extra for the plot to all come together, but the sentence-to-sentence prose is so good, it was impossible not to enjoy.

This debut novel begins with death; two bodies are washed ashore in an Italian village. From then, we learn how this event had taken place over the span of two narratives in overlapping timelines.

Let me preface this review by saying I really wanted to love this story-- I didn't necessarily dislike it, but I did not love it as much as I thought I would.

What I liked about it: it read relatively quick and the plot was interesting.

What I disliked, however, was how convoluted the storyline became. Between the overlapping narratives and the many characters introduced, it was at times dizzying and hard to keep up with. Sometimes I'd find myself looking back a few pages to try to figure out which character is which. Additionally, it is may just be a personal experience of mine, but I found it hard to really connect with the characters. For my personal preference, I would have loved to see some of the characters developed more deeply.

Overall, this debut work has good bones. There is a LOT of potential for greatness for this novel. I don't necessarily think it is fair to give a rating yet when the work itself is subject to change. I actually look forward to picking it up again after it is finalized.

***I would like to extend my gratitude towards NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

2-3 stars

Two male bodies wash ashore in Italy with the subsequent investigation led by Detective Paoli. How do these as yet unidentified men connect to wealthy Benedict Grant in London and to Marie Boulanger, a nurse in Marseille? The mystery unfolds in varying timelines.

‘Good morning Mr Magpie, how’s your wife?’ Single magpie salute and a warning which some characters should have heeded. At the beginning of the book there are some good magpie images and references which seem to vanish as the book progresses which is a pity. When you begin this novel you have no idea where the storyline is going and it certainly takes you in unexpected directions and for the first half it’s interesting and pretty good. There’s a real mix of characters although I had trouble liking quite a number of them. This is especially true of Benedict who is a controlled cynic, he can be deeply unpleasant and hurtful particularly to his staff with some of the things he says being quite offensive on occasions. He’s struggling with his sexuality and strings one poor woman along as he desires a child. Marie is a nicer character and in her case it’s nature over something approximating nurture as her parents are awful especially her criminal father. At times his unpleasant character feels a bit stereotypically evil. The premise and plot are intriguing though it’s convoluted and hard to follow at times. My biggest issue with the book is the timelines are all over the place, zipping backwards and forwards in a dizzying fashion that leaves you reeling. By the second half the frustration grows at trying to follow something so needlessly complex. It prevaricates giving background information that adds little and becoming too wordy. In places it’s clearly meant to be funny and the only reason I knew that is because characters laugh or smile but I find it cheesy and cringe. There is one reference to ‘Scandinavia being the British trump card’. What? I’m British and I didn’t know that and I’m not even sure what it means! As it reaches a conclusion for me it just becomes a mess with the finale being overly dramatic and ludicrous. Sorry!

Overall, there are the makings of a good story here but in my opinion it needs more refining and editing before publication so that it flows better. I really like the cover!

Great story, likeable characters, the different storylines come together smoothly. It was an easy to follow story, even when the timelines went back and forth. I liked and enjoyed Marie’s character. Benedict came off as entitled and too self absorbed, but he eventually comes through and finds the true value in life, which is his family. The LGBT+ representation was appreciated and did not feel forced. Overall, really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing access to this ARC.

DNF

What struck me first about the writing was how much the author loves her adverbs. There are a sprinkling of tired descriptive clichés, as well as a lack of interest in the characters on whole. The story moved much too quickly from scene-to-scene, and only ever developing a surface-level intrigue. I also wasn’t fond of the lame jabs at Americans (of course we’re all fat, stupid, and obnoxious!),

I immediately disliked Benedict—his über privilege—and all the people around him. Their affected dialogue, and Benedict’s somewhat arrogant introspections about perfection and women and fatherhood. It was really off-putting. Like, am I supposed to care that you want to have what you frequently refer to as a “trophy child”? No. As much as the book tries to hide it, Benedict is a closet INCEL. He’s immediately outshone at a bar by what can only be a CHAD, as Benedict’s “Beefcake” description implies.

Benedict heads to a club and spots a “...pretty, little thing... doe eyes, skinny, shy, young-looking... Exactly his type.”
Cue eye roll.
Oh, but then there’s this gem: “Benedict approached. He took a position near enough but not too close. He liked to work for his meal.”
Seriously?? Did a woman really write this drivel?
“His taut body was nothing impressive to look at when fully clothed and his features were pleasant but nondescript. Yet, once he locked onto his target, he never missed.”
How about we stop writing about people being “meals” or “targets” or “prey” or “prizes”?? Literally all words used to describe this one individual [I get the twist is that it’s a fem-presenting man being talked about, but it still stands as cringe-y.]. This sort of objectification is gross and, frankly, sad. And just to throw it out there: really poor/lazy writing and technique. [The blatant internalized homophobia that follows, amidst a flurry of more clichés, is even more cringe. I don’t mind reading stories about self-hating gays, but Benedict is so entirely unlikable.]

Thankfully (yet, only slightly so) Marie’s chapters were more palatable. As I trudged along, however, I just lost interest; It didn’t help that Benedict remained intolerable, either. Again, the writing style continued to bug me. I don’t want to say it’s unintentionally bad, just misguided. The way certain characters are presented: the racial descriptors for POC characters in particular (??), left me scratching my head. Marie’s observation at a school and a particular child, too, was simply... wrong. And weird. I decided to set the book aside not much further in.

While I don’t enjoy giving a low rating to a debut ARC, I cannot in good conscience finish this and/or ignore my feelings towards this book. This is not to say that many others wouldn’t enjoy it. I don’t know if my particular qualms are resolved further on in the story, but the premise alone is something I think many readers (not as jaded and cynical as I) would find intriguing. Don’t take my review as gospel, for I barely made it a quarter of the way through. Read ‘Of Magpies and Men’ and find out for yourself.

Two lives, two countries (France and the UK), this aspect really talked to me especially since Provence is a region very dear to me. The book has a very intriguing story and deals with profound subjects in a light and funny manner which is refreshing. I really enjoyed reading this very well written novel with endearing characters. I think this new author has potential and I hope to read more of her work soon.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

DNF at 25%

I went into this book with such high expectations that it pains me to write a bad review for it, but this book and I did not click at all.

The positive is that the premises of the book is pretty cool. A mystery that takes place across different countries, with multiple characters, and some time jumps sounds like a pretty fun thing to read. And I liked that the events were taking place at three separate locations. However, I think I knew from the prologue that this would be a difficult read for me due to the writing style, which I found a bit tedious and hard to follow with unnecessary descriptions that distract the reader from the flow of the story. However, writing styles are more of an acquired taste that can work with varying degrees of success depending on the reader -so I thought I would ignore my initial assessment and trudge on.

This brought me to the first chapter, and I honestly think that had I not hated Benedict's POV so much; I might have been able to maybe finish the book. I don't know if it was an intentional choice on the author's part, but Benedict's chapters were extremely uncomfortable and unsettling to read (and not in a good way). The book tried to sell Benedict off as an aloof, wealthy banker but what I got was a character that was deeply unlikeable, and borderline disturbing in how he described his surroundings and perceived other characters. Again, not in the good, intentional this-character-is-deliciously-messed-up way, but in a this guy is insufferable kind of way. This came from the way Benedict talks about the female characters, to him wanting a "trophy child", to the very upsetting few paragraphs where he uses the words "prey", "his prize", and "his target" to describe someone he wants to pick up at a bar. Someone who the book hints at being far -far- younger than the 30 year old main character. And this is all in the first two chapters. I don't mind reading about closeted queer characters with internalized homophobia -although god knows it's a trope I'm sick of- but to write Benedict to sound this predatory and unsettling, then have the catch be surprise, he's a closeted self-hating gay! rubbed me the wrong way. The only time I had any kind feelings towards Benedict at all was, very briefly, during the scene at the hospital with his mother. And even that didn't last long.

Marie is more tolerable on her own and the chapters do get somewhat easier to read once she appears, but there are some things throughout her chapters (and Benedict's) that made me stop reading to take a break. There was a very unfortunate paragraph where Marie insinuates that a ten year old child is looking at her in an appraising/sexual manner while she picked up her son at school.. this theme of minors and adults pops up on three separate occasions within the first 7 chapters. Again, a scenario that I might read (in a crime novel or a story dealing with trauma and abuse) if done differently and if it didn't set such an uncomfortable tone for the rest of the narrative because it's left unacknowledged as something deeply wrong. The incident at the school in particular made me recoil. I would venture to say that if you're an adult reading a child's look that way, then the problem is you. Not the child. So, yeah, Marie made me feel iffy too.

What else? As a queer woman of color, mishandling of characters of color jumps at me each time. It's almost always expected, but completely unwelcome. I'm not saying that this book is racist, but it describes its characters of color weirdly. Benedict describing a character as "The Asian guy" repeatedly wasn't great. Surely he could have said "Laure's friend" or "The secretary's friend" or any number of things after the initial acknowledgment of the character's race?! Another strange instant of this was the following, said by a doctor to Benedict: "She slipped into a coma." A slight Indian inflection ringed her final sentence. . I had to stop at this line, frown, and try to figure out how this line belonged in a scene that should have been emotional and meant to inspire sympathy to the main character. Instead of getting emotionally invested, I had to stop and marvel at how out of place and weird the line felt. Might be an issue of the writing style again, but it was unpleasant to read all the same.

This is all to say that I really tried reading this book and to keep going with it, but there were just too many things about it that did not sit right with me. I want people to keep in mind that I only read about 25% of it, so maybe some of it is intentionally setting events up for later but I personally couldn't get far enough to find out. The amount I read was more than enough for me, as I tend to focus a lot on characterization and writing style. Sadly, neither one worked for me here.

I still appreciate getting an opportunity to review this book, and as always I urge people to pick up books for themselves and make up their own minds on whether or not they find a story enjoyable.

This is one of those hidden gem books you sometimes find amongst 5 star reads.

A really powerful story of just about every emotion possible but above all that there is hope. A good written book that had me in tears. It also has a nice balance of humour. I loved the characters I was totally drawn into their stories. I didn't see the twist coming. Loved the book.