Reading in Between the Wines book review #110/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷
Book: The Perfect Place to Die
Author: Bryce Moore
Available now!!

Sipping thoughts: Very dark and very gory. This book takes place in the early 1900s. I typically don’t like stories placed in that time or era, but this one was well done. Zuretta proves to be a strong protagonist who stops at nothing to find her sister. What she finds is literally a house of horror. The ending was a satisfying result to a storyline that brought so much pain and death.

Cheers and thank you to @SourcebooksFire and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @ThePerfectPlaceToDie.

#ThePerfectPlaceToDie #BryceMoore #SourcebooksFire #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

This was an entertaining and quick read with a good sense of historical setting. I thought the descriptions and diagrams of the layout of the Castle were great and I thought the pacing was good too. For me, Zuretta was a little bit of a stretch as a main character. I found the complete change in her behaviour from Utah to Chicago somewhat unbelievable. I think the main issue for me though, was that I am familiar with the case (as I'm sure many others would be who picked up the book) so there was no mystery to solve. Overall, I enjoyed my time with this one and I will definitely read from the author again.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hmmmm…I’m not sure about this one. It’s classified as YA but the characters seem more like true adults. It just didn’t work for me and I like a lot of YA titles. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

The Perfect Place to die follows Zuretta as she investigates her sister's murder. Unfortunately she is a woman and no one in the police force takes her seriously, so she has to take matters into her own hands and bring this mastermind killer to justice.

I honestly didn't have many feelings about this book either way. I thought it was fine, though not memorable. I wished we got more of the chilling factor throughout the novel. The author did a fantastic job at providing that at the end, but it would have been better if it were played up throughout.

Overall this is a fine book and perfect for a spooky read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this novel was not for me. I think the main issue (that happens to be a personal pet peeve) was the author's attempt to be relatable. And by that, I mean that I immediately looked him up because I could tell the main character was a woman written by a man- something I definitely shouldn't be able to tell. At all. But honestly, that wasn't even my biggest issue with the book. I already knew of H. H. Holmes before The Perfect Place to Die, so I figured out the identity of the killer as soon as his character entered the picture. I liked the confessions at the beginning of each chapter, though, as I felt they added a much-needed air of mystery. I also didn't feel attached to the main character because of how unrealistic she was, and therefore, I couldn't bring myself to care about her search for her sister. Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential, but I found myself not able to finish it (I got about halfway through before I DNF-ed it).

i was drawn to this novel by its premise and setting: i've always been interested in YA historical fiction, and i have *never* encountered such a story set in chicago at the infamous murder castle. even better was my excitement that i'd be reading a story of sisters, about the complex yearning - love & grief - when one disappears.

while i found moore's prose quite readable, i had a difficult time connecting to any of the characters. our protagonist, zuretta, didn't feel particularly relatable or nuanced; as other reviewers have noted, she seemed a good deal more mature than her years. the mystery and setting were atmospheric, but the overall plot felt unremarkable to me - probably because i struggled to emotionally connect with the characters and their stakes.

overall, not a bad story whatsoever! just not my cup of tea.


many thanks to netgalley and sourcebooks fire for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Place to Die is one of those books that has a really slow start, but it's one that you feel so relieved that you kept reading as when it really picks up it's a fantastic and very atmospheric, enjoyable read.

The linking or real life crimes and criminals, Jack The Ripper and H.H. Holmes, was very interesting to me but I don't think was explored enough, I wanted more. The characters weren't relatable and I ended up not really caring for any of them.

I really enjoyed The Perfect Place to Die!

It is a historical mystery/thriller, set in 1890s Chicago. Our main character, Zurreta, sets off to look for her missing sister and ends up taking a job at a mysterious hotel called The Castle. There she discovers there are more women going missing at an alarming rate.

I had fun reading this take on the H. H. Holmes murders. I also really liked the setting and atmosphere that was created during this time period. I will say, however, it did get a little slow at times and it’s not much of a mystery if you’re familiar with the real case.
All in all, it was an enthralling read and I’m excited for what the author does next.

This was incredibly slow paced and hard to get into. I don't even have 100 or so words to say about it. It sounded promising, it just didn't deliver.

I could not get into this story. The naivete of the main character felt extreme to me, and the initial conflict of being robbed on her first night in Chicago was resolved too quickly to be believable to me.
In all fairness, I do not think I am the intended audience for this novel.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

I don’t know why I had assumed this book was written by a woman but once I realized a man had written it, it kind of made sense. I don’t think men can write realistic women at all, unfortunately. Zuretta seemed not real but also came off as an old woman. Possibly also because this takes place in the past so that’s why she was written this way? I don’t know but in any case I couldn’t connect to her. It’s an easy read even if it’s a little slow sometimes. It wasn't bad overall but not my favorite! I think it's interesting it is based off real event as well.

The Perfect Place To Die sells the premise of a YA mystery that merges a real-life serial killer with historical fiction, to mixed results. It involves a young girl, Zuretta, looking for her missing sister where she has to deal with unsavoury characters and go undercover as a maid. I thought the setting, taking place during the World's Fair in Chicago was interesting and I enjoyed the information about how people lived back then which feels immersive. The Castle Hotel is described in detail and adds to the claustrophobic and creepy vibes.

I knew going in that it would be about H.H. Holmes so unfortunately there isn't a lot of tension in the story. I did like the inclusion of his confession at the start of each chapter, but it would've been more exciting if we don't know his identity from the start. While I liked Zuretta's courage and determination, I thought she made decisions that made no sense. So the ending feels implausible in some ways. I also wish we had seen more of her relationship with her sister, Ruby, so that there's more emotional weight to her search. I still enjoyed the book overall due to the compelling writing. This would be suitable for fans of YA historical fiction and I suggest you don't look into H.H. Holmes before reading the book.

This book was so atmospheric and I couldn't put it down. The author paced it perfectly and the mystery was so well woven!

I enjoyed this book. It was marketed as perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and that was a wonderfu; comparison, as it had a lot of things I loved about the other book. Strong female characters, a great mystery, a sense of tension that builds slowly throughout the plot. I loved that there were female friendships in this book and there wasn't a heavy sense of romance. This was a really great historical fiction read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Written by Librarian, Bryce Moore, The Perfect Place to Die felt like a perfect blend between fact and fiction. I don’t think I have read Devil In the White City, yet, but will eventually. However, I am familiar with H. H. Holmes and this fictional story with bits of truth scattered within tell about his mysterious (and creepy) murder castle and about some of his victims. I really enjoyed this whole book and could not put it down.

This is definitely going on a book list I’m creating for a monthly true crime discussion I am hosting at work in 2022!

2.5 stars

Another YA mystery that I thought I would like but I was able to finish this one because it got really interesting near the end of the book.

The synopsis of this novel is we follow our main character, Etta, trying to find the truth to her sister's death. She decided to go to Chicago and asked a well-known detective agency to look for her sister. But when she gets rejected and now she has to do find her sister's killer her own way. But will she have the guts and capacity to find who she's looking for?

That's just a brief summary and this was released in August. This wasn't too bad BUT it wasn't too good either. I did enjoy the fact that this book was inspired by a true-crime story. The progression of the book from beginning to the end was very slow and I almost gave up on reading this. But I persevere? and endured the whole story. This book is up to my mystery taste but I didn't enjoy the historical aspects of the story. I appreciate that it took place in Chicago during the beginnings of industrialization and cars and immigrants but this wasn't my cup of tea.

This is something that I would only read once and once only. I wouldn't read it a second time UNLESS I am in the mood for a historical mystery in the young adult category.

I would say thank you to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC of The Perfect Place to Die by Bryce Moore.
The Perfect Place to Die is the perfect combination of historical fiction and mystery. Set in the time of the Chicago World's Fair, readers are introduced to the first American serial killer. Moore gives a lot of historical details, winding them into a thrilling mystery.

3.5 stars

This really worked for me, mainly because I’ve already ready the books it’s based on, but still. If you're ALSO obsessed with this era of history, then check this out! Another book to add to the canon of fiction and nonfiction centered on Chicago, the World’s Fair, and H.H. Holmes.

Plot: ★★★★
Pacing: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★

1890s Chicago. The World's Fair. All the glitz and glamour in the world focused on the Windy City...and yet something darker lurks the in streets beneath.

Women are disappearing. They're never seen again. And too many signs point to the Castle, a new hotel built near the grounds of the Fair.

Zuretta's sister, Ruby, left their small Utah town to escape to the wilds of Chicago to find a better life. When Ruby's weekly letters stop arriving, Zuretta knows something has happened. She goes to Chicago to investigate.

Once in the city, Zuretta realizes that Ruby is not the only girl lost in Chicago...not by a long shot. And the men of the police force and the famous Pinkerton detective agency have bigger fish to fry than helping one country bumpkin find her naïve sister.

When all signs point to the Castle hotel, Zuretta decides that she needs to infiltrate it from within. She becomes the Castle's new maid, under the watchful eye of the young owner... Henry Holmes.

The Castle's winding, nonsensical architecture entraps Zuretta while the screams in the walls haunt her nights. What's going on at the Castle, and just who, exactly, is behind it all?

Zuretta's going to find out—and hopefully escape with her life.

Ok so right off the bat, this is another one of those books that I think is either going to really, REALLY work for people... or be a huge miss.

It's a huge YES from me, but I think a lot of my enjoyment came from knowing way more about this story's real-life historical roots. If you've already read Erik Larson's Devil in the White City, then you're extremely primed to like this one too as The Perfect Place to Die is a "perfect" (couldn't resist that pun) young adult fictional companion to that story.

However, if you've NOT read any of the supporting works (Devil in the White City, fictional renditions like Kerri Maniscalco's Capturing the Devil, etc.) then you're left with the main plot itself, which does have some quirks/weaknesses as it attempts to follow the historical accuracies. It's not the most dramatic of stories, and it's also not the most complex—but again, it's because it's following the historical blueprint.

An interesting one for sure. I enjoyed the read and will definitely recommend it to the right audience.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This was an interesting read. The writing was captivating and kept me eagerly turning each page. At the same time, the story itself was fairly predictable, since it was based on the true events of H. H. Holmes and the Chicago Murder Castle. As Zuretta is investigating her sister's disappearance, she contemplates a few suspects as she goes undercover as a maid at the Castle.

As someone who's familiar with true crime and the actual case, there was no mystery in it for me, and when the "twist" was the reveal of the murderer being Holmes, it wasn't a surprise for me. Because of my knowledge of this case, there were aspects of the plot that I already knew. However, I was interested in Zuretta's arc and what would happen specifically to her, which is what kept me invested in the story.

I think it would've been more of a surprise if the author hadn't used Holmes as an actual character in the story, or his accomplice. The setting could've stayed the same, but if the names had been changed, maybe there would've been more actual mystery for me.