Flush by Sky Curtis

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Flush is a witty and engaging mystery novel that follows the adventures of Robin MacFarland, a middle-aged journalist who finds herself in the middle of a water conspiracy. Robin is a relatable and flawed protagonist who struggles with her weight, her drinking, and her love life, while also trying to solve a murder case that involves her online date. The novel is full of humor, suspense, and twists, as Robin uncovers a plot to steal Canada’s fresh water and faces a surprising killer. The author, Sky Curtis, skillfully blends social commentary, environmental issues, and personal growth into a fast-paced and entertaining story. Flush is a refreshing and original addition to the mystery genre, and a great debut for the Robin MacFarland series. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh and a good mystery.

Note: I especially enjoyed the emotional growth of the main character. In the beginning of the story, she made jokes at her own expense, later in the novel she grew into herself more, and these self-depreciating jokes stopped. It is a tough world, where people judge ever little flaw, especially their own, so I notice things like this. Kudos to author for her character (both in the novel and her personal character ;)).

This novel took me forever to get around to and once I finally finished reading, I came to the conclusion that this book is not my cup of tea. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, I didn't enjoy her very much. I did enjoy the murder mystery plot of the story, as well as the Toronto setting.

The write up on this book intrigued me as it was supposed to be a hilarious murder mystery
The plot was good on this with a few good twists and turns but I couldn't warm to the main character who felt a bit like a poor Miss Marple.
I think if I had read the book rather than listen via audiobook I might have enjoyed this book more
I think my disappointment could have been down to the narrator who unfortunately didn't quite deliver the comedy side of it and that spoilt the audio experience for me

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book in return for an honest review .

Readers who pick up flush are in for a cosy mystery, midlife crisis mash up. While the overall feel of the book is intentionally humourous I found the jokes often missed their mark. Readers may also find the main character a little confusing. Described as an educated, successful, media professional in her late 50s with plenty of life experience under her belt after raising for children with the Love of her life only to be trade it in for a younger model. However her actions feel more in line with that of an flaky 16 year old.

Perhaps it’s harder for me to relate to the story as I Have yet to hit this phase in my life but whatever the reason I just never fell in love with Flush.

⭐️⭐️ Two stars with a 14+ rating for mature scenes and content

A witty read for the Tinder generation - witha great protagonist over the age of thirty, but not over the hill. Would recommend.

Mild spoiler quibble: surely the insects mentioned sting, rather than bite? (Google agrees with me).

Absolutely not my kind of book at all, although I did enjoy trying something different. This is a rather long-winded murder mystery with the main character unrealistically catapulted into a crime reporter role where she solves the crime before the police. She talks constantly about being overweight, her addiction to alcohol and her 'need for a man'. Eurgh. The other characters were really sterotyped and over-the-top. Not by cup of tea, sadly, but the crime itself was quite clever.

Flush is a humorous midlife crisis murder mystery by Sky Curtis. Released in print in May 2017, the audiobook is due out 15th Oct 2021 from Inanna. The book is (or will be) available in paperback and ebook formats. The print version is 312 pages.

This is a murder mystery with an amateur sleuth who's middle aged, overweight, lonely, desperate, and alcoholic. The author spends *pages* describing cellulite, saggy arms, chins, and wrinkles. Some readers might find the constant harping on her physical characteristics funny, to me they just seemed sad and bullying. The characterizations are trope-y and two dimensional (chain smoking hard@ss editor, dithery but well intentioned main character, lesbian friend who constantly makes passes at her (and any other female within 500 miles), jerk-y sexist rich guy businessmen, society trophy wives, etc).

There were major problems for me in the narrative. The main character is supposed to be an intelligent media professional but she's constantly dithering, impractical, panicked, and falling to pieces about really weird and inconsequential things. Her internal monologue was so cringe-worthy most of the time. I was often yanked out of the story by oddly written phrases and dialogue. When she learns about a death early in the narrative, her colleagues all immediately look at her and more or less convince her she's going to be the primary suspect in the investigation. The pacing just never gelled for me. There is quite a lot of "telling" and almost no "showing".

Humour is difficult to write and I felt that the author was going for a Kinsey Millhone vibe and it just never got there for me. The language is R rated and there's also quite a lot of unnecessary body objectification (of both men and women).

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours and 30 minutes and is narrated by Rebecca Jenkins. She does a fairly good job of individual character voices, but two of them, chain smoking Shirley and BFF Cynthia were like nails on a chalkboard. Shirley was more difficult to listen to for me personally because I did get used to the nasal Fran Drescher-esque quality of Cynthia after a while.

Three stars for both the print and audiobook versions.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Robin McFarland writes a column for the Home and Garden section of a Toronto newspaper. The middle aged woman is fighting the battle that all women of a certain age fight, the struggle to lose weight, while dealing with loneliness and and the tendency to rely a little too much on alcohol. Her struggles don’t stop her from stepping up when Canada’s fresh water supply is threatened, nor does it keep her from solving two murders. Robin, and her struggles will appeal to many women, who will identify all too well.