whimsydearest

Members of a university mystery club visit a ten-sided house on a remote island where an unsolved grisly mass murder took place the year before. However, as they explore the house and try to unravel its secrets, they discover there may be a killer in their midst. The Decagon House Murders Volume 1 by Yukito Ayatsuji (writer), Hiro Kiyohara (Artist) is a clever and engaging whodunit murder mystery. It’s based on the classic novel by the same name and adheres to the “honkaku” tradition, meaning that the audience is given clues and invited to solve the story’s mystery before it ends. Think of it as a game of Clue or an Agatha Christie novel. In fact, the story gives nods to the author by nicknaming one of the characters after her and even references her novel And Then There Were None in its opening prologue. On top of that, the artwork is beautifully atmospheric, and it's what drew me to this manga in the first place. All in all, Volume 1 was a fun start to the series and I’m real...

Fergus is terminally ill and dying, but before he leaves this Earth, he wants a family who’ll miss him. He then decides to create his own makeshift family by kidnapping victims and forcing them to play house with him. Of course, his captives are none-too-happy with this predicament, so they are desperate to escape him. Meanwhile, Detective Baarda and forensic psychologist Connie Woolwine are in a race against the clock to find them before it’s too late. Wow. The Shadow Man by Helen Fields is a truly unnerving page-turner filled with a compelling cast of characters.  At first, I was expecting an urban legend-esque story based on the title (kind like The Whisper Man by Alex North). However, there are no supernatural forces at work here--only humans and a very interesting disorder that even I hadn't heard of before.  I found the police procedural aspects of the story particularly well-thought out since the author has first-hand experience as a criminal law lawyer. I also ...

Sera's lost her husband, her job, her baby. Now all she has left is her favorite true crime podcast: Murder, She Spoke. However, when the host Rachel mysteriously stops uploading episodes, Sera takes it a upon herself to travel to her small hometown and begin unraveling clues. First things first, I’ve got to point out how gorgeous and fitting the cover is! It depicts a woman being peeled back to reveal the blackberry brambles behind her, and its surrealist body horror is what first drew me in to the book in the first place.  The author paints Sera's obsession well. However, her obsession is so all-consuming that it leaves little room for any definable characteristics outside of the narrator’s obsession with true crime and Rachel. This makes her a bit one-dimensional and I wish that she and the rest of the characters had been fleshed out more.  Overall though, If I Disappear is a delicious slow burn, filled with twists and turns. As I was reading along, I found myself having ...

  After a woman is found floating dead in a fountain, drained of all her blood, Detectives Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner launch an investigation to uncover the sordid secrets of a residential psychiatric hospital. There’s something really raw about visceral about Scandinavian crime thrillers, and The Butterfly House by Katrine Engberg is no exception. It’s grisly and unflinching in its details—definitely not for the faint of heart. This book is a slow burn. I feel like the story lags around the halfway point and some parts I feel could have been cut out. However, the story picks back up again to reach a simmering and satisfying conclusion. Note that although this story is a sequel to Tenant , it works perfectly as a standalone. Thank you, Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book Details: Publication Date : January 5, 2021 Publisher : Gallery/Scout Press  ISBN : 9781982127602 Pages : 352