Lots of book reviews and discussion of classic and contemporary mystery fiction. I welcome comments and continuing conversation. Subscribe below to receive updates! DeAndrea Winifred Blazey Writing. RSS Feed. Among the Oats Holly and Mr. Ivy Locked Room Misery. For the first time since I can recall, I chose a book based on the title alone.
Author, storyline, plot summary, genre, even cover art: I knew nothing about this book beyond its provocative title, A Guide for Murdered Children. As such, I had no expectations and no preconceptions, which is how I greatly prefer to approach new works.
When the title became available through NetGalley , the wonderful service that introduces readers to new and upcoming books in exchange for a review, I was curious enough to take a chance.
What followed was a reading experience both rewarding and frustrating, as Sarah Sparrow is without doubt a strong and evocative writer. Because the prose and ideas in the book were so fresh and engaging, it was especially noticeable when the narrative occasionally faltered or the moments felt misdirected.
This Guide concerns a burned-out, once corrupt ex-cop named Willow Wylde, who is just trying to keep his life together. After a series of hallucinatory dreams he meets Annie Balladine, a kind-hearted woman who seems to be leading a recovery group for troubled souls in the basement of a Detroit church.
