Review: Magpie Murders (Magpie Murders #1) by Anthony Horowitz

5 stars for Magpie Murders (Magpie Murders book 1) by Anthony Horowitz.

5 HUGE stars.

Magpie Murders is mystery crime novel at its finest.

Set in the countryside in the 1950s, in a small community where everyone knows everyone, there is an unexpected death. To quote "There was going to be a funeral." What follows after this opening sentence of Part One Chapter 1 is a cast of suitably eccentric characters, a tangle of suspects with different motives and an outsider detective.

The first 10% or so of the story is spent on introducing characters and their background. It takes some getting used to, but once that's over, we are well-versed and ready to take on whatever comes our way. The death of a housekeeper, Mrs Mary Blakiston, seems straightforward enough and no foul play is suspected. But as the story progresses, it seems that we cannot take things at face value. Is it really an accident that leads to her death or is it something more?

The amazing thing about this book, is that, there is a story within a story in the story. Sounds complicated, right? Let me put it in another way. Author Horowitz writes a story. In that story, there is an author writing a book, and in that book is another author writing another story. Maybe I have not read enough of mystery books, but this is the first time I come across such a complicated yet brilliant mystery crime story. To say that I am impressed by the author is an understatement. I am literally blown away by the workings of author's remarkable mind.

The story itself is not complicated but it seems to be next to impossible to predict the outcome. There are many suspects and all of them have sufficient motives to commit the crime. Just when I am thinking and still wondering who it can possibly be, the story takes an unexpected turn that makes my jaws dropped. And I think to myself "What?! What just happened?"

I read and swipe, and I read and swipe, until the number at the bottom right of my ereader turns from single to double digit and still, keeps on increasing. I want to slow down but yet I find myself reading hurriedly towards a conclusion I can hardly bear to discover. That is the power of this whodunnit. Whodunnits are all about truth, nothing more and nothing less. Nothing but the truth. Getting to the bottom of the truth in this story becomes my sole purpose when I am reading this book. When I finally reach the last page where every i is dotted and every t is crossed, I stare into space, then blink my eyes and give a satisfied sigh. There is so much pleasure and enjoyment from reading this story that I don't know where to start. I want to shout out to the world that this is a book not to be missed. It is a must-read.

This is surely not an easy story to write. For one, the facts and fiction have become inextricably intertwined. Real names, real people, real books, real places have been thrown in. I think merely keeping track of the characters and alphabets is headache enough, it is hard to imagine weaving more complicated connections and linking them all up together. Also, we need to bear in mind the time period is set in the 1950s where there is no forensic DNA analysis, no mobile phones, no computers, no instant information. Everything goes by evidence of prints and deductions. The way the author goes about questioning every suspect, verifying every statement, examining every movement and getting everything in its place.. it is incredible!

Here, I have a confession to make. I started reading right from the beginning but I made the mistake of thinking that is the preface. After the so-called preface, I quickly went through some pages and finally started paying good attention to my reading at Part One Chapter 1 Sorrow. It was only when I reached the halfway mark that I realised my mistake and promptly went back to the beginning to read it one more time. If you have not read this book and plan to do so, don't make the same mistake as me. I still find it hard to stomach, the thought that I, a seasoned reader, has made one such mistake. It is unthinkable.

Somewhere along the way, I actually did a search on Alan Conway. Because I will have liked to read his Atticus Pünd series. Though I am disappointed with the results of my search, I am glad that there is the Moonflower Murders that I can turn to next.

Finally, with my expanded interest on whodunnit, I think it is high time I check out Agatha Christie's books.

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Did Not Finish The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

I have not expected this - posting a DNF review so early in the year. Since the start of the year, I have only put up three reviews, this is the fourth, and to think that it is a DNF makes me kind of sad. As with past year, my aim is to limit myself to no more than three Did Not Finish reviews, and that means, after this one, I will be left with only two more to go.

This is the first time I am reading Erin Morgenstern’s books. I choose to read it because it has garnered many great reviews. Indeed, it is beautifully written and incredibly imaginative, but only while it last. The opening paragraph "The circus arrives without warning" captivates my attention. In fact, the whole of the first chapter has me there. A mysterious circus with towering tents has sprout up overnight in a town and not only that, it opens at nightfall and closes at dawn. It has such a great start that it piques my interest and intrigues me to no end.

Unfortunately, grabbing a reader's attention is of no use if it is not sustainable. After the first few chapters which I read with gusto, I struggle with the rest. I thought I will be able to keep going but after a while, I find that I simply do not care for the book anymore as the story stretches over the years, decades even. It is so slow moving that I am bored to tears.

I will say that reading this book is nearly tragic because the beginning is so promising, and then, nothing happens. Still, I am glad to have given it a try even though it is not to my liking. If not, I will always be wondering if I have missed out on a good read.

Review: Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden

3 stars for Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden.

This story reminds me very much of another book. The author herself knows it and even makes a deliberate attempt to hint about it in her story though without citing the title. For those of us who have read that book (and I think most of us, voracious readers, will have), you will know which book I am referring to. Both stories revolve around a remote and quiet motel - Baxter Motel in this book - but that is where the similarity ends.

Do Not Disturb is supposedly an addictive psychological thriller. I finish reading it in two days' time and that says something about it being a page turner, right? But while I am curious about the story and its ending, I am not super impressed by the development of the story. Perhaps because I keep thinking about the other book while I read, and my expectation just becomes higher. I will likely have enjoyed this book more if there has been no parallel drawn or expectation to begin with.

Overall, this is a fast and fairly entertaining read. I am not overly impressed by the story and its ending, but I may give this author another try.

Review: Tales from the Cafe (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #2) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

4 stars for Tales from the Cafe (Before the Coffee Gets Cold book 2) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

After reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold, I find myself at a loss on what's next. The book is so well written that I worry my next book will not be as good. In truth, my mind is still very much rooted in the time-travelling cafe Funiculi Funicula, and I want to spend more time with the cafe and its owners. In the end, I decide to go with Tales from the Cafe.

As with the earlier book, this book also comprises four stories and together, they form the novel. By now, I have witnessed eight coffee pouring rituals that will send a person in that seat back to the past. Because of that, I am very much impressed by the author's fluid descriptions of the series of actions performed each time. Even though the same ritual is being performed time and again, the author never describes it the same way but present it differently each time. It feels as if this is the author's way of telling us that each individual who opt for the time travelling experience can go through the same coffee pouring ritual, but will experience the same event differently. And that is so true of real life.

Since this is cafe where you can travel back in time, so technically, you can travel to the future too. What I mean is the time travelling should work both ways; not only can one be transported back to the past, one can also be paid a visit by another from the future. But for some obvious reasons, hardly anyone wants to travel to the future. But what happens when it does happen? That is when the line between the past, present and future gets kind of blurry. When I start to think deeply into how the future links with the present and how the past moves forward to the present and future, I start to wonder where the reality actually is. In short, my thinking gets all muddled up as the logic becomes no logic. It's complicated.

One thing I like to point out is while I am unnerved by the appearance of the intermittent "CLANG-DONG" in book 1, I actually look forward to seeing them in this book 2. Perhaps because they are uniquely applied in this series or because I have already gotten used to seeing them around, no matter how, I feel a certain comfort in seeing this catchphrase. I can say with much confidence that if there is a third instalment, this catchphrase will surely make a comeback.

Even as the novelty of a time-travelling cafe wears off, the stories brought to life in this book are as heartwarming and touching as those in book 1. Here, more characters are introduced and they all feel like a natural extension of the cafe and its patrons. You simply do not feel that the author is trying too hard to create the connection of customers with the cafe.

To be able to better appreciate this series, it will help if the reader is familiar with the Japanese culture or at least have some ideas about the Japanese way of life or social behaviour. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some Japanese in the past, and perhaps that is part of the reason I am able to enjoy and appreciate much the stories in this little Japanese cafe.

Once again, after reading this book, all I want to do is to find one such time-travelling cafe and be a regular there. Why is it that this kind of cafe only exist in books and not in real life?

What will you do if you are given the chance to return to the past?
Who will you want to meet?

Review: Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

5 stars for Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold book 1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

I first come across this book in Kinokuniya Singapore flagship store two years ago. Two things about this book caught my attention - the title and the two cups of coffee that grace the book cover. Yea, happiness to me, is a cup of coffee and a really good book. I remember thinking how wonderful it will be to have a copy I can call my own. Fast forward two years and my wish comes true.

Ever since that bookstore trip, I scour the library for this book each time I am there. But the book is always loaned out to some other lucky member. Days turned into weeks, which turned into months. And still, the book is not available, to me. The funny thing is, the harder it is to get my hands on a copy of this book, the more determined I am to read it on the dead tree version. So, you can imagine how delighted I am to receive this book as a Christmas gift. And that is when I decide Before the Coffee Gets Cold shall be my first read of the Year 2022.

Though labelled as literary fiction, this book is not your typical literary fiction. There is the element of fantasy that twirls around the story and gives it a mystical feel. The story centers around a cafe called Funiculi Funicula. What makes this cafe special is that it is a time-travelling cafe; it can transport one back in time. But in order to go back to the past, one has to obey some very frustrating rules, with the most important rule being to return to the present before the coffee gets cold. Hence the title. Also, this travelling across space and time does not come without certain risks.

The entire book comprises four stories and together, they form the novel. The stories are related in one way or other, so one should follow the proper sequence when reading. The different characters, both the cafe owners and the customers, varied in their personalities to reveal something uniquely Japanese. The tales of the characters are so beautifully weaved that it gives pause to your reading to stare off into space to contemplate relationships and communication.

The author has a way with managing and building up anticipation such that it lures the reader to keep the pages turning. The ending of each story is also brilliantly crafted. In fact, each of the ending is so well written with the message it is trying to send across that it not only warms my heart, but at the same time, sends chills down my back.

Basically, everything about this book is good right down to the end. The only shortcoming for reading a novel that is translated from the Japanese is - I can't help but wonder - how much of the story, in terms of Japanese culture, mannerism and way of expression, is retained, and how much is lost through the translation. Also, I wonder how the cafe's name, Funiculi Funicula, comes about from the translation as I am quite sure it is not the original Japanese cafe name.

After reading this book about a time-travelling cafe that pretty much leaves its customers alone, all I want to do is to visit one such cafe and be a regular there. There will surely be no lack of interesting happenings and touching moments. If only such a cafe is in existence.

What will you do if you are given the chance to return to the past?
Who will you want to meet?