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Broken Strings (2013)

by Nancy Means Wright(Favorite Author)

3.27 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0615743552 (ISBN13: 9780615743554)

languge

English

genre

Poetry

publisher

Enigma Press

review 1: Nancy Mean Wright is a writer with impressive credentials. Broken Strings is worthy of her reputation. We have here a murder mystery that engages the reader from the beginning. Fay Hubbard, failed actress and goat farmer extraordinaire, is a very busy woman. She also serves as a foster mother to three children: Chance, Apple and Beet. Perhaps Fay does this to compensate for a failed marriage which produced one estranged daughter and a distrustful grandson. Regardless, Fay is a sympathetic character who assumes the role of amateur sleuth when her friend Marion Valentini, a beautiful African-American puppeteer, collapses into a coma during a performance of Sleeping Beauty. An autopsy reveals that she has ingested deadly crushed yew. Apparently the yew tree provides an exot... moreic poison. But this is only the first murder of women in the Valentini family. There are a number of colorful, interesting suspects. The characters in this novel are well developed. The Vermont setting is also well-presented. This is a strong mystery that readers will find enthralling.
review 2: Intrepid everyday heroine Fay Hubbard pursues the elusive Skull-Man, out to murder the puppeteer group for performing offbeat endings to popular children’s stories. Every time she gets close to finding the killer out, another twist or murder throws a wrench into the mystery. Hubbard also has three foster children and a beloved goat, but of course she doesn't mind putting them all at risk while she pursues a ruthless killer with her desire for truth and justice.In other words, this is your bog standard murder mystery novel. The gimmick here is that puppets are involved! A puppet-sty;e killer *should* make for a (horrifyingly) cool mystery, but the magic of puppeteering is constantly muddled by a diverse, yet unnecessarily large ensemble cast competing for screen time. Wright clearly demonstrates the ability to write complex characters, a key formula in murder mysteries. Unfortunately, there are simply too many character strings attached to the intrepid detective.I really wanted to like this book, and I saw a lot of great potential with the puppet mystery. But complex characters are not always interesting, and I struggled through to the end hoping for a satisfying twist that never occurred. less

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Reviews (see all)

rebelangel13

Broken Strings kept me deliciously tangled until the end! This is such a fun mystery because there are so many unique characters in such an unique setting. I have always found marionettes to be creepy on their own, so to add the element of murder to them...bravo and yikes at the same time! Our protagonist, Faye is exactly the kind of sleuth I would be. Curiousity propels us both to look beneath the surface, even at what is foul, but that doesn't make us ghouls, surely! Story aside, I love how the author so effortlessly utilizes the tricky third person omniscient pov with all her characters, keeping us both distant and close at the same time. It adds an energy to the plot that keeps those pages turning. I love reading an author with a personal style, and Nancy Means Wright has got that and more. A dash of Atwood, and pinch of Christie, and a New England flair that means Vermont is on my next vacation list equals a five star mystery by this lovely author. I hope to meet Fay again soon...I need to know how she and Willard are progressing!

Momof2inaugust

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.This is a mishmash of characters all woven together in a uniquely written story. The author has an amazing talent for writing to the interest of the reader. She leaves you sometimes questioning things but then plays it out in a fashion that you can't imagine it any other way. I am hoping for sequels to this novel...and many other books by the author!

Doralynn

I had to stop reading this book. It put me to sleep!

heather

very good

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