Sherri B. (sharalsbooks) reviewed Murder Your Darlings (Algonquin Round Table, Bk 1) on + 259 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
New to me author J.J. Murphy delivers a fresh and entertaining start to a historical mystery series that revolves around the Algonquin Round Table with Dorothy Parker front and center. Mr. Murphy does a commendable job of bringing the Depression-era time period to life and with plenty of snarky sarcasm and wisecrack dialogue from the characters. Though the mystery itself does not seem too complicated a case, I found myself so immersed in the story and the characters that I had a very difficult time trying to figure out whodunit. In the end, I was very surprised.
The only problem I had with this story was the numerous references to Mrs. Parkers lack of funds. Repetitive comments made by Mrs. Parker about her inability to pay for cab fare, food or drink frustrated me. I kept expecting her to be arrested on a theft of services charge for consuming food or beverage or hiring a taxi that she couldnt pay for. The story has several scenes of Mrs. Parker and Mr. Benchley making jokes and sarcastic comments, so I was left to wonder if the comments about her bankrupt status were also another of their standing inside jokes with one another.
Overall, I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of mysteries and if youre not a fan, I recommend it for the entertaining characters and witty dialogue. I will be looking for the next book in the series as Dorothy Parker is a success in not just poetry and writing but also holds her own with murder cases.
The only problem I had with this story was the numerous references to Mrs. Parkers lack of funds. Repetitive comments made by Mrs. Parker about her inability to pay for cab fare, food or drink frustrated me. I kept expecting her to be arrested on a theft of services charge for consuming food or beverage or hiring a taxi that she couldnt pay for. The story has several scenes of Mrs. Parker and Mr. Benchley making jokes and sarcastic comments, so I was left to wonder if the comments about her bankrupt status were also another of their standing inside jokes with one another.
Overall, I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of mysteries and if youre not a fan, I recommend it for the entertaining characters and witty dialogue. I will be looking for the next book in the series as Dorothy Parker is a success in not just poetry and writing but also holds her own with murder cases.
Karen S. (CacaoBear) reviewed Murder Your Darlings (Algonquin Round Table, Bk 1) on + 85 more book reviews
Loved, loved, loved this book!
The characters (being real people) were so much more interesting than your garden-variety cozy heroine ... I found their quick, sarcastic wit to be charming.
The end was a little hard to swallow, but all in good fun! I can't wait to read more of the Algonquin Round Table!
The characters (being real people) were so much more interesting than your garden-variety cozy heroine ... I found their quick, sarcastic wit to be charming.
The end was a little hard to swallow, but all in good fun! I can't wait to read more of the Algonquin Round Table!
JK H. (rufusmom) reviewed Murder Your Darlings (Algonquin Round Table, Bk 1) on + 3 more book reviews
I found Ms. Murphy's first foray into the world of Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Round Table to be a bit forced. The constant barrage of sarcastic quips made for an uneven and unpleasing read. She touched in passing on life in New York during Prohibition and the 1920's, but not enough for my taste. I don't think i will be waiting for the next installment.
If you know about the Vicious Circle, you may not like the insertion of so very many quips.
I like to have a martini, -- Two at the very most. -- After three I'm under the table, -- After four I'm under my host. -- -- Dorothy Parker -- On this particular morning, legendary wit Dorothy Parker is not the one under Manhattan's famed Algonquin Round Table. Someone else is -- and he's not dead drunk, just dead. -- When a charming aspiring writer from Mississippi named Billy Faulkner becomes a suspect in the murder, Dorothy decides to dabble in a little detective work, enlisting the help of tablemates Robert Benchley, Alexander Woolcott, Robert Sherwood, and other famous and fabulous literary cohorts.
With a marvelous Manhattan mystery on their hands, it's up to the Algonquins to outwit the true culprit -- preferably before cocktail hour -- and before the clever killer turns the tables on them....
With a marvelous Manhattan mystery on their hands, it's up to the Algonquins to outwit the true culprit -- preferably before cocktail hour -- and before the clever killer turns the tables on them....
