Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Reviews: Raining Men and Corpses: A Chinese Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 1) by Anne R. Tan | #PCBReviews
Happy Friday and welcome to another edition of Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Reviews (#PCBReviews). We went with a (Chinese) cosy mystery: Raining Men and Corpses (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 1) by Anne R. Tan.
When it rains, it pours … and this amateur sleuth may be in over her head.
Graduate student Raina Sun is trying to keep her head above water as the bills roll in when her dashing college adviser cons her out of several months of rent. Her quest to retrieve the money sets in motion a streak of even worse luck.
First, she stumbles on her advisor's dead body and becomes a suspect in his murder. Next, the only man she's ever loved reappears as the lead detective to the case. Raina's having trouble interpreting his signals--does he want to reignite their passion, or just stay close to his prime suspect?
Her life careens further out of control when her grandma shows up at Raina's postage-stamp-sized apartment, dragging a red suitcase and trouble of her own. As Raina summons her sleuthing skills, she discovers that when it comes to murder, there may be no place for an amateur.
For readers who like cozy mysteries, quirky characters, and a dash of humor.
Come on in, the water's fine--get your copy of Raining Men and Corpses today!
MY REVIEW
This book had me at Chinese cozy mystery. I really wanted to find out what the difference was. It turns out not a lot. The main character is Chinese-American and therefore there are some references to that, but the story itself is quite universal.
This turned out to be a slow read for me. Raina had a lot going on without having to poke her nose into a murder case, which brought some excitement into her mundane life. There was also sub-plot with an inheritance which added some personal conflict. Her ex showing up as the lead investigator got my attention. Frankly, the promise of romance is really what kept me going.
However, although the mystery got resolved, the romantic element remained a loose end. The sub-plot also went unresolved, although given that this is book one of a series, it would probably unfold over the course of the entire series.
There was a cast of secondary characters that added some interesting bits, but there wasn't enough on most of them for a reader to really connect with them. The exception was Raina's grandmother who was funny and easily the most interesting character in the story.
Overall, I'd say read this if you're into cosy mysteries and don't mind slow-burn stories.
As always, don't forget to check out reviews of this book by my review partners, Nana Prah and Cathrina Constantine.
Here's the blurb:
Graduate student Raina Sun is trying to keep her head above water as the bills roll in when her dashing college adviser cons her out of several months of rent. Her quest to retrieve the money sets in motion a streak of even worse luck.
First, she stumbles on her advisor's dead body and becomes a suspect in his murder. Next, the only man she's ever loved reappears as the lead detective to the case. Raina's having trouble interpreting his signals--does he want to reignite their passion, or just stay close to his prime suspect?
Her life careens further out of control when her grandma shows up at Raina's postage-stamp-sized apartment, dragging a red suitcase and trouble of her own. As Raina summons her sleuthing skills, she discovers that when it comes to murder, there may be no place for an amateur.
For readers who like cozy mysteries, quirky characters, and a dash of humor.
Come on in, the water's fine--get your copy of Raining Men and Corpses today!
MY REVIEW
This book had me at Chinese cozy mystery. I really wanted to find out what the difference was. It turns out not a lot. The main character is Chinese-American and therefore there are some references to that, but the story itself is quite universal.
This turned out to be a slow read for me. Raina had a lot going on without having to poke her nose into a murder case, which brought some excitement into her mundane life. There was also sub-plot with an inheritance which added some personal conflict. Her ex showing up as the lead investigator got my attention. Frankly, the promise of romance is really what kept me going.
However, although the mystery got resolved, the romantic element remained a loose end. The sub-plot also went unresolved, although given that this is book one of a series, it would probably unfold over the course of the entire series.
There was a cast of secondary characters that added some interesting bits, but there wasn't enough on most of them for a reader to really connect with them. The exception was Raina's grandmother who was funny and easily the most interesting character in the story.
Overall, I'd say read this if you're into cosy mysteries and don't mind slow-burn stories.
As always, don't forget to check out reviews of this book by my review partners, Nana Prah and Cathrina Constantine.
Good review, Empi. I think we agree.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I am in total agreement.
ReplyDelete