I was quite disappointed by this book I'm afraid. I found that I had to make a real effort to actually finish it. I never found that moment where I managed to engage with the book and not be able to put the book down. There was no storyline to keep me hooked and nothing that I wanted to keep reading to find out. The plot focused more on Charlie and his personal life than the actual problem at hand. The only real reason to read it was to see if Barbara and Charlie ever reunited but actually I thought both of the characters were quite annoying!
For once the conclusion was good because it tied up all of the loose ends and was relatively satisfying in that everyone had the fate that you'd expect and you felt they deserved.
Overall I'd give it 2.5 out of 5. It was just below average for me. For crime and mystery lovers, I wouldn't recommend it. However if you like to read about people's lives and their struggles and personal problems, then definitely give it a go and let me know how you found it. It just wasn't for me.

It feels as though I'm always repeating myself when I say that I was disappointed with the ending of this book. It may be down to the genre of book, or it may just be because I prefer to know exactly what's happened and most people don't expect to be told.
The book had just started to pick up pace and make me not want to put it down, then it came to an all too sudden conclusion. There were loose ends which didn't get tied up and I was left wondering what had become of characters such as Tremberg.
Dont get me wrong, I thought the solution to the murders was amazing. Everything linked in perfectly. Yet the ending just felt a little rushed.
The book was full of rich and engaging characters. There was just the right amount of insight into McAvoy's personal life to give the reader an understanding of him without distracting from the main plot.
Overall I'd give this book 3.5 out of 5. It was above average and I would definitely say that it's worth a read, however the rushed ending meant I couldn't score it any higher.

This was a real page turner for me. It was thrilling and gripping and had a brilliantly unexpected twist. I'd give it four and a half out of five stars. I would've given it five stars, however without giving too much away, there was a death which I felt wasn't really necessary and being one for happy endings, it slightly ruined it for me. I didn't think that it added much to the book.
On the other hand, it wasn't enough to stop me enjoying the book overall and I can understand why it was included. It really emphasised the twist and added to the shock factor. In terms of how it was written, I think Horowitz did an amazing job.
It was a really good read and I would definitely recommend giving it a try. I had never read any Horowitz before this but I'm hooked now and can't wait to get my hands on another!