#murder book

[liquidstar]

knockoff death note with bright yagami and Λ

[isobelleposts]

Smaller and Smaller Circles: A Thriller Tackling the Philippines’ Lows and Truths

Movie Poster for 'Smaller and Smaller Circles' Adaptation

Felisa Batacan’s debut and only novel to date is my favorite read throughout the course of this year, thus far, despite moments wherein disappointment and dissatisfaction hit me, especially nearing the end.

Our neighborhoods are too congested, our neighbors too noisy, our families too tightly knit for secrets to be kept and allowed to fester.

Page 44 of 'Smaller and Smaller Circles'

This chilling story of a murder investigated by priests and forensic anthropologists Father Saenz and Father Jerome is set in the summer of 1997, taking place in Manila wherein corruption, poverty, and negligence from the government is at their high. F.H. Batacan manages to keep her readers at the edge of their seats and feeling goosebumps up their spine while also bringing light to the disheartening cases of poverty in Manila, which has sadly grown to be seen as normal in the country’s society.

Scene from TBA Studio's Film Adaptation

POVERTY

It is national knowledge to most Filipinos that the country is not exactly fit to be defined as expensive or rich if not for its natural surroundings, but the fact that over 58% of families in the Philippines as of this year fall under the lower class category seems to have grown overlooked by many and treated as usual.

Isang kahig, isang tuka, one scratch, one peck: a day’s work for a day’s food.

Page 64 of ‘Smaller and Smaller Circles’

We have become so much accustomed to watching small and malnourished kids begging and working odd jobs in the streets and dump sites of the city that it is only when their lives are put into specific detail that it hits us how despairing the society and government have to be for this kind of lifestyle to be lived by the majority of the nation.

It’s shattering; when the scholarships dried up, Alex’s abuser had manipulated the situation, used the family’s poverty and need to keep him in school so he would have ready access to him.

Page 285 of ‘Smaller and Smaller Circles’

While flipping from one broken family to another, taken of a son by a murderer, I note how many what-ifs had crossed my mind.

What if Alex did not need a scholarship to finish school? What if Binang had afforded enough help to raise her son Lino? What if these women had afforded a divorce from their abusive husbands? What if they had a way out?

Fathers Lucero and Saenz played by Sid Lucero and Nonie Buencamino

ABUSE

The Philippines is a highly religious country with more than 83% of its population being Roman Catholics and growing up in families that provide church as a second home for their children.

However, I think there is a clear difference between mere misconduct and crime. — I think as soon as a priest crosses the line into molestation and sexual abuse, it becomes a civil matter, a law enforcement matter, and a matter for the country’s courts.

Page 83 of ‘Smaller and Smaller Circles’

There is a kind of cowardice in people, I think, and their act of keeping silent and blind over the crimes so regularly committed by priests upon the nation’s youths, not only among Catholics but also among other religions. This not only goes to civilians and regular church-goers but also to those in power refusing to take due justice.

Though I wished there was more of a plot twist towards the ending and who the killer ended up being, Batacan was still able to amaze and hook me with her direct and chilling storytelling. Reading this book during the rainy seasons in Manila was one of the most enjoyable decisions I’ve made this year, and I highly recommend it.

[papercoffeebookmark]

Miss Marple : The Complete Short Stories - Book Review

Miss Marple : The Complete Short Stories – Book Review

Title: Miss Marple – The Complete Short Stories Author: Agatha Christie Rating: 4/5 Review: A treasured agglomeration of twenty short stories depicting Miss Marple’s superior deductive reasoning and sleuthing skills. Miss Marple along with her nephew Raymond, Dolly Bantry, her husband Arthur Bantry, and Sir Henry make a pact to form the ‘Tuesday Night Club’ to meet weekly, where everyone…

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[mazojo]

[harbingerofchaosalley]

BOOK REVIEW: Edenbridge

This is a wattpad book which @stone-goddess-writing has written. I am in love with it. The last chapter was uploaded today so go read it! I have been referring to it as “The murder book” To my family coz there’s lots of murder. 

SO HERE WE GO! :)

First few chapters there is a lot of killing people(Which kinda sets the theme for the rest of the story). It is an LGBTQ+ book by the way (which makes it even better). So two main characters are introduced: Maria Fairhold and Kellen Lofgren. They become lovers. Maria then kills Kellen (Which is essential to the story) and a whole bunch of events unfold. Anyone who dies in Edenbridge is trapped there. Their souls are anyways. Maria basically is a monster who kills for the fun of it. Kell is the main character of this book aside from Maria. Further into the book Maria kinda gets pushed to the side a bit and it focuses more on Kellen. Which isn’t really a bad thing because Maria keeps herself hidden a lot. Cue a new set of characters called ‘The Family’. They are basically a mafia who was ‘reborn’ using a serum. Confusing, I know, but you gotta read the book to fully understand. Kell is whisked away by Morgana who ‘loves’ Kell and is to be married to her. (There’s more middle stuff but I am just giving the jist of the bigger stuff) I won’t say wether they’re married or not, you’ll have to read it. Kell escapes the villa where she was kept and makes it back to Edenbridge. She breaks in with a dude she brought with her from the villa. Maria captures both of them. Maria’s plan for Kell is death eventually. Lots of torture and gory stuff. Gore is a recurring theme throughout the book. I won’t say the ending (There are more books coming out so that should give you a hint as to something happening) but all in all it was a fantastic book. My favorite part was probably When Morgana kidnapped Kellen and brought her to the villa. Then Kell was stupid enough to run back to Edenbridge because she thought it would be best. Anyways. This was honestly an amazing book and the author did an amazing job at writing all this. I really really think that people would buy this if it was published as a paperback/hardcover. I know I would. GO READ IT GUYS!!!!!! IT IS SOOOO GOOD!

You did a great job stone-goddess. I hope I did the book justice with my little synopsis and review. Also hope I didn’t give too much away! 

[platinum-iridium]

the oj simpson stand in in this episode is white and that's kinda tickling me

[mymurderbooks]

Title: The Plague Court Murders

Author: John Dickson Carr

Rating: ★★★★☆

Series: A Henry Merrivale mystery

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The Plague Court Murders is a classic locked-room mystery by the King of locked rooms mysteries, John Dickson Carr.

A man is stabbed to death in a small stone building with a tiny high window. The room is barred from the inside and padlocked. There's a chimney, but there's a huge fire in the fireplace. There's fresh mud around the building but no footprints.

However it's also a self aware locked room mystery, and references the impossibility of the crime a few times:

The person who planned this crime planned it exactly like a detective-story...but that locked-room situation is too rounded and complete...a deliberate puzzle for us, says Henry Merrivale,

and, in the exposition, he says:

the fundamental trouble with the locked-room situation is that it generally ain't reasonable

So it knows. The mystery knows, that ostensibly, there's no logical way someone could enter, stab, leave.

Which brings me to what I'm unhappy with. The actual solution is a bit convoluted for me. While you could look at the statements and conversations throughout the text and kind of figure out who's lying (and thus guilty in some way), solving part of the mechanism of murder seems to require the specialist knowledge of Sir Henry Merrivale.

Otherwise it's an excellent mystery, especially for the Halloween season. It's set in a crumbling haunted manor known ominously as Plague Court, there's a seance, and the victim is a spiritualist who's been commissioned to exorcise the spirit of Louis Playge, a hangman's assistant from the time of the Black Death, from the house.

The atmosphere is very spooky and it feels like a great classic mystery. There's people in disguise, people in cahoots, people throwing shade at each other. There's three detective-type characters, and all of them seem reasonably competent, though of course only one of them is the uber-detective the other two consult: Henry Merrivale, and he detects mostly by sitting and thinking, which is my preferred type of detection. Honestly it's the type of mystery that can only be set in a pre-DNA testing past: with fingerprinting and DNA detection and other modern scientific methods, the mystery becomes elementary.

Overall I recommend it as a great mystery choice for spooky season that presents a murder that looks truly impossible!