Books & Chocolate

I'm in an online book group that started this series, and I decided to follow along since my library has the audiobooks available for loan. I have too many books on my list to read these, but listening to the audiobooks don't put me out at all. I hadn't heard about this series prior to my club selecting it, but the descriptions sounded interesting so I jumped on board. 

Well, I was in danger of dropping the first book, Still Life, after less than an hour of listening. It's very rare for me to chuck a book to the DNF bucket, especially so soon after starting, so I slugged forward to finish it. It wasn't a long audiobook, so I figured I should be able to get through it quickly even if I wasn't enjoying it. 

The biggest issue was the narrator's style. I enjoyed his voice and cadence, but there are no pauses or breaks between shifts of PoV. I was so lost before I got used to it! I listen to my audiobooks while doing something else (driving, gardening, laundry, etc.) so my attention isn't always 100% on the book. Add the two together and this book started off as a hot mess for me. I did have to go back a few times to catch something or figure out if I missed a PoV shift, but it wasn't as annoying as I thought it would be. 

The characters were enjoyable. While I liked the variety we were given, it did feel a bit as though the author used a checklist of sorts to make sure all the bases were covered - one black, two gays, one mean old bat, a couple quirky artists, unruly teens, annoying bitch, etc., etc., etc. Some readers have commented that the characters become more developed in the future books, and I'm hoping that's the case. Many felt defined by typical stereotypical behaviors, and if that continues I'll just get annoyed. 

I liked the focus on art and bow hunting/archery. Those are areas I personally don't come across often in books so it was a refreshing plot path. I'm also not sure I've read any books set in the Quebec area, so I really enjoyed being somewhere new to me.

I felt the mystery was fairly well done. While I did guess correctly early on who killed Jane, and how they would figure out who did it, I didn't have the why part figured out. It did feel a bit rushed/convenient, but I'm willing to give a bit of fictional leeway there. 

I'll stick with the series for now. I'm hoping that I don't feel frustrated or lost so early on now that I'm used the narrator's style.