The Digital Renaissance: Review: Death at the Diogenes Club

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Review: Death at the Diogenes Club

Death at the Diogenes Club by Anna Elliott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Performance: ****

Story: **

Trigger Warnings: Mass Shooting, Torture

I continue to be impressed with the narration and it remains the best part of this series. Unfortunately missteps in the story itself get in the way here, so I can’t recommend this specific episode unless you are (like me) a completionist. The primary issue for me was the strange moral lapse of the main characters in the middle of the story that was completely out of place to the general wholesome tone of the story. Once that irritation settled, it only increased with each little apparent inconsistency … such as the relatively weak portrayal of Sherlock Holmes himself (yes, I understand the need for others to participate in the plot, but that is not how Sherlock works, so it would have been better for him to remain mostly in the shadows and allow this to be more Lucy’s story).

For somebody who was so famous for his perception, Sherlock was frequently second on the scene so to speak. Unlike the previous stories, there was much less international intrigue here as the plot unfolded with a more domestic feel. The mystery itself was well done if also fairly simple and Lucy’s relationship with her father and Constable Kelly (James) advances satisfactorily.

I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#DeathAtTheDiogenesClub #LucyJamesMysteries #FreeAudiobookCodes #KindleUnlimited

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My Ratings Explained ...

[ ***** ] Amazing Read - Perfect story, exciting, engrossing, well developed complex characters, solid plot with few to no holes, descriptive environments and place settings, great mystery elements, realistic dialogue, believable reactions and behaviors; a favorite that I can re-read many times.
[ **** ] Great Read - Highly entertaining and enjoyable, exciting storyline, well developed characters and settings, a few discrepancies but nothing that can’t be overlooked. Some aspect of the story was new/refreshing to me and/or intriguing. Recommended for everyone.
[ *** ] Good Read - Solid story with a 'good' ending, or has some other redeeming feature. Limited character development and/or over reliance on tropes. Noticeable discrepancies in world building and/or dialog/behavior that were distracting. I connected enough with the characters/world to read the entire series. Most of the books I read for fun are here. Recommended for fans of the genre.
[ ** ] Okay Read - Suitable for a brief, afternoon escape … flat or shallow characters with little to no development. Over the top character dialog and/or behavior. Poor world building with significant issues and/or mistakes indicating poor research. Excessive use of trivial detail, info dumps and/or pontification. Any issues with the story/characters are offset by some other aspect that I enjoyed. Not very memorable. May only appeal to a niche group of readers. Recommended for some (YMMV).
[ * ] Bad Read - Awkward and/or confusing writing style. Poor world building and/or unbelievable (or unlikeable) characters. Victimization, gaslighting, blatant abuse, unnecessary violence, child endangerment, or any other highly objectionable behaviors by Main characters. I didn't connect with the story at all; significant aspects of this story irritated me enough that I struggled to finished it. Series was abandoned. Not recommended.