Praiseworthy Pages

Reader Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5 stars

I picked this book up at the library because I thought the cover looked interesting, and I was not disappointed. An intricate murder mystery written by a stand-up comedian? Shut up. It was absolutely amazing and hilarious. While it’s definitely an adult novel, it’s fairly clean, and would not be afraid to recommend it to my teenage sisters.

Language: 7.5/10 (Occasional swearing).
Sex: 8/10 (Mild references to sex).
Violence and gore: 6/10 (Violence not detailed or extensive; gore mildly disturbing).

Plot: 8/10 (With such a big family and so many deaths, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of everything going on, but it was brilliantly done! Just a little bit complex sometimes).
Characters: 7.5/10 (I absolutely loved Ern’s character, as well as Sofia and Michael’s. Some characters, like Lucy and Gavin, felt a little bit stereotypical, but not to the point where they felt out of place. Plus, the plot gave the flatter characters way more depth in the end, which was appreciated!)
Writing style: 10/10 (Hilarious, captivating, meaningful, and gripping from page one to the very end. I thought it was absolutely brilliant playing into the idea that mysteries are meant to be written in a certain way, with an unreliable narrator; that subversion was so refreshing!)

Genre: Adult literature, realistic fiction, mystery
Potential triggers: Loss of loved ones, murder, kidnapping, near drowning, suffocation, suicide, neglect, infidelity, etc.
Is this book part of a series? Yes.
I would recommend this book to mature-minded readers 16+.