About the Whodunit Book Club

Whodunit Book Club has met in its present location for almost seventeen years! If you would like to join us, our meetings are held on the last Tuesday of every month (except December).
We meet at the Chapters Store located at 41 MicMac Blvd., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Phone (902) 466-1640

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Whodunit Book Club - April 28, 2015

Eleven members gathered this evening to discuss Jamie Mason's debut novel "Three Graves Full".
We were all over the map in our rating of this novel.  Some high scores of 9/10 and some low scores or 2/10 and 3/10.   This disparity of views always makes for lively discussion.  The average score tallied 6/10 with half of the members saying they would read another novel by this author.

Written with wit - some of the Whodunit members found the humor to their taste while others did not.  We discussed that how you approached this novel greatly influenced the level of enjoyment.  If you looked upon it as a serious mystery - it came across as farcical.   If you approached it as a humorous novel, then your enjoyment was increased.

Many agreed that the author employed great descriptions (though some thought there were too many of those).  Some thought that there were too many disturbingly gory scenes, while others viewed those scenes as being a tool the author used to relay black humor.

The protagonist was a sympathetic character - even though he was a murderer.  Favorite characters were the entire Ford family with many readers really liking the Ford's dog, Tess.  Some loved the parts that were written from Tess's point of view, while others expressed that this was way too farfetched.   One astute reader cited that the novel was a good study of human nature.  The characters seemed to take no responsibility for their own actions - claiming that other people or factors were at fault.

We learned that Jamie Mason had "great kindling" for this novel.  She based it upon a headline she read "Landscaper finds skull in mulch bed".

I personally read this novel back in 2012 and reviewed it on my blog: Fictionophile.  As you'll see by my review, I enjoyed it tremendously.

Jamie Mason now has a second novel published "Monday's Lie".

Tonight's lucky winners of book giveaways were:
1. Marilyn
2. Nancy
3. Cathy
4. Brenda
5. Carmella

The next meeting of the Whodunit Book Club will be held on May 26, 2015 when we will discuss the novel "The devotion of Suspect X" by Keigo Higashino






1 comment:

Marlene said...

Sorry I missed the meeting - another darned cold! If I had been there I might have raised the score a bit because I loved this book. Mason had me from the great first line and the scene in the back yard when Jason tried to dig up Harris was hilarious. I, too, liked her descriptive writing but found it went over the top at times. For me Three Graves Full rates 9/10.