Not your typical murder mystery
584281
This is not your typical murder mystery. It starts out fast and has twists and turns throughout. The story line is excellent and the book is really frightening because it could happen. If you don't like graphic descriptions, then this book is not for you.
4943097
This book isn't your typical crime-mystery. Written from the point of view of a scientist, it gives a different aspect than from a detective. He's a little awkward and nerdy, but I laughed out loud several times.
2874154
This isn't what I would consider a cozy mystery, but it has a lot of those elements, plus heart-pounding suspense. J.J. is a doctor turned mortician/coroner who is caught up in the investigation into a series of murders with her best friend, Jack, the county sheriff. Great story with some humor and romance along the way.
1065159
Lots of twists and unexpected turns- some even improbable  but fun to read.  It is a well thought out mystery that keeps you turning the pages.
1886511
The twists and turns keep you thoroughly engaged as the story proceeds to an interesting conclusion.
Not your usual mystery novel.
1901648
This book really kept me guessing, and the ending was much more complicated than I expected. I like a book that drops lots of clues and red herrings, so at the end, you can look back and see how the author mapped it out.

Some very likeable and complex characters here, along with the requisite evil in a murder mystery.  I would read another by this author...though hopefully next time I'll take more than two days, and won't stay up until almost 2 a.m. to finish it. :)
1800289
In this murder mystery, many of the scenes and incidents, as far as writing goes, include some of THE most plausible incidents I've ever read -- for a book which challenges one's purview on atrocities and conspiracies.
The two main characters are quite unusual, and you WILL get caught up if you stick to it instead of becoming exhausted with their problems. The guy used more pharmaceuticals in one day than I have in my lifetime. The Pharma, Tobacco, hard-core Caffeine. How he managed to stand up on two legs was the real mystery.
The writer included one of the most interesting death scenes I've ever read, p. 247. I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Meanwhile he touched on War Crimes, Atrocities, Drug Experimentation, Mind Control, Sensory Deprivation, real world problems. "Nuclear waste remains dangerous for several million years." A lot to think about in this novel.
1296433
I should preface this by saying that I knew nothing of this book before picking it up and it was purely one of those "you may also like" suggestions that Amazon likes to make. I thought it was a murder mystery from the book jacket and let me say that if you are hoping it is, you will be disappointed. I was delighted, however, to find that it was so much more than a simple mystery. There is a bit of a mystery, but it's easy to spot and only serves as the thread to connect a sequence of alternately funny and tragic portraits. The story is told entirely in letters and journal entries from the perspective of the main (and, at first, seeming unconnected) characters and this creates the most fascinating subtle style that leaves the reader in a perpetual state of dawning. The author never spoils the jokes by explaining them and many times through out the story he employs the duality of Ralph's "reporting" about his pharaoh and letting the reader piece together how it really applies to him and his actions. The book maintains a very light tone throughout, even as horrible and disturbing events begin to enfold and, though the vignettes are all in first person, the reader still has a strong impression of being able to see the narrator as the other characters see them. Every narrator in this story is eventually proven unreliable and the real mystery is sifting through the truth in what each person says to get at not what happened (which is easy to tell from the start) but exactly how it happened. This book may not be for everyone for this certainly dark humor may put off readers who were hoping for a sleuth story, but for those that read it through and approach without any preconceived notions, they will find the story is an astonishingly good read that leaves your mind with plenty to chew on once you close the covers.
2518133
Not your typical mystery, detective, or crime solution.  The Zen way of solving a crime with very complex characters.
3425
This is a very unusual mystery that takes place in a London suburb that is told from the perspective of several different characters on two different timelines.  As confusing as that may sound the story actually holds together really well.  By telling the story from multiple perspectives the author puts the reader in the position of trying to decide who is the most reliable witness out of several obviously unreliable witnesses to the events of a particular night.  It is a story where all the character are connected to each other whether they would like to be or not and no one knows the other person as well as they thought they did.  I thought that the first person narrative style was especially chilling toward the end of the book as the characters get pulled deeper and deeper into events that all of them are causing and played a part in but all seem to be powerless to control.  This is a very good mystery/thriller that will leave the reader guessing and actually get more interesting after the initial mystery is solved.
3236896
Not your typical mystery - the characters actually have histories that are painful and real flaws. I enjoyed it, interesting twists.  I'd read another one of this author's.
4489335
I enjoyed this different, yet totally consuming and intense murder mystery.  Like any good murder mystery you won't guess who is behind the killings, and most importantly, why.  A fun read that will keep you guessing till the end.
3959573
I thought this book had an unusual setting for a murder mystery - that of a ring of people selling off dead people's body parts on the legitimate market for research and teaching. The catch is not everyone's body was legitimately dead before the decision was made to harvest their body parts. The hero was unlikely candidate but clever. The story moved along briskly.
1665463
The Brit is not the typical crime mystery. Though it has its share of plot twists and surprises, early on one learns the who, how and why of the crime. Through crisp, fast paced dialogue the protagonist, his wife and their benefactor come to learn more about themselves, the decisions they've made and the choices which await them. In the process, the Brit transforms from a not so likeable bloke into one with whom the reader develops a great deal of empathy. The suspense builds through the angst the Brit and the reader develop together, both wondering if it is too late to salvage a rewarding life. This is an excellent read, hard to put down.
2689955
Very different from what I consider a mystery.  More of a story of one woman's life and the connection with another.  It evolves into a very complex tale that ultimately will affect the present.  Did I enjoy it, not really.  I can't discourage others to give it a try.
538749
*Idylls of the Queen* is so much more than a good murder mystery.  It is a good murder mystery, but unlike an ordinary mystery, you can reread it, even knowing whodunit, without any of the fun being spoiled.  The mystery is sort of a backdrop to the real show--which is yet another new take on the personalities of Arthurian legend, and a different look at chivalric ideals.
The narrator is the oft-maligned Sir Kay, the grouchy but well-meaning seneschal of Arthur's court.  He's not a bad guy.  He *is* a sarcastic curmudgeon, but that's because he's seen so many self-serving buffoons win glory and adulation while his own hard work goes unnoticed.  He is also secretly in love with the Queen.  Kay shares an uneasy friendship with a wonderfully written, morbid, fatalistic, and somehow sympathetic Sir Mordred.  Together they set out to clear Guenevere's name of the murder charges, meeting fascinating characters right and left.  Morgan and Iblis are especially engaging, and Karr puts some deep words into their mouths.  Morgan's defense of her mixed Christian and pagan ways cuts right to the heart of things, and Iblis's observation that justice is different for women than for men, is shocking just because it is so true of the times.
If you're an Arthurian buff, read this book.  It's a quick read, and a great way to spend a lazy afternoon or two.
1954894
Definitely a different style of murder mystery that combines the worlds of the physical and metaphysical. The two protagonists tell the story in their own writing style in alternating chapters. They come from completely different worlds so the weaving of the story is quite interesting.