After reading the first chapters, I was confused. There was an introduction, the rising action, the mystery, and the resolution, all within only a few pages. I recall finishing the chapter and turning the page likely with curiosity written all over my face; where was this book going? After a read of the chapters title and a few sentences in, I knew what I was in for, or at least partially. Regardless of what I felt at the time, I was definitely hooked and liked where the story was going, and what was going on and powered through this book in a matter of days.
There are several layers to this book, which is something that I was not aware of going into reading it, or even buying it (the genre and the pretty cover made me do it – and no regrets). The easiest way in which I could explain it is that it is almost a book within a book, where there are short stories that are tied together by the main plot which comes about every other chapter as a conversation between protagonist and antagonist. There are seven stories, seven detectives, but the title lists eight; it’s easy to get a little confused with that notion, but between these seven stories, there is the eighth driving tale with a character on a mission. This way of writing and formulating a novel is what makes this layered text one that is full of different nuances, what stood out to me were these almost reflective conversational elements which brings in another angle in that does not often present itself in other tales of this genre, at least not to this extent and not within many that I have read over the years.
It is a curious book, and that was one of the few reasons it got a 4-star rating in my book. I wouldn’t say there was necessarily anything missing from it, but for me, I felt there could have been both a little more here and a little less there. It’s a quick read, and it is easy to read and follow along on the action that is going on in the short mysteries, as is it with the conversations. I will say that there are some moments where I felt I could have done with some more explanation, a slower pace, something that I felt was needed in one of the final chapters. To me, the ending almost felt a little rushed, which is where Eight Detectives loses a star from me. There is so much packed in into the final 50 or so pages that it is easy to get lost in the alternate endings to the tales and the drive to prove a point. Nonetheless, is the ending satisfying? In one way yes, in others it is not. Though I do not see it having a sequel, a short retrospective chapter would have definitely satisfied the curiosity within me.
Due to the nature of the tale, it is easy to separate. I’m one of those readers that, if I haven’t read much, or anything, during the day, I try reading at least a chapter before I go to sleep. Naturally, this works with longer chapters that go on and on, but with books with shorter ones or gripping chapters, I usually hold on to those for more than one chapter. Eight Detectives, to me, is easy to separate into two’s. Having read it in the fall, I can’t imagine reading it during any other time of year, despite it being set in the highs of the summer on a desolate island off the coast of Spain (if my memory serves me correctly). In some way, I feel that the way you feel about a book depends on the season you read it in, as well as the headspace and life circumstance you are in when reading. For many, summer is a calm time, a moment for catching up on things missed from other seasons, which is possibly why many mysteries and thrillers are set at the time that they are, this one being no exception to that rule. If you haven’t already, it is definitely worth picking up as a new take on the genre.
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