Review by sheeps44 -- Pancake Money by Finn Bell

[sheeps44]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Pancake Money" by Finn Bell.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Pancake Money by Finn Bell is a mystery thriller about the main character Detective Bobby Ress investigating the murder case of several dead Catholic priests as he juggles his detective work with his life as a loving father and husband. Mystery novels are challenging to write well for there is a fine line between confusion and predictability. Thankfully, the author: Finn Bell was able to stop me from predicting the story while not having to uphold my suspension of disbelief. He does this through strong writing and an intricate plotline.

One thing that I liked when I read the book was how likable and relatable the main character was. Detective Bobby Ress is down-to-earth and knowledgeable, but not above snark and wit. He is charming but not two-faced and is easy to root for him because of this. He's not extremely deep but due to how the tone the story itself has much depth; Bobby Ress being metaphorically deep is not needed.

Another thing I liked is how uniquely written this was. The perspective is constantly changing, an example of this is when it had one chapter where it focused on the perspective of the killer then our main character's perspective in the next one and then to the perspective of a random narrator in the next one. While it did initially confuse me, I was able to get used to it and thus appreciate the benefits of the writing style. Such as introducing new characters or plotlines in an uncontrived manner.

I do have a complaint, though: The story can get a little melodramatic at times for the author would repeat certain sentences multiple times for the sake of adding importance to them. Having to read the same thing over and over can take a toll on your investment in the story. Thankfully, this is remedied by only having this problem sparingly throughout the book and the fact that the repetition is an excellent way to remind readers of the theme of the story.

Despite my praise, I must say that this book isn't for everyone due to the subject matter centering around murder and death. Moreover, with the mystery genre already being a niche genre, to begin with, this does not help the accessibility of Pancake Money. Despite this, I would highly recommend Pancake Money to readers who like the mystery thriller genre or anything that resembles noir. For it's one of the few books that I read where I couldn't predict where the story was going.

For its intricate writing style, its likable main character and for its ability to tell a well-made and mysterious plot. I give Pancake Money by Finn Bell a 4 out of 4 Stars.

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Pancake Money
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[chelhack]

I am well into this book Pancake Money by Finn Bell. I am glad that you spoke of it not being one of those predictable crime stories. Thus, far within then the book it has been hard to put down so I hope it end as well as it has been.