Book Review
Murder in Costa Rica
By L. D. Markham
Published in December 2018
Why I chose this book:
Reviews were being sought for this in one of my Goodreads groups. The synopsis sounded like the type of mystery novel I enjoy. And I've been wishing I could go to Costa Rica lately. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this was not the great fit I expected.
Synopsis:
"Divorced, overworked, and full of doubts, Laura Humphreys escapes to paradise to volunteer for a sea turtle conservation project. Her vacation is shattered when a friend is murdered. The police are understaffed, a government official may be stalling the investigation, and Laura refuses to relent.
Antonio De La Torres, the lead government investigator, is determined to have an honest investigation. His attraction to Laura makes him even more committed to his goal but he may be running out of time.
Laura joins forces with the global conservation community and learns that paradise isn’t always what it seems." From https://www.ldmarkhambooks.com/
Why I did not finish this book:
I had been in the mood for a mystery novel when I came across this, and the sea turtle conservation aspect is what caught my attention. Laura's experience was educational to me; her time on beach patrol gave me a better idea of what is involved in conservation efforts. Murder in Costa Rica was quite informative in this way. The conversations between Laura and the other conservation workers were what was so informative, though they did read like an informational brochure rather than like a natural conversation.
On page one, Alma is raped. This put me off at the start, as I was not expecting such a brutal and personal attack to be the start of the book. (Alma is not a character I saw again.) Somehow a murder mystery does not seem as disturbing to me as reading a rape scene, even though that scene was not particularly graphic. Of course, this is my personal opinion and every reader is different. I kept reading, and after a while I did get into the story, but a few more chapters in a sea turtle was graphically beheaded, which was jarring to me. Then a couple of chapters later, on page 54 (so I didn't get super far), another character was raped. At that point, I decided that it was time for me to stop reading. Based on the synopsis, I expected to be reading about a murder investigation with a bit of a relationship developing along the sidelines, all set against a backdrop of sea turtle conservation. Animal cruelty and more than one rape scene were not what I expected and what ultimately prompted me to set aside Murder in Costa Rica.
Murder in Costa Rica
By L. D. Markham
Published in December 2018
Why I chose this book:
Reviews were being sought for this in one of my Goodreads groups. The synopsis sounded like the type of mystery novel I enjoy. And I've been wishing I could go to Costa Rica lately. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this was not the great fit I expected.
Synopsis:
"Divorced, overworked, and full of doubts, Laura Humphreys escapes to paradise to volunteer for a sea turtle conservation project. Her vacation is shattered when a friend is murdered. The police are understaffed, a government official may be stalling the investigation, and Laura refuses to relent.
Antonio De La Torres, the lead government investigator, is determined to have an honest investigation. His attraction to Laura makes him even more committed to his goal but he may be running out of time.
Laura joins forces with the global conservation community and learns that paradise isn’t always what it seems." From https://www.ldmarkhambooks.com/
Why I did not finish this book:
I had been in the mood for a mystery novel when I came across this, and the sea turtle conservation aspect is what caught my attention. Laura's experience was educational to me; her time on beach patrol gave me a better idea of what is involved in conservation efforts. Murder in Costa Rica was quite informative in this way. The conversations between Laura and the other conservation workers were what was so informative, though they did read like an informational brochure rather than like a natural conversation.
On page one, Alma is raped. This put me off at the start, as I was not expecting such a brutal and personal attack to be the start of the book. (Alma is not a character I saw again.) Somehow a murder mystery does not seem as disturbing to me as reading a rape scene, even though that scene was not particularly graphic. Of course, this is my personal opinion and every reader is different. I kept reading, and after a while I did get into the story, but a few more chapters in a sea turtle was graphically beheaded, which was jarring to me. Then a couple of chapters later, on page 54 (so I didn't get super far), another character was raped. At that point, I decided that it was time for me to stop reading. Based on the synopsis, I expected to be reading about a murder investigation with a bit of a relationship developing along the sidelines, all set against a backdrop of sea turtle conservation. Animal cruelty and more than one rape scene were not what I expected and what ultimately prompted me to set aside Murder in Costa Rica.
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