nomadreader

narrated by Carrington MacDuffie My thoughts:    Despite what the title implies, this mystery-of-sorts doesn't start with a death. And with only one artist in the cast of characters, Stef, her death is a foregone conclusion. Furthermore, who kills her is also (mostly) apparent from the beginning. The why is debated, but it's the how  that makes this novel shine. Thus,  Death of an Artist  feels off kilter until Stef dies. It's rare to discover a mystery not concerned with who did it, or even why, and much of this novel is a character-based exploration of Stef, her art, and her family. This novel took me a little time to get into because of its unusual structure. If I didn't know the title, I would not have thought the novel was a mystery. Once Stef did die, however, all of the backstory was incredibly helpful because it made me as a reader immediately on the side of Marnie. What seemed to be more of a family drama soon morphed into a conspiracy, and I was h...

The backstory: The Sisters Brothers  was longlisted for the 2011 Booker Prize. The basics: Eli and Charlie are brothers working as hit men in 1851 Oregon City. Eli, a nice, honest, killer if you will, hopes for life after killing, but his brother Charlie wants to keep living the life of a gunslinger. The two set out on a mission to kill a man in San Francisco. My thoughts: When I saw True Grit  last year ( my review ), I was surprised how much I loved it.  When the Booker longlist was announced, I was intrigued by The Sisters Brothers  and was thrilled when it came into the library so quickly. I was surprised how much I enjoyed The Sisters Brothers  too. I guess it really is true: I like westerns. Eli Sisters is a wonderful narrator and character. His cadence and perspective struck me as endearing and unexpected. I also could not help picturing it as a film as I read it. I think there's a great future for comedic westerns on the screen. Booker t...