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Death, Dot & Daisy: A post-apocalyptic murder mystery
AN EMPTY WORLD. AN IDYLLIC VILLAGE. A MURDERED STRANGER. Daisy survives the viral pandemic to start a new community. Across the Atlantic, orphaned Leo grows up with cruelty on a Minnesota farm. 22 years on, Daisy’s daughter Dot needs to solve a murder, but can she protect the ones she loves? Living in the woods, Crow has forgotten much, but does she hold the key? Somebody else must die. THE END OF THE WORLD IS JUST THE BEGINNING . Do you love a mystery with its roots in the past?
Intrigued by the idea of a post-disaster future?
Then you are in for a treat! from Amazon reviews
Intrigued by the idea of a post-disaster future?
Then you are in for a treat! from Amazon reviews
294 pages, Paperback
Published August 22, 2020
28 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
John R. Goodman
2 books2 followersJohn R. Goodman is an author who turned to full-time writing after a career spent mostly in IT.
He won the Award for Promising Playwright at Ink Festival 2019.
He has also adapted Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, for the stage.
Death, Dot & Daisy is his first published novel. He is working on another book and another play.
He writes because his family will never let him finish a sentence in normal conversation.
He enjoys acting and directing theatre and wearing hats.
He won the Award for Promising Playwright at Ink Festival 2019.
He has also adapted Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, for the stage.
Death, Dot & Daisy is his first published novel. He is working on another book and another play.
He writes because his family will never let him finish a sentence in normal conversation.
He enjoys acting and directing theatre and wearing hats.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 14, 2021
Ok. I bought this book on Kindle. I am very interested in the post apocalyptic/ pandemic sort of book and this looked right up my alley.
It starts with interesting writing, and I couldn’t fault the way it examined what life would be like without electricity, etc. Imaginative, well considered. The murder mystery element - ideal!
However as it went along I found it a struggle to continue. (I know this book is self published and I am not trying to tear it apart as the ideas inside are interesting.)
(Spoilers from here on in!)
What’s wrong with it?
- the dialogue is clunky. I felt like I was in a computer game ; every time we meet someone, they say, ‘hello! My name is... are you new here?’ etc. Either that or they attack the protagonists in particularly racist/violent ways. There isn’t much nuance to the ‘extras’. Long chunks of exposition, especially at the end from Tim, make slow reading.
- the story is very convoluted and I couldn’t suspend my disbelief. The main example of this being the fact that Judd - a stupid, racist, drunkard without a horse or a map or any knowledge of where Leo would be in America let alone England - could track Leo literally across the world and arrive in Oswych on the exact same night that Leo does, to kill Leo’s mother. The characters actions often have no strong motive.
The way the years jump back and forth is a little jarring but I didn’t find that too difficult once the story started coming together.
And I have to end with a huge spoiler and a massive clanging note. The final chapter. What is the reasoning behind Crow being Dot’s mother? If it’s a reference to the fact that she had a copy of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, didn’t that belong to Leo anyway? So was Crow actually Branwyn? That last bit seemed meant to send shivers down your spine but it left me totally baffled! (Also the three times that we hear Crow speak she speaks with different voices - the second time we hear her speak she is much more coherent).
In summary; an interesting and relevant concept, with imagination particularly in the scene setting; but the story itself rather clunky.
It starts with interesting writing, and I couldn’t fault the way it examined what life would be like without electricity, etc. Imaginative, well considered. The murder mystery element - ideal!
However as it went along I found it a struggle to continue. (I know this book is self published and I am not trying to tear it apart as the ideas inside are interesting.)
(Spoilers from here on in!)
What’s wrong with it?
- the dialogue is clunky. I felt like I was in a computer game ; every time we meet someone, they say, ‘hello! My name is... are you new here?’ etc. Either that or they attack the protagonists in particularly racist/violent ways. There isn’t much nuance to the ‘extras’. Long chunks of exposition, especially at the end from Tim, make slow reading.
- the story is very convoluted and I couldn’t suspend my disbelief. The main example of this being the fact that Judd - a stupid, racist, drunkard without a horse or a map or any knowledge of where Leo would be in America let alone England - could track Leo literally across the world and arrive in Oswych on the exact same night that Leo does, to kill Leo’s mother. The characters actions often have no strong motive.
The way the years jump back and forth is a little jarring but I didn’t find that too difficult once the story started coming together.
And I have to end with a huge spoiler and a massive clanging note. The final chapter. What is the reasoning behind Crow being Dot’s mother? If it’s a reference to the fact that she had a copy of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, didn’t that belong to Leo anyway? So was Crow actually Branwyn? That last bit seemed meant to send shivers down your spine but it left me totally baffled! (Also the three times that we hear Crow speak she speaks with different voices - the second time we hear her speak she is much more coherent).
In summary; an interesting and relevant concept, with imagination particularly in the scene setting; but the story itself rather clunky.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2020
Fantastic
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews