Debbie W.'s Reviews > Mr. Flood's Last Resort

Why I chose to read this book:
1. actually, it was this book's original title, The Hoarder, that drew me in. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have added it to my WTR list based on the title of the book that I own/read; and,
2. October 2023 is my "Month of Mystery"!

Praises:
1. although it might not be for everyone, I love author Jess Kidd's writing style! Her choice of vocabulary and creative sentence structure is so poetic. I would stop reading from time to time just to savor what I just read;
2. her metaphorical descriptiveness of the setting and various characters (even minor ones) was so vivid;
3. in-depth characterization! Kidd's portrayal of Cathal Flood gave me feels in all directions. And I had such empathy for MC Maud Drennan, wondering what traumatic event she experienced in her past. Maud's landlady, Renata, and her "saints" were quite entertaining;
4. the references to various literary works and Greek mythology made me feel "well-read". I appreciated the inclusion of the "Book of Saints" section which specifically highlighted Maud's "saints";
5. I enjoyed the touches of dark humor interspersed within the underlying suspense; and,
6. I learned some new vocabulary native to the UK:
- winkle-pickers: shoes with extremely long, pointed toes
- a UK cloakroom is a North American powder room.

Niggles:
I couldn't find any!

Overall Thoughts:
What did I just read? It felt like magical realism, suspense/thriller, paranormal, and mental health issues all skillfully rolled into one story! I looked forward to getting back to it whenever the real world called me away. It's the kind of book that you'd want to reread just to catch any clues you missed the first time.
I just might do that.