The Murder Farm by Andrea Maria Schenkel

Published: 2006 Publisher: Quercus Format: eBook

Murder Farm was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review


Warning: I can't make up my mind as to whether this review is spoilery or not...read with caution
It was the blurb that mainly drew me to The Murder Farm. The first line is a real hook:
"A whole family has been murdered by a pick-axe"
That will certainly provoke an interest in most crime / horror fans.
Unfortunately this book is really better described as a novella. Its short. Really short. I don't mind a short read as long as it can keep me turning the pages. I kept waiting for a big reveal but it just never happened. This book has been translated from German so I wonder if perhaps something was lost in translation?
Apparently the book is based on a murder that took place in Bavaria in the 1920's.  The book is written in a matter fact interview style (There's probably a better word for that but 6pm after a long work day so brain no work no good). The police are interviewing members of the community so we get a good picture of the family and their standing in the community. 
My main problem is that it was just too one dimensional. Everyone was murdered....the end. This is what led to the spoiler confusion. I mean the author tells the reader in the first line of the blurb that everyone is dead! Does lack of a conclusion count as a spoiler? I just know I felt a bit deflated after reading it. I hate that "oh is that it" feeling when you finish a book.
Seriously this wasn't even a real review but anyway I can't really say I'd recommend this one. 

Rating:

★★ ☆ ☆ ☆