I received Elegy for April in a free give away. The cover instantly interested me, the summary grabbed my attention. Sadly, the hype didn't carry through to the end of the novel. You have your stereotypical middle aged, heavy smoking, alcoholic washed up detective who solves impossible crimes while attracting young, beautiful women. The rest of the characters are just as two dimensional and stock board. April, the character in question is as much of a mystery to the reader as she is to her friends. By the end of the book I struggled to care for a character who was more of an after thought in the grand scheme of things. I really wished this story was more about the father daughter relationship.

Setting was okay. You really got the noir feeling. At the same time the constant descriptions of smoking and whiskey glasses, pubs and restaurants and rain...It just never ends. I really wish the author had put this much effort into character development and plot. I won't lie and say that the writing is bad, it is actually well written. The issue lies in the fact that it carries a formulated plot and character feel and the settings and descriptions are on repeat throughout the story.

Not a bad read, just not the best.