Three Old Bachelors: Grievances Of The Pst by H.J. Bornemisza

Description from Amazon:

What could be better for an investigator than the ability to read minds? Noah knows his stuff. He has solved more than one case in his five years at the Station, and yet this time he's stumped. A Recogniser, a Dreamer and a Void. Three victims with seemingly nothing in common. Why did the killer choose them? Noah has no idea and no leads to go on.

He can think of nothing else but to ask his brothers for help. The irresponsible Hugo, who can see death, and the successful Ilar, who has carved a niche for himself amongst the city's elite by influencing emotions.

The three brothers, estranged from one another, are reunited in their quest to uncover and catch a dangerous killer. But what if the killer has a gift that should have long since ceased to exist?

---

My Review:

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, H. J. Bornemisza for giving me the opportunity! I was looking for something different and I don't normally do mysteries, so I thought this was a great opportunity that came my way.

I thought the idea of different abilities was very interesting. Especially, the reaper ability. I really wish the worldbuilding was fleshed out more as we are just thrown into this world not knowing anything and while the author does explain a little as the story progresses, it just wasn't enough to satisfy me.

As for the characters, I liked Hugo a lot. I found him to be very interesting. I wish I could see more of his aversion to authority. It's plainly told to us a couple of times but he doesn't really show it. I wasn't too much of a fan of Noah. I thought he was a bit pretentious and bent the rules on a whim. He says it's for justice but I just seem to feel like he actually cared. I would like to have seen more character development as well. One more thing that did put me off a bit was how the character portrayed women in the book. They were talked down to a lot and just explained in a way that made me a bit uncomfortable. Not that they have to have an important role since it's about these brothers solving a mystery, but it would have been nice if they were I guess respected a bit more.

Overall, despite my critiques, this really wasn't a bad read. I think the author has this opportunity to flesh out the world and characters more if they decide to write a sequel. The idea is there. I liked the idea of creatures and people with their own abilities. I also liked the idea of it being in a more historical setting. The author also did a really good job at not revealing who the killer was until the bitter end. If there is going to be a sequel, I hope the author decides to expand the setting and characters more. If you're looking for a quick interesting read, this is the book for you. I wouldn't pick it up if you're looking for something a bit heavier.