Reviewed by annieb123 on
Continental Riff is the third book in the Stockwell Park Orchestra cozy series by Isabel Rogers. Released 14th Jan 2021 by Farrago, it's 288 pages (print edition) and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is such a comfortably written and engaging cozy series. It's a "slice-of-life" story written simply and appealingly, with well developed characters who go about their daily lives and interact with the sometimes inexplicable world in which we all live. There are a lot of behind the scenes from the daily life of a not-quite-famous classical orchestral performer.
I was a woodwind player for many years and kept up with orchestra performance through university level. This was a nostalgic revisit of those years for me and brought back so many fun memories. The author is clearly musically educated and the book is redolent with affectionate scenes from rehearsals and performances, as well as comments about the music itself.
I haven't read either of the previous books, and had no trouble following the plot. I intend to remedy the situation as soon as possible. This book is gently meandering, 100% character driven, engaging and I would heartily recommend it to fans of daily-life series (like small town cozies). Language, spelling, and slang are British English, but won't pose a problem for anyone in context. There is some rough language (the "f-bomb" for example) but nothing truly egregious.
Four stars. I really enjoyed this one.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 16 January, 2021: Finished reading
- 16 January, 2021: Reviewed