Friday Face Off : ‘Murder most foul, as in the best it is’
22 June 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, Broken Monsters, Friday Face off, Lauren Beukes
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – the list has been updated to help out those of you who like to plan ahead – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. This week’s theme:
‘Murder most foul, as in the best it is’ – a cover featuring a murder scene
This week I had a specific book in mind but then changed it at the last moment because the rather brilliant Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes popped into my head and on checking it out it certainly has a few very different offerings. I love Lauren Beukes and if you haven’t checked out her work I strongly recommend you do so (although her themes can be a little dark):
Scary covers! The two I would have to choose between would be:
I like both of these for entirely different reasons, But, on balance I would go with the cover below because for me it’s perfect for the story:
Which is your favourite.
Next week – a cover that is predominantly red
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ of one of your favourite covers)
29th June – ‘Lips as red as the rose’ – a cover that is predominantly red
6th July – ‘The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, ‘ – a cover that is windswept
13th July –‘There’s more of gravy than of grave about you’ – a cover featuring a ghost or spectre
20th July -‘In winter with warm tears I’ll melt the snow’ – A cover featuring icicles or snow
27th July – “I saw huge buildings rise up faint and fair, and pass like dreams.” – a cover that is steampunk
3rd August – “Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.” – a cover featuring a starry sky
10th August – ‘…Christine, who have torn off my mask and who therefore can never leave me again! – A cover with a mask
17th August – ‘Knock, knock… ‘who’s there?’ – A cover featuring a door ajar or closed
24th August – ‘To be a legend, you’ve either got to be dead, or excessively old!’ – A cover with a title featuring the word ‘legend’
31st August – ‘“Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy’ – A cover featuring a goblin or dwarves
7th September – ‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall – A cover featuring a queen
14th September – “He had killed man, the noblest game of all, and he had killed in the face of the law of club and fang.” – A cover featuring a wolf or wolves
21st September – ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ – a cover featuring clouds
28th September – Eyes wide shut – a cover featuring eyes
5th October – “He sounded like a man who had slept well and didn’t owe too much money.” – A cover that is ‘noir’
12th October – “The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.” – A cover for a mystery novel
19th October -“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!” – A horror cover
26th October – Trick or treat – A halloween inspired cover
2nd November – ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November,’ – A cover inspired by Bonfire Night
9th November – ‘All right! They’re spiders from Mars! You happy?’ – A cover feturing a critter of the eight legged variety
16th November – There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.’ – A scary cover
23rd November – ‘The child is in love with a human. And not just any human. A prince!’ – A cover featuring a mermaid/man
30th November – “..the children of the night. What music they make!” – a cover with a vampire
7th December – ‘I am Aragorn son of Arathorn; and if by life or death I can save you, I will.’ – A cover featuring a hero
14th December -“Heavy is the head that wears the crown” – A cover featuring a crown
21st December – ‘ho, ho, ho’ – A seasonal cover
28th December – A freebie – choose one of your favourite titles and compare the covers
2019
4th January – A cover that is fresh – New beginnings for a New Year
11th January – ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king’ – A cover that depicts a novel set in the Tudor period
18th January – A cover featuring an Amulet – either in the cover or title
25th January – ‘Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.’ – A cover featuring a monk/priest/person of the cloth
1st February – A comedy cover
8th February – ‘Hi little cub. Oh no, don’t be ssscared.’ – A cover with snakes
15th February – A heart – for Valentine’s day past
22nd February – “Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay; the worst is death and death will have his day.” – A cover with abandoned building/s
1st March – ‘who will buy this wonderful morning’ – A cover featuring a shop or market
8th March – ‘Two little fishes and a momma fishy too’ – A cover featuring a fish/fishes or other sea creatures
15th March – ‘Beware the moon, lads.’ – A cover with a shapeshifter
22nd March – ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse’ – A cover featuring a king
29th March – “I thought unicorns were more . . . Fluffy.” – A cover featuring a unicorn
5th April – ‘nomad is an island’ – A cover featuring a desert landscape
12th April – ‘Odin, Odin, send the wind to turn the tide – A cover featuring a longboat
19th april – ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – A cover featuring a school
[…] UK and US book covers and decide which is we prefer, at present this meme is being nurtured by Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog. This week the theme is a cover featuring a murder scene, so I’ve selected A Cold Day for Murder […]
What a stunning choice! These really are very disturbing and eye-catching covers… I haven’t read the book and being a wuss, I don’t think I will. But I certainly agree with your favourite, though I also very much like the scary stag – the colours in that cover are beautiful.
This is quite a dark story so maybe not one for you – although I do love Beukes – have you read any of hers? Zoo City?
Lynn 😀
Oh yes – I loved Zoo City… but I tried The Shining Girls and quickly stopped – it was waaay out of my comfort zone.
Yes, The Shining Girls isn’t for everyone – a bit brutal and I think if that one didn’t work for you neither will this one.
Lynn 😀
That was my instinct too. Thank you for confirming that:).
Strange and spooky covers. I like the one you chose.
thanks 😀
Great choice! This book never occurred to me for this week’s theme, but its perfect. I love a lot of these, and I can’t choose. The only one I don’t like is the second to last, it’s pretty boring.
I was going with another book originally and had saved some covers but then this sprang into my mind for some reason and I just changed my mind.
Lynn 😀
Wow, what a creepy cover you chose. I love it too! I simply mist read this book!
It’s very creepy and very good.
Lynn 😀
I like your choice because it expresses the weirdness of the theme quite well. The one on the left, in the second row, is also very arresting…
It’s a very unusual story to be honest – but I love Beukes writing.
Lynn 😀
[…] This is a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy, but kept up by Lynn’s Book Blog. […]
I like your second favorite best! I love the colors and the silhouetted stag. Tho the one you picked is awesome too! Its my second favorite 🙂
That blue with the Stag is gorgeous and I knew it felt familiar (Mogsy used it for an earlier theme).
Lynn 😀
I second your choice! My least favourite would have to be the top right one. It kind of looks like they just stuck a stock deer photo onto a cover. 😛
Yeah – a poor cover that one.
Lynn 😀
This was one of my past Friday Face-Off choices too, and I think I went with the stag cover. I’m happy it was your second choice! Though I like your winner too 😀
Lynn, while this book looks a little on the dark side for me, I do love your cover choices: they are so atmospheric!
This is quite dark and brutal tbh, I do like Beukes though, she’s an excellent author. And these cover choices are great.
Lynn 😀