Cover Image: The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder

The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder

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Member Reviews

Jasper is autistic, can't recognise faces and can hear in colour.
When his new neighbour Bee Larkham is murdered he is a key witness but doesn't know who he has seen.
This is absolutely riveting and beautifully written. You feel such empathy for Jasper. Loved it ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks @netgalley for the digital copy in return for an honest review .

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I tried several times to read this book - but just couldn't get into it. I may try again in the future and update my review.

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This gripped me instantly and I actually read it in a day.

The child was so well described and fascinating but in parts it was painful to read.
Much emotional pain comes through and shows how people react and respond.

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Such a unique book. Once you settle in with the voice of the main character, you can't stop turning the pages. It paints life and experiences as seen from the perspective of someone with quite rare conditions that cause/enable him to view life a little differently to most others. I heard about this book for a long time before getting the chance to read it; all that noise was justified.

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This book was not for me. I found it hard going and somewhat depressing. Similar concept to 'Curious Incident'.

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loved this book once I had "got into it" which took a short while, time well spent.
Great introduction to children who are "different" who am I? a "normal person" who has only really come into close contact with "normal" children. This child is different, autistic and more with a strained dad who is trying to cope having lost his partner a great read,.
A murder, a love interest a police investigation at time very caring, other times not so caring.
It has it all and provokes your imagination in a way few of us will have come into contact with.
I could not put it down, I needed to know what became of all the characters, I cared about the all, they were different n their own ways.
What I need to know now is what happens next?

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This was a fascinating book about a young man who sees the world in colours, is autistic and face blind. He studies the world around him based on these precepts, making notes as he goes. A great witness for a murder!

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This wasn’t really a slow starter, as we dive in pretty much straight away with the main character trying to confess to murder, but it was a very tricky book to get into at first.

Jasper, the main character and narrator, has two specific conditions which permeate all of his perceptions and observations with unavoidably intrusive effect: he has synesthesia, seeing sounds as colours; and he has prosopagnosia, meaning that he is unable to recognise or identify faces (even his own). This means that everyone he meets, even his dearest loved ones, are identified by the colour of their voice along with any external identifiers Jasper is able to commit to memory (red trousers, sitting in a particular seat, regularly enters and exits the same house).

There is also a strong impression that Jasper is on the autistic spectrum, as he has trouble with sensory inputs overwhelming him, and he finds it very difficult to access social interactions due to very literal and logical thought processes and an inability to understand emotions expressed outside of direct linguistic parameters (such as “I am feeling sad”, “That makes me feel angry”). Of course, difficulty understanding and processing feelings does not mean that you don’t feel them, and in Jasper’s case those strong feelings, brought on by recent disturbing events, make it even more difficult for him to be understood – by other characters and by the reader.

I was really fascinated by the portrayal of Jasper’s mixture of sensory processing disorders, but confess that for the first half of the book (like some of the other characters) those same conditions that made him a unique and interesting narrator also made it incredibly hard to ‘listen’ to his story. I felt overwhelmed by colours and parakeets, unable to understand the interactions he described or follow the plot as he explained it, and frustrated at the distance from all of the other characters and lack of distinctive/useful information that I could use to work out who was doing what.

Then, suddenly, just around halfway through the book it all clicked into place for me. I had grown accustomed to Jasper’s way of thinking and could ‘translate’ his story in ways that made sense in my mind. Suddenly his colours became beautiful and the parakeets’ safety was of the utmost importance and I finally understood everything properly! the key was simply persevering and being open to a different form of communication.

Once my mind had adapted to the style, I loved this story and the characters. Without Jasper, this would simply be a neighbourhood murder mystery with no body, a handful of suspects and a multitude of motives. The adult characters are all perceived with their small (and large) flaws thanks to Jasper’s meticulous record of minutiae, but we can find empathy as we read between the lines and find emotions and concepts that he just cannot grasp.

Jasper is what makes this book special though, of course. His narration style may take some effort, but it is worth it for a glimpse at a different way of seeing the world – in all its beautiful, noisy colours!



Bee Larkham’s murder was ice blue crystals with glittery edges and jagged, silver icicles.
That’s what I told the first officer we met at the police station, before Dad could stop me. I wanted to confess and get it over and done with. But he can’t have understood what I said or he forgot to pass on the message to his colleague who’s interviewing me now.
This man’s asked me questions for the last five minutes and twenty-two seconds that have nothing to do with what happened to my neighbour, Bee Larkham, on Friday night.

– Sarah J. Harris, The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

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A very unusual book to read. Coming from the lads perspective. I found it a bit of a slog if I’m honest but If you can, give it a go#NetGalley

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What an extraordinary read this is.. the tale of a young boy with a strange condition that means he sees sounds in colours. His take on the disappearance of a young neighbour who lives across the street was a delight to read as I’ve never read anything like it before. I feel some readers may give up on this quite early due to its uniqueness but I advise all to stick with it. Fantastic read from start to finish. Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

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I absolutely loved this book. It so reminded me of the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime ad well as The Cactus. I loved the interplay between Jadper and his Dad and really liked how it is written from Jasper's perspective. I really could see where Jasper was coming from. A brilluant read.

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I loved this book! I was hooked from beginning to end. I loved that it was both a mystery with a twist, and that it introduced me to a perspective I'd never read from before. I would highly recommend, and can't wait to read more from Sarah J Harris.

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I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, and the author Sarah J Harris.
My overwhelming feeling after finishing this book is that it was only 'ok'.
I found it quite hard work and slow moving for the most part, and all the action and activity was packed into the final few chapters which were a lot more gripping and enjoyable, but as a result also felt rushed.
Definitely an interesting premise and a new creative take on the typical murder mystery format, but I think the story as a whole fell a little flat. 2.5 stars.

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I didn't really bond with the first half of this book as much I'd hoped but was fully involved by the end. Jasper works very well as an unreliable narrator (although I did find some of the colour descriptions a little wearing) and I found his face blindness fascinating.

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I have just finished reading this book and thought it was refreshing and interesting. I have a friend whose child has synesthesia and to read how Jasper coped with his issues was fascinating. A good plot and well written. With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Recommended.

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I'm really sorry but I didn't like this book. When someone decides to write a novel, why they would choose to write it about an autistic child with a dead mother, an abused woman who becomes manipulative and then abuses children herself and a murder, I really don't know. I found it miserable, upsetting and disturbing sorry.

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I really enjoyed this book. It had quite close similarities to' the curious incident.' which for me was certainly not a bad thing as it is a book I loved. Layers were pulled back as the book progressed to reveal what may be going on. It felt genuine in its depiction of synaesthesia and face blindness and they were integral to the mystery element. It had some grit as well as being moving and insightful and I warmly recommend it as a worthwhile read

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Jasper and his Dad have moved into Vincent Gardens after the death of Jaspers mum, Jasper likes to watch the goongs on of Vincent Gradens from his bedroom window. One day a new woman arrives named Bee and starts to feed the birds, Jasper loves watching the birds especially the Parakeets which have started to nest. Bee is a music teacher and Jasper enjoys the colours her music makes. The story tells us how Jasper sees colours in sounds and an interesting story is woven

A good book.

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Imagine seeing colours. Really “seeing” them in different happenings and situations. This book is a marvel. At first it took a bit of getting into but phew loved it. Great stuff.

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This is a beautifully written and truly original novel and is one of the most creative stories I think I’ve ever read.

"The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder" is a whodunnit-style mystery with several potential perpetrators but only one witness. Jasper is a severely autistic boy with synaesthesia and face blindness. He cannot recognise people because he sees sounds as colour. He identifies everything using colour.

The story was characterised by a cast of unremarkable suburban people and the facts of Bee's murder were very straightforward. The thing that gave this story an original and inventive edge was the telling of the tale through Jasper’s strange outlook. This most unusual story was so intriguingly and delightfully told by the author, Sarah J Harris. It was a really remarkable book on so many levels. Her incredible descriptions totally brought this tale to life and I was turning pages so fast to figure out the clues as they were gradually revealed. There were a few twists I didn't see coming and the ending was perfect.

This is a brilliant début not to be missed. If you are looking for something original, intriguing and colourful, "The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder" is a must-read!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from HarperCollins Uk/ HarperFiction via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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