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katzreads's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting! Written in an unusual way in that each section is told from the point of view of a different character at a different point in time. Very clever and somewhat complex. Did not for a moment figure it out!
jwoodsum's review against another edition
4.0
this was 'compulsively readable' as they say; a young single mother is murdered and we see the story through a cast of characters including her son and neighbors; NYC in the 1970s; I wish the denouement had been a little more specific but I did stick with it and ultimately thought it was well done
shiloniz's review against another edition
1.0
So my problem with this book was not that it was a terrible book,for it is hard to say something terrible when I can not even remember it. I must have read this sometime within the last year, lent it to my Mom, who read it and offered it to me to read. Forgetting of ever reading it before, I started it for the second time. With every sentence I realized that I knew this story. The only problem is as I read I could never recall where the story was going, what happened throughout it had been erased and all that was left was a faint realization, line after line, of "I know this, why do I know this?". I pondered whether to keep reading a book I had clearly read but could not remember, or to stop reading a book that was not good enough for me to even remember reading. I opted out of reading it again for the fact of no memory of the story seemed profound, leaving me with the question...."DON'T I KNOW YOU???!!!!"
ced5025's review against another edition
1.0
Horrible waste of time. The plot went in several directions from multiple points of view and built up to a potentially amazing ending. However, the ending was one of the worst and most frustrating I've ever experienced. Nothing was revealed. It's like the author couldn't figure out how to tie everything together and just gave up, pretending that that strategy was extra artsy and cool. Not cool. Not even a little. I was furious - don't waste your time.
markfeltskog's review against another edition
Well done, but not really my cup of tea.
keshiajarosz's review against another edition
2.0
“The least likely people are capable of the most unexpected things.”
lizdesole's review against another edition
4.0
SPOILER ALERT:It is a very interesting murder mystery. I can't decide if I like the ambiguous ending or not, but it did surprise me. I could've used more character development-esp since the book is more about the characters than who committed the crime. I also didn't but how naive the son was in the beginning. I still very much enjoyed it though
booksandbosox's review against another edition
3.0
In 1976, Gina Engel is killed in her apartment. Her young son Steven wonders if he knows the killer. Lily Chin is about to marry her dream man until a strange woman appears. Does her fiance have something to do with Gina? Louise Carpanetti, reaching her elder years, thinks back to Gina's murder - and the phone call Gina made in her final minutes. Is it possible that Louise's son killed Gina?
This was sort of a quiet creepy book. It's pretty unsettling in that it makes you feel like you can never really know a person. I liked that Shepard switched narratives just as each was heating up and coming to a resolution. I really liked the ending - I didn't see it coming. I'm not really sure how other reviewers think there wasn't a resolution - it's pretty clear in that final chapter what conclusions one is supposed to draw. Interesting and quick read.
This was sort of a quiet creepy book. It's pretty unsettling in that it makes you feel like you can never really know a person. I liked that Shepard switched narratives just as each was heating up and coming to a resolution. I really liked the ending - I didn't see it coming. I'm not really sure how other reviewers think there wasn't a resolution - it's pretty clear in that final chapter what conclusions one is supposed to draw. Interesting and quick read.
randykraft's review
4.0
This novel is a fine hybrid of mystery and literary character-driven fiction. Three distinct narratives that connect through the neighborhood and through a handful of eccentric characters. Karen Shepard has a lovely crisp voice with great clarity - we see and feel what is happening - and she ties the story line together neatly, although without contrivance. Somewhere or someone tipped me off to the book, which was published in 2006, and I recommend highly for anyone who prefers a more subtle history with great character development.
hawthornm's review
4.0
It a very quick read, (I finished it in an afternoon) but not a throw-away mass-market thriller. It's gripping and when you finally figure out whodunnit (probably) you walk away both satisfied and disturbed.