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beccanty's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh. The lack of editing in this book is painful. Random detail after detail. The plot isn't terrible, but the book is so weighed down by random details and unsympathetic characters I just can't recommend it to anyone.
duanebutcher's review against another edition
3.0
This is a taut though very dark non-Tess Monaghan book. It won't be my favorite but Lippman always delivers the goods.
me10lee83's review against another edition
3.0
This kind of dragged on, only really getting good at the end (last 30% or so). Alice does nothing but walk around all day, we know nothing about how she spends here days until a sudden insight at the end. it made me feel like we didn't even know the character, which i guess is kind of the point that she's manipulative, but still, why hide that from readers the reveal it almost all at once.
I also had a hard time caring about most of the other characters.
I'm from Baltimore and I love reading books set in my hometown, but feel like if it weren't for the Baltimore aspect I might only give this 2 stars
I also had a hard time caring about most of the other characters.
I'm from Baltimore and I love reading books set in my hometown, but feel like if it weren't for the Baltimore aspect I might only give this 2 stars
tessla's review against another edition
Lead in was too long and didn’t share anything that grabbed me.
riverofpages's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
purplesky02's review against another edition
3.0
Review contains spoilers.
Oh this book...where to start. I do think Laura Lippman is a great writer, but there were things about this book that annoyed me. One was the whole Alice is fat thing. Okay, we get that she is overweight. Does it need to be mentioned almost every time she appears. "Oh, Alice is fat!" "There's fat Alice again." Even when she is thinking about herself, it was included more often than not how fat she is. The one time her weight is mentioned it was something like, "She looked like she was about 200 pounds!" Now, the way it had been spoken of, like she was this rotund whale, I was thinking she must be about 250/300 pounds. Granted, I'm not sure her height mentioned. Regardless, it grew tired after awhile, Alice constantly being mentioned as fat. Fat, hulking, rotund, it got old quick.
And Ronnie...the portrayal of her character changed halfway through the book. I'm not sure if it wasn't supposed to be that way all along, but it threw me for a loop. She is written to be one way and there is not even a hint of the way it actually was.
The Cynthia character I found to be so unlikeable I had a hard time feeling sympathy for her. She was so judgmental about everyone. She is quick to look down on people and she came across as very holier than thou. Sharon was beyond rude in her interactions, and I didn't find it to make much sense.
I don't know, it was frustrating to me, because I did think it was well written, but I found a lot of things in this book annoying. Also, I really thought that Nancy was going to be more involved in the first crime than she was. The way the early hints were given it made it sound like there was much more than just her being the one who found the body. Also, I was confused about what happened when she was a police officer in Baltimore and why she had to leave? I read through the passage several times and still couldn't quite understand exactly what happened.
Bottom line, I liked the book, but found it frustrating. However, it was quite a page turner and I finished it quickly. I will read more by Lippman, but if there's another one like this, I'm not sure I'll continue reading her novels.
Oh this book...where to start. I do think Laura Lippman is a great writer, but there were things about this book that annoyed me. One was the whole Alice is fat thing. Okay, we get that she is overweight. Does it need to be mentioned almost every time she appears. "Oh, Alice is fat!" "There's fat Alice again." Even when she is thinking about herself, it was included more often than not how fat she is. The one time her weight is mentioned it was something like, "She looked like she was about 200 pounds!" Now, the way it had been spoken of, like she was this rotund whale, I was thinking she must be about 250/300 pounds. Granted, I'm not sure her height mentioned. Regardless, it grew tired after awhile, Alice constantly being mentioned as fat. Fat, hulking, rotund, it got old quick.
And Ronnie...the portrayal of her character changed halfway through the book. I'm not sure if it wasn't supposed to be that way all along, but it threw me for a loop. She is written to be one way and there is not even a hint of the way it actually was.
The Cynthia character I found to be so unlikeable I had a hard time feeling sympathy for her. She was so judgmental about everyone. She is quick to look down on people and she came across as very holier than thou. Sharon was beyond rude in her interactions, and I didn't find it to make much sense.
I don't know, it was frustrating to me, because I did think it was well written, but I found a lot of things in this book annoying. Also, I really thought that Nancy was going to be more involved in the first crime than she was. The way the early hints were given it made it sound like there was much more than just her being the one who found the body. Also, I was confused about what happened when she was a police officer in Baltimore and why she had to leave? I read through the passage several times and still couldn't quite understand exactly what happened.
Bottom line, I liked the book, but found it frustrating. However, it was quite a page turner and I finished it quickly. I will read more by Lippman, but if there's another one like this, I'm not sure I'll continue reading her novels.
isethia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0