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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Maya has a friend named Eileen, and she's in the book why?
Maya leaves her daughter to be raised by an alcoholic?
Of the three other guys on the yacht, Maya only picks the one guy to contact? And he's ready to spill his secrets?
Maya finds the whistleblower guy (Cody? Corey?) but really Cody/Corey planned it all so she'd find him, and really his purpose in the story is about as important as Eileen's purpose. Another character and plot line to muddy up the story.
Random descriptions such as the following, which can only be included to up the word count:
"In the far corner of the basement was one of those Step 2 indoor playhouses Joe had bought at Toys “R” Us on Route 17. It was fort-themed (“manly,” Joe had claimed) with a kitchenette (“womanly,” he almost claimed, but his survival instinct took over), a working doorbell, and a window with shutters."
The "fort themed Step 2 indoor playhouse" has NO BEARING on the story. Just a random description of an item in the basement.
Maya pretty much confronts and spills all information to everyone at her first chance. The way she handled the nanny was ridiculous. Totally impetuous. Not the way I'd expect someone with Maya's training to react.
I'll admit, I didn't see the second to last chapter coming. It was a surprise but it was a dumb surprise.
Maya leaves her daughter to be raised by an alcoholic?
Of the three other guys on the yacht, Maya only picks the one guy to contact? And he's ready to spill his secrets?
Maya finds the whistleblower guy (Cody? Corey?) but really Cody/Corey planned it all so she'd find him, and really his purpose in the story is about as important as Eileen's purpose. Another character and plot line to muddy up the story.
Random descriptions such as the following, which can only be included to up the word count:
"In the far corner of the basement was one of those Step 2 indoor playhouses Joe had bought at Toys “R” Us on Route 17. It was fort-themed (“manly,” Joe had claimed) with a kitchenette (“womanly,” he almost claimed, but his survival instinct took over), a working doorbell, and a window with shutters."
The "fort themed Step 2 indoor playhouse" has NO BEARING on the story. Just a random description of an item in the basement.
Maya pretty much confronts and spills all information to everyone at her first chance. The way she handled the nanny was ridiculous. Totally impetuous. Not the way I'd expect someone with Maya's training to react.
I'll admit, I didn't see the second to last chapter coming. It was a surprise but it was a dumb surprise.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
this guy is drugs. i dunno how he does it but i am HOOKED to his books. drugs, i tell you!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I like Coben a lot, but Fool Me Once was a bit of a mess. Coben always obscures from the reader in order to up the mystery, but here it really wasn't done fairly or even coherently at times. The writing was fine, but Coben did not play it fair with the reader. The plot really became a bungled mass in the latter third and untangling it wasn't really worth the reward. Did it make sense? Maybe. But it sure didn't seem to.
Also, when his characters are flat and wooden (and, for me, they definitely were here) Coben's signature mawkishness reads poorly instead of poignant.
Can't recommend, even to Coben fans.
Also, when his characters are flat and wooden (and, for me, they definitely were here) Coben's signature mawkishness reads poorly instead of poignant.
Can't recommend, even to Coben fans.
My first thriller and I loved it! The plot twist was insane, just shame I got it spoiled though.
Great thriller! The web of deception and the twisted ending made it a great overall read. There is a Netflix miniseries created from the book that I’m off to watch. I heard it’s great too!