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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I really did not see the end coming with this one, and I love a good surprise. I was suspicious of almost every character at different points in this book, it definitely kept me guessing! I also won’t lie the last chapter from Shane’s POV made me teary eyed, a sweet summary to wrap up all the chaos at the end!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Entertaining, but crashed and burned at the end. I was going to do 4 stars, but the ending ruined everything.
Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
Thrillers have taken over my 2018, and I have to admit that reading and reviewing these amazing books has been a lot of fun. One book that I have had on my bookshelf for a long while was recently set down on my desk with a Post-It that said, "READ ME". Okay, I wrote the Post-It. But it was only because I have had an influx of new books arriving via publishers and from book-buying excursions to the book shop. Sooner or later my older purchases get buried among the new, shiny books. I took a stand and here I am finally reading a book that I added to my shelf two years ago. And I am very happy that I chose this novel.
Fool Me Once is written by Harlan Coben, and it is published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. In this tense and often nail-biting thriller we are introduced to Military Captain Maya Stern. Stern has just lost her husband to murder, and the family of Joe Burkett just want what's best for Maya and Joe's two year old daughter, Lily. Her nanny is even the daughter of Joe's nanny. The Burketts wealth is evident in Maya's life right down to her beautiful home. But Maya wishes only to mourn Joe and take care of Lily when she is not working. Maya does not like the "rich thing", and cares nothing for the Burkett fortune, even signing a prenuptual agreement.
Maya's friend Eileen suggests that she get a nanny cam for her home. That way when Maya is at work at least a record of Lily's day will be available. Maya reluctantly agrees, being someone who trusts very few, if any, people she feels that Ellen is right. As the days go by and Maya views the footage, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Until one day Joe Burkett walks into the room where Lily is playing and visits his daughter. How is this possible when Joe was murdered in front of Maya? She remembers the blood and the urgency of that fateful day. There is no way Joe is alive.
Maya plays the video for Lily's nanny, Isabella, who denies seeing Joe in the video. Soon after Isabella and the SD card holding the video vanish. Maya is certain that something is definitely wrong. As the case pertaining to Joe's murder continues to be investigated, Detective Kierce from the NYPD contacts Maya. He holds news that links the murder of Joe to the murder of Maya's sister, Claire. Maya begins to backtrack to the days before her sister's death, finding shocking revelations. Were Claire and Joe the victims of the same killer? What secrets do the Burketts hold? And where is Isabella?
Fool Me Once had me fooled from the first chapter. I had no idea where the story was going, which kept the narrative fresh. I loved the twists and turns that Coben took with the lead character. Maya's PTSD was on full display here, and it was portrayed in a very realistic and often clinical way. Coben's back story for Maya's PTSD was a tale that followed closely in the background, giving us doubt of Maya's sanity. Her family dynamic consisted of daughter Lily, military buddy Shane, and her sister's surviving family. Her relationship with her sister's husband was strained. His alcoholism was a constant contention, but Maya never gave up on him. In the end her became a great help to her. I did not like the Burkett family, which made them great antagonists. Coben delivered a story that ended with a shocking event that made me stare, mouth agape, at the final words that I was reading.
January LaVoy's narration of Fool Me Once was one of her best presentations. I have loved her work on various Star Wars projects, and I was excited to see her name attached to this novel. She managed to do an amazing job on this book, giving a wide range of voices and accents. This was a wise choice on behalf of Penguin Audio.
Fool Me Once was a thrilling book filled with three dimensional characters. It spoke to many, including those suffering with PTSD. It was a tale of family loyalty, love, and danger. It gave me an ending that I will remember for a very long time. I read this in one day, and I have to say that I am anxious for more of Harlan Coben's writing. If you want an exciting mystery that dips dangerously over the edge, then this four star read is for you.
Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.
Also please follow me on my social media platforms, and enjoy shopping with me at eBay and the Book Depository. I am also looking for contributions to open my business. Please visit my GoFundMe page if you wish to help me out.
Because there is always time to read,
Xepherus3
At Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=Xepherus3
At eBay: http://stores.ebay.com/xepherusstudios
At Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XepherusStudios
At Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11975160-xepherus3
At GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/XepherusStudios
At RedBubble: http://www.redbubble.com/people/xepherus3
At Twitter: https://twitter.com/XepherusStudios
My Amazon Wish List: https://amzn.com/w/3J58FXCH0Y44F
All written content (c) Copyright 2018 by Thomas Bahr II
Thrillers have taken over my 2018, and I have to admit that reading and reviewing these amazing books has been a lot of fun. One book that I have had on my bookshelf for a long while was recently set down on my desk with a Post-It that said, "READ ME". Okay, I wrote the Post-It. But it was only because I have had an influx of new books arriving via publishers and from book-buying excursions to the book shop. Sooner or later my older purchases get buried among the new, shiny books. I took a stand and here I am finally reading a book that I added to my shelf two years ago. And I am very happy that I chose this novel.
Fool Me Once is written by Harlan Coben, and it is published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. In this tense and often nail-biting thriller we are introduced to Military Captain Maya Stern. Stern has just lost her husband to murder, and the family of Joe Burkett just want what's best for Maya and Joe's two year old daughter, Lily. Her nanny is even the daughter of Joe's nanny. The Burketts wealth is evident in Maya's life right down to her beautiful home. But Maya wishes only to mourn Joe and take care of Lily when she is not working. Maya does not like the "rich thing", and cares nothing for the Burkett fortune, even signing a prenuptual agreement.
Maya's friend Eileen suggests that she get a nanny cam for her home. That way when Maya is at work at least a record of Lily's day will be available. Maya reluctantly agrees, being someone who trusts very few, if any, people she feels that Ellen is right. As the days go by and Maya views the footage, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Until one day Joe Burkett walks into the room where Lily is playing and visits his daughter. How is this possible when Joe was murdered in front of Maya? She remembers the blood and the urgency of that fateful day. There is no way Joe is alive.
Maya plays the video for Lily's nanny, Isabella, who denies seeing Joe in the video. Soon after Isabella and the SD card holding the video vanish. Maya is certain that something is definitely wrong. As the case pertaining to Joe's murder continues to be investigated, Detective Kierce from the NYPD contacts Maya. He holds news that links the murder of Joe to the murder of Maya's sister, Claire. Maya begins to backtrack to the days before her sister's death, finding shocking revelations. Were Claire and Joe the victims of the same killer? What secrets do the Burketts hold? And where is Isabella?
Fool Me Once had me fooled from the first chapter. I had no idea where the story was going, which kept the narrative fresh. I loved the twists and turns that Coben took with the lead character. Maya's PTSD was on full display here, and it was portrayed in a very realistic and often clinical way. Coben's back story for Maya's PTSD was a tale that followed closely in the background, giving us doubt of Maya's sanity. Her family dynamic consisted of daughter Lily, military buddy Shane, and her sister's surviving family. Her relationship with her sister's husband was strained. His alcoholism was a constant contention, but Maya never gave up on him. In the end her became a great help to her. I did not like the Burkett family, which made them great antagonists. Coben delivered a story that ended with a shocking event that made me stare, mouth agape, at the final words that I was reading.
January LaVoy's narration of Fool Me Once was one of her best presentations. I have loved her work on various Star Wars projects, and I was excited to see her name attached to this novel. She managed to do an amazing job on this book, giving a wide range of voices and accents. This was a wise choice on behalf of Penguin Audio.
Fool Me Once was a thrilling book filled with three dimensional characters. It spoke to many, including those suffering with PTSD. It was a tale of family loyalty, love, and danger. It gave me an ending that I will remember for a very long time. I read this in one day, and I have to say that I am anxious for more of Harlan Coben's writing. If you want an exciting mystery that dips dangerously over the edge, then this four star read is for you.
Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.
Also please follow me on my social media platforms, and enjoy shopping with me at eBay and the Book Depository. I am also looking for contributions to open my business. Please visit my GoFundMe page if you wish to help me out.
Because there is always time to read,
Xepherus3
At Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=Xepherus3
At eBay: http://stores.ebay.com/xepherusstudios
At Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XepherusStudios
At Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11975160-xepherus3
At GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/XepherusStudios
At RedBubble: http://www.redbubble.com/people/xepherus3
At Twitter: https://twitter.com/XepherusStudios
My Amazon Wish List: https://amzn.com/w/3J58FXCH0Y44F
All written content (c) Copyright 2018 by Thomas Bahr II
At times great, and at others not so great. This book was one I’d switch opinions on almost throughout.
Starting with things I wasn’t a big fan of. The main character Maya Stern was irritating, to say the least. An attempt at writing a strong female lead was overshadowed by the author's constant, and I mean constant reminders she was a strong female lead.
This was done by referencing her build, she was 6 ft tall you know! Her past in the military, she was the first woman to fly the XYZ Chopper 900 you know! And finally, the fact she was an expert marksman, she once wiped out a whole army armed with nothing but a spud gun and a Biro! I may be exaggerating ever so slightly.
The side characters were also not brilliant. Their actions all seemed irrational or under or oversold. With hapless police, old friends, and enemies disguised as friends it had all the tropes. The icing on the cake was when Maya’s adult friend said this to her. “It makes my tummy hurt when you lie to me."
It wasn’t just the dialogue that came across as cheesy. Although not through the entire book. At times the writing was just a bit cliche or something I’d describe as meh. This could take away from key moments in the book.
The book was also very contrived. Although I’m not sure this is a bad thing. At times it was annoying, but it did lead to some interesting plotlines, some of which I didn’t see coming.
Now that’s out of the way onto the things I did enjoy. The story. At first, I wasn’t sold, but once things got going I started to get invested. Not the fastest plot, once the ball starts rolling it picks up speed and hits terminal velocity quickly.
It was engaging and enjoyable, despite it being over the top. If you can put that to one side it’s a fun harmless read that takes little to no effort to keep up with. Very simple and easy to digest.
Once you’re reading the pages begin to fly by before you even realise it. I read the last 180 pages all in one sitting. Not blowing any socks off, it did all it needed to create a book suitable for the genre.
Overall, decent enough. Not pushing the boat out too far. The plot was decent, but the characters were not. It was simple to read and for the most part enjoyable.
Starting with things I wasn’t a big fan of. The main character Maya Stern was irritating, to say the least. An attempt at writing a strong female lead was overshadowed by the author's constant, and I mean constant reminders she was a strong female lead.
This was done by referencing her build, she was 6 ft tall you know! Her past in the military, she was the first woman to fly the XYZ Chopper 900 you know! And finally, the fact she was an expert marksman, she once wiped out a whole army armed with nothing but a spud gun and a Biro! I may be exaggerating ever so slightly.
The side characters were also not brilliant. Their actions all seemed irrational or under or oversold. With hapless police, old friends, and enemies disguised as friends it had all the tropes. The icing on the cake was when Maya’s adult friend said this to her. “It makes my tummy hurt when you lie to me."
It wasn’t just the dialogue that came across as cheesy. Although not through the entire book. At times the writing was just a bit cliche or something I’d describe as meh. This could take away from key moments in the book.
The book was also very contrived. Although I’m not sure this is a bad thing. At times it was annoying, but it did lead to some interesting plotlines, some of which I didn’t see coming.
Now that’s out of the way onto the things I did enjoy. The story. At first, I wasn’t sold, but once things got going I started to get invested. Not the fastest plot, once the ball starts rolling it picks up speed and hits terminal velocity quickly.
It was engaging and enjoyable, despite it being over the top. If you can put that to one side it’s a fun harmless read that takes little to no effort to keep up with. Very simple and easy to digest.
Once you’re reading the pages begin to fly by before you even realise it. I read the last 180 pages all in one sitting. Not blowing any socks off, it did all it needed to create a book suitable for the genre.
Overall, decent enough. Not pushing the boat out too far. The plot was decent, but the characters were not. It was simple to read and for the most part enjoyable.
This was my first Harlan Coben novel. Maybe it shouldn't have been, because I've heard really good things about his previous novels. I liked this one. But, I didn't love it It was okay. I found myself asking the same question over and over again. And at the end it turns out my question led exactly to the denouement. Which means when the big reveal happened, I wasn't all that surprised. In fact, my response was more of the "well, yeah" variety.
This was my first Harlan Coben book but it definitely will not be my last! He writes a really tight and effective thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I totally did not see that ending coming and thought it was a very clever ending. Anyway, if you're looking for a tightly wound story that doesn't sag at all, may I recommend this book?!
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent book! A page-turning, murder mystery with a crazy twist.