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meadhbh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Vomit
tonstantweader's review against another edition
dark
2.0
The Cipher features Nina Guerrera, a relatively new FBI agent. She is attacked while jogging and arrests one of the attackers, but a video goes viral and catches the attention of a man who kidnapped, raped, and tortured her when she was a teenager. She managed to free herself and he has been obsessed with her ever since but didn’t know where she was. She had changed her last name from Esperanza to Guerrera, from Hope to Warrior.
He begins killing and with social media and cipher clues, makes the killings all about her and she is seconded to the BAU for the investigation. She is smart, the other detectives are smart, but so is the killer. The hope is somehow her memories will help identify him.
The Cipher is a fair mystery. It is fast-paced, compelling, and suspenseful. However, the author creeped me out with too much prurient detail of the rape and torture. Yeah, these psychopaths do horrible things, but let some of it fade to black, please. It’s a matter of taste, not craft here. For me, the details felt prurient, as though debasing the main character was not just the killer’s goal, but the author’s as well. I understand that will make her ultimate triumph more satisfying. She got past all this! But for me, it crossed the boundary into bad taste and prurience. For others, the graphic debasement of women may make the final resolution more powerful. Since you cannot open the book without knowing Book Two is already on sale, this is not a spoiler.
- The Cipher at Thomas & Mercer | Amazon Publishing
- Isabella Maldonado author site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/10/16/the-cipher-by-isabella-maldonado/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Torture
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