Reviews

Greenlight by Benjamin Stevenson

madi_sey's review

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dark emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

tas003's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

caitlura's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

angelakay's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

epilieaspiechick's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

kimew2023's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

2.75

Well written and keeps your interest, but far fetched, and pretty unpleasant characters.

esshgee's review against another edition

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2.0

2 1/2 stars. Liked it but didn't love it. Found it a bit convoluted and overly wordy in parts

ejbhill's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kszcz4's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

lizziepagereads's review against another edition

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5.0

I LOVE THIS BOOK! It features all the makings of a great thriller - small town murder, an outsider with something to prove, bumbling cops getting in the way - but woven throughout are timely moral questions so often left out of thrillers for the sake of the narrative. Add in the not-so-subtle jab at the proliferation of the True Crime genre and you’ve got a winner.

Greenlight is set against the backdrop of a docu-drama recounting a Eliza’s murder and the prosecution of her alleged killer, Curtis Wade (think Serial or Making a Murderer). The production brings to light inconsistencies in evidence, procedure, and testimony, leading to a retrial and ultimate release of the jailed killer. Against this history does our protagonist, Jack Quick, discover a piece of evidence that contradicts the conclusion of his show and throws him (and us) into a moral quandary.

Through this lense, Greenlight explores themes of guilt and punishment, right and wrong. Is framing a guilty man any different than framing an innocent one? Is it ever morally permissible? What lies can we live with and what lies will ultimate be our undoing? Can we atone our guilt through punishment? When will it be enough?

Don’t get me wrong, Greenlight is a page turner for sure. The narrative isn’t forgotten among the crucial themes Stevenson explores. In fact, every time I thought, “That’s it, that’s the final twist,” I was wrong. Until the last page, the protagonist is still gathering more facts and piecing them together to form new theories. AND THAT ENDING? Chills.