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emsmeat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A book to help get me out of my slump. Neat premise and some good old fashioned twists, but the ending was underwhelming. Imagine all of the signs pointing to one character, so you know the twist is going to be it's someone else. Well the twist in this case is just that it's his brother who is basically the same person but had zero time in the lime light of this book. Try again, girl. 3.6
gertrude314's review against another edition
2.0
This book is the most obvious of all murder mystery books. I don't think with this premise the writer had a choice though. I think if someone has half a brain and reads the description it's pretty obvious that these women came from the same sperm donor. That being said, I didn't mind reading the book to confirm that. The ending was a little anticlimactic, since I'd been anticipating it since p20. The love parts were all pretty weak and it seemed like parts about the cops' family were just thrown in there to continue the "To Die" series and for no other reason. Not that I've read other books from the series, but that's my guess. It was a quick read that got me through the end of the semester because I didn't have to think about it at all. If you're looking for a fluff book, this is it!
emjay24's review against another edition
4.0
This is not a small book, but i read it in one day. The day started at my parents house in NH and led me through airports and planes and ended me back in SF (ok, on the plane back to SF..the book didn't last quite long enough). Thanks, book, for keeping me company on the long trip! This book is apparently number three in a series featuring a team of two police detective women, but i'd never read the rest and it was fine as a stand alone book. i wouldn't have known it was a series except for that it says so. a lot of women are having deathly accidents, and they all happen to look alike. one woman, who looks like them and is a doctor, starts to notice the coincidence. is someone killing them off? why? and why do all these women look the same? dum dum duuuum... read and find out!
thisisabooktracker's review against another edition
2.0
If you're looking for a review that tells you whether or not you should keep reading this series, this is your sign: The fact that you're even asking yourself the question means it's a no.
Things do not get better. It's still Christmas (well, next Christmas). The town wackos are still wacko. In the previous books, Pescoli's kids were a distraction to her. In this book, they are a distraction to the reader as well. Their story lines do nothing to move the plot forward.
The "plot twists" are crystal clear. Well, unless they're clear as mud.
I normally listen to an audiobook a day at work (shoutout to Kindle Unlimited and the Romance Package), but it took me more than a week to get through this. Yes, I sat at work and listened to nothing instead of this audiobook. The story was an absolute slog due to, among other things, irrelevant personal drama and the author's unwillingness to acknowledge a plot point and move forward.
Two stars instead of one because nothing egregious or unsavory happened, but really... don't waste your time.
Things do not get better. It's still Christmas (well, next Christmas). The town wackos are still wacko. In the previous books, Pescoli's kids were a distraction to her. In this book, they are a distraction to the reader as well. Their story lines do nothing to move the plot forward.
The "plot twists" are crystal clear. Well, unless they're clear as mud.
Spoiler
I mean really, what's the point of Trace's ex wife showing up at the last second? Why is her purpose wrapped up in a sentence with a neat and tidy bow on top? Why is the killer's brother also hauled in by the detectives for, like, a second?I normally listen to an audiobook a day at work (shoutout to Kindle Unlimited and the Romance Package), but it took me more than a week to get through this. Yes, I sat at work and listened to nothing instead of this audiobook. The story was an absolute slog due to, among other things, irrelevant personal drama and the author's unwillingness to acknowledge a plot point and move forward.
Spoiler
IT'S A SPERM DONOR, WE GOT IT. MOVE ON.Two stars instead of one because nothing egregious or unsavory happened, but really... don't waste your time.
k8lynn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
aishas28's review against another edition
3.0
Compared to the other books in the series it took a while for me to get into, however the story itself is true to the "To Die" series. In the end it was a good read.
dyaneka's review against another edition
2.0
Finally..... ternyata butuh waktu lama buat baca novel ini dari yang aku perkirakan. Btw, kayaknya Beverly Barton tetep jadi penulis favoritku kalo masalah novel dengan genre romantic suspense kayak gini.
Born To Die, masih ada dua tokoh detektif dari novel sebelumnya, Alvarez dan Pescoli. Ceritanya mereka sedang memburu pembunuh berantai yang membuatnya tampak seperti kecelakaan. Korban-korban dan calon korban punya kemiripan wajah yang tinggi, cukup membuat orang lain mengira bersaudara, padahal mereka berasal dari keluarga berbeda.
Dan pembunuh ini mengintai anak perempuan hasil dari donor sperma, dia percaya bahwa setiap anak perempuan yang dihasilkan oleh sumber yang sama itu pasti punya kelainan jiwa. Ternyata, ayahnya lah yang dulu sempat menjadi donor tersebut sewaktu muda. Dia ingin menyelamatkan nama baik keluarganya, dengan tidak adanya keturunan yang memiliki gangguan mental. Sebagai anak yang sah, ia merasa perlu melakukan itu.
Yeah, menurutku novel ini lumayan, atau kurang seru. Ceritanya lebih banyak tentang keluarga, perasaan, dan cara mencari-cari si pembunuh. Sedangkan dari sisi si pembunuhnya sendiripun kurang, cuma diceritain gimana dia mengintai, menyadap dan membuat kecelakaan itu, kurang seru, menurutku. Apalagi terlalu banyak bagian yang menceritakan dokter Kacey sama si koboi Trace, tapi aku nggak bisa menemukan chemistry diantara dua tokoh itu -,-
Jadi, walaupun novel ini diluar ekspektasiku, tapi lumayanlah buat temen liburan (y)
Born To Die, masih ada dua tokoh detektif dari novel sebelumnya, Alvarez dan Pescoli. Ceritanya mereka sedang memburu pembunuh berantai yang membuatnya tampak seperti kecelakaan. Korban-korban dan calon korban punya kemiripan wajah yang tinggi, cukup membuat orang lain mengira bersaudara, padahal mereka berasal dari keluarga berbeda.
Dan pembunuh ini mengintai anak perempuan hasil dari donor sperma, dia percaya bahwa setiap anak perempuan yang dihasilkan oleh sumber yang sama itu pasti punya kelainan jiwa. Ternyata, ayahnya lah yang dulu sempat menjadi donor tersebut sewaktu muda. Dia ingin menyelamatkan nama baik keluarganya, dengan tidak adanya keturunan yang memiliki gangguan mental. Sebagai anak yang sah, ia merasa perlu melakukan itu.
Yeah, menurutku novel ini lumayan, atau kurang seru. Ceritanya lebih banyak tentang keluarga, perasaan, dan cara mencari-cari si pembunuh. Sedangkan dari sisi si pembunuhnya sendiripun kurang, cuma diceritain gimana dia mengintai, menyadap dan membuat kecelakaan itu, kurang seru, menurutku. Apalagi terlalu banyak bagian yang menceritakan dokter Kacey sama si koboi Trace, tapi aku nggak bisa menemukan chemistry diantara dua tokoh itu -,-
Jadi, walaupun novel ini diluar ekspektasiku, tapi lumayanlah buat temen liburan (y)
margenotbutter's review against another edition
2.0
This is the prequel to Afraid To Die, but I read it after. I have rated it one more star than Afraid To Die, but that is because I liked the idea behind the plot. However, as stated in my review for Afraid To Die, it is ridiculously repetitive, with murderers only striking around Christmas in the town - which means in every book we are also subjected to the same descriptions of Joelle decorating the police station, Pescoli having problems with her children, and Alvarez having no one to share the holidays with. Bore bore bore. It was vaguely intriguing in the 1st book but having no resolution across the stories doesn't make me eager to find out, it makes me resolve to read no more of this series.
This book in particular -
This book in particular -