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redrobot's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent detective/police procedural, that contains a very interesting conceit.
karencnm's review against another edition
2.0
Totally agree with the reviewer who wrote: "And it is part of a subgenre that really bothers me. It's the one where male authors write books about brutal (and frightening) violence against women but you're supposed to think it is okay because the protagonist is a strong (albeit troubled) woman. This is one of those. And really, it is not okay. It's just window dressing for what I increasingly thing of as a form of misogyny."
Also there were some weird medical inaccuracies that were distracting (insulin doesn't get injected in the crook of your arm, diaphragm doesn't work if you take it out right after sex).
Overall mildly engrossing but sort of hard to keep track of the characters and too far fetched to really enjoy.
Also there were some weird medical inaccuracies that were distracting (insulin doesn't get injected in the crook of your arm, diaphragm doesn't work if you take it out right after sex).
Overall mildly engrossing but sort of hard to keep track of the characters and too far fetched to really enjoy.
rly18's review against another edition
4.0
This story pits young NYPD detective, Lourdes Robles, against not only a serial killer but also an entire police department that's awash in lies, scandals and secrets galore. The prologue pulled me in immediately as we meet a young girl banging on the door of a house in the middle of a deserted neighborhood during Hurricane Sandy. She's got handcuffs hanging from her wrists and she's begging and pleading for help before "someone" tracks her back down and kills her. Is she saved? Well, of course you'll have to read because the story jumps to a different time and we slowly begin to meet the key players involved in a story that's laid out as an intricate web of conspiracies, bad guys everywhere you turn, and lots of secrets.
What I loved about this book was the fact that Blauner didn't mess around with manipulations, we know who the bad guys are but what we don't know is just who exactly is involved with all the murders and how (if at all) they'll be taken down. The shining character for me was definitely Lourdes. She was tough, authentic and never intimidated by the good ol boys club she was up against. The story is told in alternating timelines starting in 1977 and shifting to 2017 until, by the end, the past storyline coincides with present day. I'm so on board with this type of structure and have to say Blauner kept me on my reading toes because I had no idea how this was going to end. Overall, this was a dark, gritty read.
You can find all my reviews at www.itsbooktalk.com
What I loved about this book was the fact that Blauner didn't mess around with manipulations, we know who the bad guys are but what we don't know is just who exactly is involved with all the murders and how (if at all) they'll be taken down. The shining character for me was definitely Lourdes. She was tough, authentic and never intimidated by the good ol boys club she was up against. The story is told in alternating timelines starting in 1977 and shifting to 2017 until, by the end, the past storyline coincides with present day. I'm so on board with this type of structure and have to say Blauner kept me on my reading toes because I had no idea how this was going to end. Overall, this was a dark, gritty read.
You can find all my reviews at www.itsbooktalk.com
itsbooktalk's review against another edition
4.0
This story pits young NYPD detective, Lourdes Robles, against not only a serial killer but also an entire police department that's awash in lies, scandals and secrets galore. The prologue pulled me in immediately as we meet a young girl banging on the door of a house in the middle of a deserted neighborhood during Hurricane Sandy. She's got handcuffs hanging from her wrists and she's begging and pleading for help before "someone" tracks her back down and kills her. Is she saved? Well, of course you'll have to read because the story jumps to a different time and we slowly begin to meet the key players involved in a story that's laid out as an intricate web of conspiracies, bad guys everywhere you turn, and lots of secrets.
What I loved about this book was the fact that Blauner didn't mess around with manipulations, we know who the bad guys are but what we don't know is just who exactly is involved with all the murders and how (if at all) they'll be taken down. The shining character for me was definitely Lourdes. She was tough, authentic and never intimidated by the good ol boys club she was up against. The story is told in alternating timelines starting in 1977 and shifting to 2017 until, by the end, the past storyline coincides with present day. I'm so on board with this type of structure and have to say Blauner kept me on my reading toes because I had no idea how this was going to end. Overall, this was a dark, gritty read.
You can find all my reviews at www.itsbooktalk.com
What I loved about this book was the fact that Blauner didn't mess around with manipulations, we know who the bad guys are but what we don't know is just who exactly is involved with all the murders and how (if at all) they'll be taken down. The shining character for me was definitely Lourdes. She was tough, authentic and never intimidated by the good ol boys club she was up against. The story is told in alternating timelines starting in 1977 and shifting to 2017 until, by the end, the past storyline coincides with present day. I'm so on board with this type of structure and have to say Blauner kept me on my reading toes because I had no idea how this was going to end. Overall, this was a dark, gritty read.
You can find all my reviews at www.itsbooktalk.com
naonao's review
3.0
Very uneven, but interesting and well done in parts.
The author clearly has good intentions, and a gripping, interesting yarn to tell. The story and idea of a criminal and killer who walks among the "good guys" and the idea of the "Thin Blue Line" have fractures along race and gender is something that drew me to this book. I like mysteries that take place over long spans of time, as this did.
The problem is...the author has NO idea how to write convincing non male, non white characters. The motivations and characterizations seemed flat and stereotyped to me in many ways. Side characters felt 2-D (an aging prostitute who's a world weary trailer park denzien, the worn out DA who's under the criminal's thumb, the Big Bad who's a psychopath, the runway drug abuser Latina character, etc).
I also felt the plot zipped along until the confrontation, when it felt forced and rushed to me. I also really dislike when a villain gets a "sidekick" late in the plot basically to plug plot holes and shore up the story and action.
Overall, a decent "plane/airport" read, but not one of the best efforts out there.
The author clearly has good intentions, and a gripping, interesting yarn to tell. The story and idea of a criminal and killer who walks among the "good guys" and the idea of the "Thin Blue Line" have fractures along race and gender is something that drew me to this book. I like mysteries that take place over long spans of time, as this did.
The problem is...the author has NO idea how to write convincing non male, non white characters. The motivations and characterizations seemed flat and stereotyped to me in many ways. Side characters felt 2-D (an aging prostitute who's a world weary trailer park denzien, the worn out DA who's under the criminal's thumb, the Big Bad who's a psychopath, the runway drug abuser Latina character, etc).
I also felt the plot zipped along until the confrontation, when it felt forced and rushed to me. I also really dislike when a villain gets a "sidekick" late in the plot basically to plug plot holes and shore up the story and action.
Overall, a decent "plane/airport" read, but not one of the best efforts out there.
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