Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

52 reviews

snoonio's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

megwilli's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, and Murder

hillbilly_heroine's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

The proportions of this book are all wrong. It’s 75% graphic descriptions of brutal murder from the POV of a serial killer and 25% everything else: plot and character development, how the mystery is solved, everything. You get more insight into the mind of the serial killer than the other main characters, and in theory that would be interesting but there’s a reason there’s a well-known profile of serial killers: they’re all kind of similar. He’s not an interesting guy, he’s just horrible, and we follow his POV for most of the book. 

Also, the first Malcolm chapter is the whitest white lady author writing that ever existed. It is shoot-me-directly-into-the-sun cringe that reads like the author has never met or spoken to a Black person. I see on the back of the book that she’s an American living in South Africa. I have questions. 

If you like thrillers, you won’t like this because the pace is actually slowed down because of how much time we spend murdering characters we don’t know and haven’t met. If you like time travel, you probably also won’t like this because it’s just a random plot device. If you like detailed descriptions of murdered women from the POV of a serial killer, and you wish books had significantly more of this, I guess this is for you? I honestly don’t know who this is for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism, Transphobia, and Dysphoria

arthur_ant18's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, and Transphobia

Minor: Homophobia and Abortion

jessie_roz's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Murder

brenbrown's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

hconnellyal's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Stalking, and Murder

mlovesbooks's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Minor: Transphobia

chloemakesbooks's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Poorly written, flat characters, and a total lack of suspense or fear- just sadness. A good editor should have seen where the real book was and refocused the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

erinlynneee's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Murder