Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
A real hit-and-miss for me. At times I was fully immersed in both the plot and characters and at others I found them both to be extremely cliched and contrived. The writing had glimpses of brilliance, however, it was overwritten with too much meandering yap and not enough substance.
Every step forward was followed by one backwards. The plot became boring around the midway point when the motives wore thin and decisions seemed ludicrous. It did pick up again as the end approached, but the payoff was weak.
The characters were likeable, but also frustrating throughout. My biggest gripe was how repetitive it was. The story was the same thing on repeat, but the writing kept copying the same lines word for word constantly directly after one another. It was annoying. It was annoying… SEE!
It was a fast read, which was largely due to the way it was written. Not bad, I just felt disappointed after my previous Belinda Bauer reads.
Overall, it was an okay at best cliched thriller, with moments of excellence marred by nonsensical monotony.
Every step forward was followed by one backwards. The plot became boring around the midway point when the motives wore thin and decisions seemed ludicrous. It did pick up again as the end approached, but the payoff was weak.
The characters were likeable, but also frustrating throughout. My biggest gripe was how repetitive it was. The story was the same thing on repeat, but the writing kept copying the same lines word for word constantly directly after one another. It was annoying. It was annoying… SEE!
It was a fast read, which was largely due to the way it was written. Not bad, I just felt disappointed after my previous Belinda Bauer reads.
Overall, it was an okay at best cliched thriller, with moments of excellence marred by nonsensical monotony.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the first book I've read from the perspective of a reporter. I weirdly liked it, they kept the annoying nature that reporters have in all crime books but not so much that I couldn't bear to read on.
The killers perspective was also very interesting and written in such a way that I found myself feeling for him.
It was very easy to read, it flowed nicely and I really enjoyed it. Some parts irrationally annoyed me but for the most part I did really it. I also quite enjoyed the moments of sarcasm and banter between eve and joe
The killers perspective was also very interesting and written in such a way that I found myself feeling for him.
It was very easy to read, it flowed nicely and I really enjoyed it. Some parts irrationally annoyed me but for the most part I did really it. I also quite enjoyed the moments of sarcasm and banter between eve and joe
***3,5 stars***
So, I picked up this book at the local supermarket because a) the cover is just beyond gorgeous, and b) the plot sounded really interesting.
Still I stayed in my tbr pile for ages, but since I've been in a thriller/murder/reporting vibe, I decided to pick it up.
This book is truly raw and brutal - but not in the way you'd expect it to be. One of the main focus of the main character's life is her father's struggle with dementia and how she deals with it. If you've ever been close to someone with this condition, Bauer's description with make you cringe with acknowledgment.
The actual main plot is fast, witty and most of all, funny. The author really captures a bright, engaging reporter and to me, that's what kept me going.
Still, I found the killer's perspective a bit... cliché? The character itself is not bad, but it has a too convenient backstory and not enough emotional or psychological depth. It's almost like he's there only as a reason to justify the murderers.
All in all, the story is funny and will make you want to read from beginning to end, which is always a great thing in a book.
I do recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of dark humour and gory scenes and will enjoy the harshness of the reality of living with someone with dementia.
So, I picked up this book at the local supermarket because a) the cover is just beyond gorgeous, and b) the plot sounded really interesting.
Still I stayed in my tbr pile for ages, but since I've been in a thriller/murder/reporting vibe, I decided to pick it up.
This book is truly raw and brutal - but not in the way you'd expect it to be. One of the main focus of the main character's life is her father's struggle with dementia and how she deals with it. If you've ever been close to someone with this condition, Bauer's description with make you cringe with acknowledgment.
The actual main plot is fast, witty and most of all, funny. The author really captures a bright, engaging reporter and to me, that's what kept me going.
Spoiler
The murder victims perspectives are also an unusual, but excellent detail which makes you connect with the story.Still, I found the killer's perspective a bit... cliché? The character itself is not bad, but it has a too convenient backstory and not enough emotional or psychological depth. It's almost like he's there only as a reason to justify the murderers.
All in all, the story is funny and will make you want to read from beginning to end, which is always a great thing in a book.
I do recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of dark humour and gory scenes and will enjoy the harshness of the reality of living with someone with dementia.
I love Belinda Bauer’a work. She writes so descriptively, making every scene appear in your mind as you read I felt like the last 100 pages were far more gripping than rest of the story. Like a lot of crime books, it didn’t really become unputdownable until it became personal to the MC. I truly loved the ending of this book, with everything wrapped up with a neat little bow.
I really got into this book and thought it was really suspenseful. I thought it was refreshing that we didn't know the killer and there wasn't an identity to guess of someone we had already been introduced to. I have not experienced caring for an elderly relative with dementia, especially someone so close as a father but that felt realistic to me. I though the whole thing was interesting and I wanted more without there being loose ends left. This was tied up perfectly but it left room for a series if the writer wanted. I haven't written a pure crime thriller for a while that I enjoyed so much so this really hit a spot.
It was interesting but there was just so much description of characters that weren't important and I just wanted to read about the main character. Also I would have liked more information on the killers childhood and his life in general.
Really a 4.5 read. I love the way Belinda Bauer writes. She develops great, albeit flawed, characters and has an amazing way of keeping a mystery interesting without being completely predictable or outrageous. OK, maybe a little outrageous - but that makes it fun.
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated