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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Interesting as this book maybe, I find the action of the heroine puzzling, illogical, and even disturbing, which is why I give this book a 2.5 rather than a 4.
2) The killer told her that they were in this together and she seemed to be shaken. Hello, why would she be bothered by the killer's comment? Making money over people's dead bodies may not be a highly moral action, but in this modern world, who isn't making money out of other people's pain? That's completely different from murdering people and making their loved ones suffer. I just cannot phantom why she is affected by the comment.
3) The way she treated Jo is also awful. The guy obviously is into her, to the extent he would stand by her even when she is rushing to her death (quite a few times). I don't know if she is in her sane mind or what but luring the killer out is not what I call a brilliant plan, and telling someone who is obviously interested in you that you are going, whether he be coming or not, is even more awful.
Aside from the horrible heroine, I also think the police is very dumb, especially in the part where the theatre manager was murdered. The flyer said someone would be killed at the theatre, so they should have people everywhere, including the doorsteps, the back entrance, EVERYWHERE! Yet, the police only focused INSIDE the theatre. Could you believe it? I don't think any police would be so dumb as to not place officers at the entrance, certainly not Scotland Yard.
I am also feeling uncomfortable with the amount of time allocated to ranting, instead of developing the story. Basically, over half of the book is Eve complaining about her job and caring for her father. I know it is hard to care for an aging invalid but this is a murder mystery, not about caretaking.
There are many other plotholes with which I can go on and on but I shall stop here. Of the 2.5 stars, 2 are for Jo. This guy is an angel, godsend! Where can you find a guy who will always stand by you, even when you are going to challenge a lunatic serial killer, and save you at the right moment. Where can you find a guy who will stay by your side even knowing you have a father who needs care round the clock. Jo is so wonderful I want a Jo myself for Christmas! 0.5 stars is for everything else.
Spoiler
1) When she first received the video from the killer, recording the murder at the cinema, her only concern was whether to air it or not. It never seemed to cross her mind that she should give the footage to the police ASAP, as any sensible citizen would.2) The killer told her that they were in this together and she seemed to be shaken. Hello, why would she be bothered by the killer's comment? Making money over people's dead bodies may not be a highly moral action, but in this modern world, who isn't making money out of other people's pain? That's completely different from murdering people and making their loved ones suffer. I just cannot phantom why she is affected by the comment.
3) The way she treated Jo is also awful. The guy obviously is into her, to the extent he would stand by her even when she is rushing to her death (quite a few times). I don't know if she is in her sane mind or what but luring the killer out is not what I call a brilliant plan, and telling someone who is obviously interested in you that you are going, whether he be coming or not, is even more awful.
Aside from the horrible heroine, I also think the police is very dumb, especially in the part where the theatre manager was murdered. The flyer said someone would be killed at the theatre, so they should have people everywhere, including the doorsteps, the back entrance, EVERYWHERE! Yet, the police only focused INSIDE the theatre. Could you believe it? I don't think any police would be so dumb as to not place officers at the entrance, certainly not Scotland Yard.
I am also feeling uncomfortable with the amount of time allocated to ranting, instead of developing the story. Basically, over half of the book is Eve complaining about her job and caring for her father. I know it is hard to care for an aging invalid but this is a murder mystery, not about caretaking.
There are many other plotholes with which I can go on and on but I shall stop here. Of the 2.5 stars, 2 are for Jo. This guy is an angel, godsend! Where can you find a guy who will always stand by you, even when you are going to challenge a lunatic serial killer, and save you at the right moment. Where can you find a guy who will stay by your side even knowing you have a father who needs care round the clock. Jo is so wonderful I want a Jo myself for Christmas! 0.5 stars is for everything else.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who gave me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Brilliantly written with a storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat, 'The Beautiful Dead' is Belinda Bauer at her very best. Taut thriller that really does get your heart racing, mixed with the very real and human story of Eve and her life with her father who is battling dementia. The two tales are interwoven seamlessly and make for a superb book that I did not want to end.
An impressive 5 stars.
Brilliantly written with a storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat, 'The Beautiful Dead' is Belinda Bauer at her very best. Taut thriller that really does get your heart racing, mixed with the very real and human story of Eve and her life with her father who is battling dementia. The two tales are interwoven seamlessly and make for a superb book that I did not want to end.
An impressive 5 stars.
'See Death claim his Maiden, his flesh still rotting on his bones.'
Eve Singer is a 29 year old TV Crime Reporter and relies on networking to keep her job afloat, fighting against a co-worker who is always one step ahead.
After being stalked by a man one night, she heads back to her family home, not realising that this isn't the only encounter with the man that she would have.
Soon they end up forming a reluctant friendship and Eve begins to question her morals and herself.
Wow.
This book was amazing, hard to put down and a book that kept you on the edge of your seat constantly.
5 stars!!
Eve Singer is a 29 year old TV Crime Reporter and relies on networking to keep her job afloat, fighting against a co-worker who is always one step ahead.
After being stalked by a man one night, she heads back to her family home, not realising that this isn't the only encounter with the man that she would have.
Soon they end up forming a reluctant friendship and Eve begins to question her morals and herself.
Wow.
This book was amazing, hard to put down and a book that kept you on the edge of your seat constantly.
5 stars!!
I don't normally dabble out of crime or thriller stories, simply because I tend to gravitate towards left-of-plum slice-of-life stories. But this is one book I'm glad I picked up. It immediately caught my eyes because of the cover: yellow butterflies pinned against a black background? Has the word 'dead' on the cover? I was sold. And thus began my journey into reading this book.
I was hooked. Eve is your sarcastic, snarky woman simply trying to make it in a man's world. Her jibes and jabs at society and her rather big-mouthed boss add a great deal of humor to the book, which is absolutely necessary given the fact that her father's in poor health and there's a killer on the loose. She's worried about getting her Christmas shopping done, paying the bills, and wondering if she's too old for her crush. She's just like you and I. She's also worried that she's going to be a victim. Okay, maybe just a little less like you and I. Or maybe not--hopefully none of you are dealing with that last bit.
One thing that I appreciated about this book was the realisticness of it all. Granted, I don't work within a crime and justice type of job, so maybe it's just me in my ignorant bliss. But the way Eve goes about her life, goes about her job...it just seemed realistic. It seemed logical, necessary. There wasn't anything too fantastic about her getting reamed by her boss or misleading the newscaster from the opposing station. Overall, it was like Goldilocks' favorite porridge: it was just right.
Normally, when I read a book, I make sure to read at least 50 pages a day, and if it gets a really interesting, I have absolutely no problem reading past that minimum. I sped through the last 200 pages of this book, because holy crap. Imagine me: sitting on the floor at a train station because my train has been delayed for an hour and a half, thanking god that it was because otherwise, I don't know if I would have been able to put the book down. I was flipping pages every few seconds (seemingly to me), I was gasping, staring widely--I'm sure it was a sight to see.
And that ultimately is the reason why you all should read this book. If you like thrillers, killers, and sitting on the edge of your seat, this book is the one for you. Don't pass it up.
Get the full review here!
I was hooked. Eve is your sarcastic, snarky woman simply trying to make it in a man's world. Her jibes and jabs at society and her rather big-mouthed boss add a great deal of humor to the book, which is absolutely necessary given the fact that her father's in poor health and there's a killer on the loose. She's worried about getting her Christmas shopping done, paying the bills, and wondering if she's too old for her crush. She's just like you and I. She's also worried that she's going to be a victim. Okay, maybe just a little less like you and I. Or maybe not--hopefully none of you are dealing with that last bit.
One thing that I appreciated about this book was the realisticness of it all. Granted, I don't work within a crime and justice type of job, so maybe it's just me in my ignorant bliss. But the way Eve goes about her life, goes about her job...it just seemed realistic. It seemed logical, necessary. There wasn't anything too fantastic about her getting reamed by her boss or misleading the newscaster from the opposing station. Overall, it was like Goldilocks' favorite porridge: it was just right.
Normally, when I read a book, I make sure to read at least 50 pages a day, and if it gets a really interesting, I have absolutely no problem reading past that minimum. I sped through the last 200 pages of this book, because holy crap. Imagine me: sitting on the floor at a train station because my train has been delayed for an hour and a half, thanking god that it was because otherwise, I don't know if I would have been able to put the book down. I was flipping pages every few seconds (seemingly to me), I was gasping, staring widely--I'm sure it was a sight to see.
And that ultimately is the reason why you all should read this book. If you like thrillers, killers, and sitting on the edge of your seat, this book is the one for you. Don't pass it up.
Get the full review here!
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/12/30/day-1018-the-beautiful-dead/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/12/30/day-1018-the-beautiful-dead/
While I usually try to stay away from books with serial killers, I always enjoy this author and this was no exception. I loved the writing, the characterizations, and the understated humor.
Crime reporter Eve Singer's career is on the downward slope when a spate of bizarre murders, each carefully orchestrated and advertised like performance art begin in her territory. Covering these very public crimes revives her byline, and when the killer contacts Eve to discuss her coverage of his crimes, she is suddenly on the inside of the biggest murder investigation of the decade. But as the killer becomes increasingly obsessed with her, Eve realizes there's a thin line between inside information and becoming an accomplice to murder, possibly her own....
·
What a book!! Right from the word go this had me hooked. There was no messing about as we jumped straight into the action, suspense and murder from the very first chapter and the pace was kept up throughout the whole book
·
The characters were all brilliantly written and each gave something different to the storyline. I especially loved the relationship between Eve and her father Duncan, and how the struggles of dealing with dementia, both on the sides of the sufferer and their family are rawly portrayed
·
As always I love when there are different viewpoints telling the story and this book is no different. I especially liked how we had the killers viewpoint thrown in every now and then as it added a whole other dimension to the book
·
This is the first of Belinda Bauer's books I have read but it definitely wont be the last! This is easily one of my favourite reads of this year and one I throughly recommend to fans of not only thrillers but fast paced novels with lots of suspense thrown in 5⃣⭐
·
What a book!! Right from the word go this had me hooked. There was no messing about as we jumped straight into the action, suspense and murder from the very first chapter and the pace was kept up throughout the whole book
·
The characters were all brilliantly written and each gave something different to the storyline. I especially loved the relationship between Eve and her father Duncan, and how the struggles of dealing with dementia, both on the sides of the sufferer and their family are rawly portrayed
·
As always I love when there are different viewpoints telling the story and this book is no different. I especially liked how we had the killers viewpoint thrown in every now and then as it added a whole other dimension to the book
·
This is the first of Belinda Bauer's books I have read but it definitely wont be the last! This is easily one of my favourite reads of this year and one I throughly recommend to fans of not only thrillers but fast paced novels with lots of suspense thrown in 5⃣⭐