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erinnejc's review against another edition
5.0
Tess Gerritsen's books are always fantastic I have read her novels for years and this is no exception, just brilliant and recommend to anyone who loves a taut crime thriller.
erinnejc's review against another edition
5.0
Tess Gerritsen's books are always fantastic I have read her novels for years and this is no exception, just brilliant and recommend to anyone who loves a taut crime thriller.
allimae's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this story, especially Lorenzo and Laura’s side of it. I was disappointed by how quickly it wrapped up at the end—one character told another the ending, and that’s how we found out what happened to them. I would have preferred to read about it from Lorenzo’s point of view. I don’t ever enjoy love stories, but this one was written in a very natural and relatable way. I would have given the book five stars if the ending wasn’t so dissatisfying—it could’ve taken maybe 100 more pages to do it justice. Overall, well-written story with a good plot.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
“When you cannot see where you are going, when you do not know your final destination, every hour is its own eternity.”
This had a great beginning - really held my attention and shocked me with the events that happened back to back. But as the story went along, I was starting to put the pieces together but still enjoying it. Not until it was all really shaking out that I was disappointed. I found the wrap and the ending a little to tidy and neat and a little too easy. I did like the fast pace, the easy reading and did enjoy the adventure of the story.
This had a great beginning - really held my attention and shocked me with the events that happened back to back. But as the story went along, I was starting to put the pieces together but still enjoying it. Not until it was all really shaking out that I was disappointed. I found the wrap and the ending a little to tidy and neat and a little too easy. I did like the fast pace, the easy reading and did enjoy the adventure of the story.
susangiardina's review
3.0
This is a well written book with a good plot and protagonists to care about. I was sure I would finally rate it a 4, until I got to the very end. For most it might be a fine ending. For me it was a let down that a lesser writer would use. This the 3 rating.
pianorunner421's review against another edition
5.0
I rarely give a 5 star rating and usually reserve them for books I would read again. This definitely is one I would read again. I was completely engrossed from page one. Music and WWII connected in one powerful mystery makes for great reading. For the best experience, listen to the Paganini Caprices while reading.
msnyderk's review against another edition
4.0
Short book, but filled with a story of what happened to the Italian Jews during the Holocaust. So so sad. The present day story that tied to the Holocaust story was good but I felt it could have more to it. The characters were all well written and I definitely was drawn in to what was happening with Julia, I guess I wish there was more. Although, I can see that the true story was the music Incendio and Lorenzo and Laura's story.
ladydoubtless's review against another edition
3.0
I received this as an ARC and this review is completely my own and has not been influenced by the publisher.
This is an intriguing book, in that it begins as one type of book and the plot twist is essentially that it develops into another type and passes through a third.. (There's the hint of paranormal, then of Gilman's "Yellow Wallpaper," and finally of a medical thriller) That's the contemporary story line. The historical story line stays in one genre and and presents a side of the events leading up to WWII that isn't always explored.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It wasn't a "I can't put this down" read. I found myself putting the book down and reading other books before I picked it up again. As such, it doesn't work as a thriller, which is sort of what my expectations were. The plot twist felt a bit misleading to me. I was intrigued with the darker more troubling set up and a bit disappointed when all that was explained away.
This is an intriguing book, in that it begins as one type of book and the plot twist is essentially that it develops into another type and passes through a third.. (There's the hint of paranormal, then of Gilman's "Yellow Wallpaper," and finally of a medical thriller) That's the contemporary story line. The historical story line stays in one genre and and presents a side of the events leading up to WWII that isn't always explored.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It wasn't a "I can't put this down" read. I found myself putting the book down and reading other books before I picked it up again. As such, it doesn't work as a thriller, which is sort of what my expectations were. The plot twist felt a bit misleading to me. I was intrigued with the darker more troubling set up and a bit disappointed when all that was explained away.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
3.0
PLAYING WITH FIRE
Written by Tess Gerritsen
2015; Ballantine Books (250 Pages)
Genre: mystery, suspense, historical, standalone
RATING: ★★★
I have been a fan of author, Tess Gerritsen since I read her novel, The Surgeon (The first book in the Rizzoli and Isles series). Diabolical villains added with heart pounding suspense mixed in with great heroines has made her a must-read author for me. I even enjoyed a previous standalone novel that encompassed the elements above so was happy to see another of her books coming out.
Julia Ansdell, a violinist, picks up The Incendio Waltz that will be a challenge for her to play. Every time she plays the piece her daughter commits some act of violence towards her. She thinks her daughter might be ill or may have evil tendencies. Her aunt and husband think she is the one who may be ill. Interweaved with this story is one from the past, 1930s, of a composer and his family. The two stories come together to reveal a great secret.
The novel has me hooked for the first few chapters but then just fell apart. I loved the idea of the story but wish it just went another way. I think if it would have been more horror and paranormal I would have been intrigued to the end. I mostly kept reading out of respect for Ms. Gerritsen as the "mystery" unraveled before it should have. I would not recommend this for first time readers of Gerritsen. I would suggest reading The Surgeon or standalone, Bone Garden.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
Written by Tess Gerritsen
2015; Ballantine Books (250 Pages)
Genre: mystery, suspense, historical, standalone
RATING: ★★★
I have been a fan of author, Tess Gerritsen since I read her novel, The Surgeon (The first book in the Rizzoli and Isles series). Diabolical villains added with heart pounding suspense mixed in with great heroines has made her a must-read author for me. I even enjoyed a previous standalone novel that encompassed the elements above so was happy to see another of her books coming out.
Julia Ansdell, a violinist, picks up The Incendio Waltz that will be a challenge for her to play. Every time she plays the piece her daughter commits some act of violence towards her. She thinks her daughter might be ill or may have evil tendencies. Her aunt and husband think she is the one who may be ill. Interweaved with this story is one from the past, 1930s, of a composer and his family. The two stories come together to reveal a great secret.
The novel has me hooked for the first few chapters but then just fell apart. I loved the idea of the story but wish it just went another way. I think if it would have been more horror and paranormal I would have been intrigued to the end. I mostly kept reading out of respect for Ms. Gerritsen as the "mystery" unraveled before it should have. I would not recommend this for first time readers of Gerritsen. I would suggest reading The Surgeon or standalone, Bone Garden.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
In Tess Gerritsen's latest standalone mystery novel, a concert violinist buys an old book of sheet music from an antique store in Italy, and when she gets home and plays it, her three-year-old daughter goes nuts and starts stabbing things. Let's just say it does not end well for the family cat.
Possessed sheet music!!!
You see why I couldn't resist this book, yes?
I played violin from sixth to ninth grades, and I was juuuuust good enough that if I practiced really hard, I could swing last chair in the first violin section. I set the instrument aside after freshman year to make room in my class schedule for more choir classes, because in teenage logic, an activity at which you are mediocre and requires the wearing of a bow tie probably isn't something worth pursuing. Still, I have an affection for string players and stories about them.
Especially if those stories involve Exorcist-style theatrics from a child. Why do I love the “bad seed” archetype so much? Most of the small children I've met in my real life are perfectly pleasant, and none qualify as evil, even if they do lose their shit when denied dessert. Somehow, it's super fascinating to me to think about someone of your own flesh and blood, 50% of your DNA, turning out to be a person you don't recognize and can't fathom. Freaky!
To explain who wrote the apparently evil waltz and how it came to be that way, Gerritsen introduces alternating chapters that flash back to Italy just prior to World War II. I don't want to say too much about those sections in order to avoid spoilers, but also because I wasn't as interested in them. They tell an important story, but they border on sweet at times, and I wasn't in the mood for sweet. I wanted to get back to the stab-happy three-year-old. (Too much honesty?)
Gerritsen is an experienced thriller writer, and it shows in how clean this book is. Not clean as in unobjectionable or G-rated—clean, as in neat and tidy. There are no wasted details or wordy passages. The writing is extremely tight. The resolution clears everything up with no questions left hanging and all right angles square. If you like getting lost in twisty, brambly mysteries, it might frustrate you a bit, but if you're the kind of person who can't deal without closure, you'll be golden.
With regards to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale today, October 27!
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Possessed sheet music!!!
You see why I couldn't resist this book, yes?
I played violin from sixth to ninth grades, and I was juuuuust good enough that if I practiced really hard, I could swing last chair in the first violin section. I set the instrument aside after freshman year to make room in my class schedule for more choir classes, because in teenage logic, an activity at which you are mediocre and requires the wearing of a bow tie probably isn't something worth pursuing. Still, I have an affection for string players and stories about them.
Especially if those stories involve Exorcist-style theatrics from a child. Why do I love the “bad seed” archetype so much? Most of the small children I've met in my real life are perfectly pleasant, and none qualify as evil, even if they do lose their shit when denied dessert. Somehow, it's super fascinating to me to think about someone of your own flesh and blood, 50% of your DNA, turning out to be a person you don't recognize and can't fathom. Freaky!
To explain who wrote the apparently evil waltz and how it came to be that way, Gerritsen introduces alternating chapters that flash back to Italy just prior to World War II. I don't want to say too much about those sections in order to avoid spoilers, but also because I wasn't as interested in them. They tell an important story, but they border on sweet at times, and I wasn't in the mood for sweet. I wanted to get back to the stab-happy three-year-old. (Too much honesty?)
Gerritsen is an experienced thriller writer, and it shows in how clean this book is. Not clean as in unobjectionable or G-rated—clean, as in neat and tidy. There are no wasted details or wordy passages. The writing is extremely tight. The resolution clears everything up with no questions left hanging and all right angles square. If you like getting lost in twisty, brambly mysteries, it might frustrate you a bit, but if you're the kind of person who can't deal without closure, you'll be golden.
With regards to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale today, October 27!
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com