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jimbowen0306's review against another edition
3.0
On good grief. This is another daft "Amazon First Read".
It sees Jessica Yardley, as a prosecutor in Law Vegas, having become a lawyer after she discovered her brilliant husband was a serial killer (becausr, of course). He's on death row, when as series of killings, exactly like his, are committed. The only way he'll help is if she gets involved, which she does, of course. Many twists and turns later, the get a conviction, but along the way she's in and out of prison to talk to the fool about her theories.
It isn't a bad read. It rattles along, but, it's intrinsically daft. Yardley is the most unfortunate woman in the world. Oh and the denouement stretched believability beyond its breaking point. So, in short, it's for people who don't mind checking their brain at the door when they start reading thrillers.
It sees Jessica Yardley, as a prosecutor in Law Vegas, having become a lawyer after she discovered her brilliant husband was a serial killer (becausr, of course). He's on death row, when as series of killings, exactly like his, are committed. The only way he'll help is if she gets involved, which she does, of course. Many twists and turns later, the get a conviction, but along the way she's in and out of prison to talk to the fool about her theories.
It isn't a bad read. It rattles along, but, it's intrinsically daft. Yardley is the most unfortunate woman in the world. Oh and the denouement stretched believability beyond its breaking point. So, in short, it's for people who don't mind checking their brain at the door when they start reading thrillers.
ke92's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bookph1le's review against another edition
1.0
Everything about this book was contrived, and most of it didn't make a lick of logical sense. Lots of sections made me raise my eyebrows. I mean, do recording devices really get turned off that much in jails and police interrogation rooms? I really hope not. Plus, I am just not a fan of the serial killer with almost supernatural powers trope. Lastly, Jessica's relationship with her daughter was so inconsistent that I could not reconcile where they were at the beginning of the novel with events that happened at the end. This was a total miss for me.
karolinakum6's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amanda_ryan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
glynniscoon3108's review against another edition
3.0
It was slow getting into this one but once they dropped the 1st shoe....things took off fast. It just took a minute to get there.
ssburke's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bibliophilebrit's review against another edition
2.0
Couldn’t finish. Had to just mark it as read. It’s unbelievable and the killer was guessed by me only a quarter way into the book.
justbrit's review against another edition
2.0
Couldn’t finish. Had to just mark it as read. It’s unbelievable and the killer was guessed by me only a quarter way into the book.
lynguy1's review against another edition
4.0
A Killer’s Wife by Victor Methos brings murder, suspense, police investigations, and courtroom drama to a well-written legal thriller mainly set in and around Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the first book in the Desert Plains series and my first book by this author.
Our protagonist, Jessica Yardley, is a federal prosecutor, whose husband went to prison fourteen years ago for multiple murders. When some new homicides appear to be similar to those of her ex-husband, Eddie Cal, the FBI asks for Jessica’s help. What follows is an exciting combination of investigations, family crises, and courtroom battles.
While Jessica is definitely strong in her professional career, her personal life is another matter. This gives some balance and a flaw or two, but somewhat stereotyped. I liked her courage and resilience, and was definitely rooting for a satisfactory ending for the story line. But does it happen?
The secondary characters are not as well-developed. However, for most of them, a reader gains enough understanding of them so that one is able to understand how they will react under the pressures of situations they encounter.
There is some changing of points of view between three individuals. The strongest one was that of Jessica and, in my opinion, the others could have been eliminated to make the story more cohesive. Despite some situations that did not seem realistic in today’s criminal justice system, I became quickly engaged with the novel.
The book was well-written and was paced well and had an appropriate mix of dialogue and narrative. The plot had several twists and turns with a few surprises along the way even after readers find out a lot of the ‘who did what’ part of the way through the book. What an ending! Will you see it coming? Other themes include academic boredom, the line between pushing for a justified conviction and convicting an innocent person, inherited traits, nature versus nurture, relationships, alcoholism, drug abuse, heartbreak, betrayal, and much more.
If you enjoy legal thrillers, then I recommend this series. While there are some things, that seemed over-the-top and somewhat implausible, overall, it is an intense book that pulls the reader into its disturbing storyline. It is certainly thought-provoking. While this does not have a cliffhanger ending, there are threads that can be pulled into the next book in the series. Which one or ones will it be? I can’t wait to find out in the next novel.
I purchased a digital copy of this novel. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
Our protagonist, Jessica Yardley, is a federal prosecutor, whose husband went to prison fourteen years ago for multiple murders. When some new homicides appear to be similar to those of her ex-husband, Eddie Cal, the FBI asks for Jessica’s help. What follows is an exciting combination of investigations, family crises, and courtroom battles.
While Jessica is definitely strong in her professional career, her personal life is another matter. This gives some balance and a flaw or two, but somewhat stereotyped. I liked her courage and resilience, and was definitely rooting for a satisfactory ending for the story line. But does it happen?
The secondary characters are not as well-developed. However, for most of them, a reader gains enough understanding of them so that one is able to understand how they will react under the pressures of situations they encounter.
There is some changing of points of view between three individuals. The strongest one was that of Jessica and, in my opinion, the others could have been eliminated to make the story more cohesive. Despite some situations that did not seem realistic in today’s criminal justice system, I became quickly engaged with the novel.
The book was well-written and was paced well and had an appropriate mix of dialogue and narrative. The plot had several twists and turns with a few surprises along the way even after readers find out a lot of the ‘who did what’ part of the way through the book. What an ending! Will you see it coming? Other themes include academic boredom, the line between pushing for a justified conviction and convicting an innocent person, inherited traits, nature versus nurture, relationships, alcoholism, drug abuse, heartbreak, betrayal, and much more.
If you enjoy legal thrillers, then I recommend this series. While there are some things, that seemed over-the-top and somewhat implausible, overall, it is an intense book that pulls the reader into its disturbing storyline. It is certainly thought-provoking. While this does not have a cliffhanger ending, there are threads that can be pulled into the next book in the series. Which one or ones will it be? I can’t wait to find out in the next novel.
I purchased a digital copy of this novel. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.