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kangokaren's review
4.0
Rated R - gruesome violence, murder/torture, strong language
Intense story that I could not put down! Flawed characters all around, creepy villains with creepy tastes in victims.
Intense story that I could not put down! Flawed characters all around, creepy villains with creepy tastes in victims.
peter_gagne's review against another edition
4.0
A pleasant find at the used-book store! I enjoyed the story and the characters of this new-to-me author and look forward to reading more of Giles Blunt and the John Cardinal character.
billymac1962's review
3.0
I heard somewhere that this book was marketed with a money-back guarantee if the reader wasn't satisfied. Pretty audacious move. I wonder how this worked out for them.
I wasn't unsatisfied, but after all the high praise that had been heaped upon this, I was a little under-whelmed.
It's a pretty good police procedural, and the nice thing about it for me is that it was set in a small Ontario town, with plenty of Canadiana spread around. This was nicely familiar for a while, but I have to admit there came a point where I felt it was being a little forced. It probably would have maintained a quaint feel if I wasn't Canadian.
Incidentally, there was one cultural reference that was considerably off the mark and exposed Blunt's American influence. It was where a character mentioned drinking a Molson's. That's what U.S. folks say. When we're drinking a Molson's beer here, we're either nursing an Ex or a Canadian. Really minor thing, I know, but it was enough to throw the authenticity off a bit.
Anyways, as a whole it was a pretty good read. The killer was adequately creepy, and the setting and characters were quite well done. But, in a genre as over-saturated as crime fiction, it takes something really unique to make a serial killer novel stand out from the rest, earn a high rating, and set the reviewer off imploring others to read it.
Although it didn't have quite that effect on me, I would still recommend it. I'm probably making this novel sound more uninteresting than it was. That is probably a good attitude a reader should have going into this one, and then be pleasantly surprised. I think this was just too over-hyped for me.
I wasn't unsatisfied, but after all the high praise that had been heaped upon this, I was a little under-whelmed.
It's a pretty good police procedural, and the nice thing about it for me is that it was set in a small Ontario town, with plenty of Canadiana spread around. This was nicely familiar for a while, but I have to admit there came a point where I felt it was being a little forced. It probably would have maintained a quaint feel if I wasn't Canadian.
Incidentally, there was one cultural reference that was considerably off the mark and exposed Blunt's American influence. It was where a character mentioned drinking a Molson's. That's what U.S. folks say. When we're drinking a Molson's beer here, we're either nursing an Ex or a Canadian. Really minor thing, I know, but it was enough to throw the authenticity off a bit.
Anyways, as a whole it was a pretty good read. The killer was adequately creepy, and the setting and characters were quite well done. But, in a genre as over-saturated as crime fiction, it takes something really unique to make a serial killer novel stand out from the rest, earn a high rating, and set the reviewer off imploring others to read it.
Although it didn't have quite that effect on me, I would still recommend it. I'm probably making this novel sound more uninteresting than it was. That is probably a good attitude a reader should have going into this one, and then be pleasantly surprised. I think this was just too over-hyped for me.
esshgee's review
4.0
I've seen the tv series so decided to go back and read the books, as I like the main character. I enjoyed this crime novel very much, although there is some very graphic description. Will definitely continue my way through this series
virtualgiff's review
5.0
The Criminal Minds of Northern Ontario. Great story and characters. Listen to the audio version if you can - the voice actor is incredible!
kat_macwhirter's review
5.0
Canadian setting is exquisitely and brutally rendered, and the characters are never safe.
ridgewaygirl's review
4.0
Forty Words for Sorrow is set in the fictional town of Algonquin Bay, Ontario, located between Sudbury and Mattawa, and takes place during February. The body of a missing girl is found, sending the detective who was convinced that she wasn't just another runaway back to the job of investigating her disappearance. John Cardinal lives alone; his daughter is away at university and his wife is battling depression in an asylum. He is partnered with Delorme, who has just moved to homicide from internal investigations, and Cardinal is pretty sure she's investigating him. The case quickly turns into a search for a serial killer, with many twists and turns along the way.
The novel follows the rules for the modern detective novel, from the lonely cop with a shady past to the atmospheric setting, but the book is so well written and well plotted that it rises above the genre.
The novel follows the rules for the modern detective novel, from the lonely cop with a shady past to the atmospheric setting, but the book is so well written and well plotted that it rises above the genre.
deborahmaryrose's review
5.0
Not being one to read books set in Canada, since I live here I prefer to be an "armchair traveller" and read books set in other countries, specifically Scandinavian countries, in recent years. However, my interest was piqued by the first episode of this book made for Television, which aired on CBC last week....enough to purchase the e-book. I blazed through it and although the subject matter was extremely upsetting, I found the writing fast-paced and compelling, and I look forward to catching up with the main characters in the 2nd book. It was, perhaps, more disturbing to read about a horrific crime set just north of my home in Ontario, instead of in a far-away country. Well, crime knows no boundaries.
colorfulleo92's review
4.0
Picked it up as it seemed a bit wintery and I was in a mood for a crime/thriller set in Canada. It was a very intruiging and intresting case to read about and I liked the other plot as well. Engaging read and I'm excited to have more books in the series to read or binge
sandin954's review
3.0
A quiet Canadian town is rocked by the discovery of a frozen body and the small police force must scramble to solve the crime. Part police procedural and part thriller this was very well written first entry in this series and the cold February setting added to the chilling suspense.