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siobhan_20's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
tinuviel's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
justacatandabook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Riveting thriller about missing sisters
DCI Jonah Sheens is enjoying a day outside when a teen stumbles out of the woods, covered in blood. Keely tells him he needs to look for her younger sister, Nina. Jonah and his team discover that Keely and Nina went missing from their care home and have a tangled past in care. He brings in Keely to find out where Nina is, but she insists on starting from the beginning of their story.
This is a dark tale, told in a compelling narrative, alternating between Keely's story and Jonah and his team investigating on their own. This ratchets up the tension, as we slowly learn more from both sides, never sure exactly what it all means, or who to trust. The horrors of the foster care system are made abundantly clear, but Keely also comes across as cold and supremely manipulative. Is she telling the truth? As always, the dynamics around Jonah and his team are great. The result is a strong thriller that keeps you turning the pages.
DCI Jonah Sheens is enjoying a day outside when a teen stumbles out of the woods, covered in blood. Keely tells him he needs to look for her younger sister, Nina. Jonah and his team discover that Keely and Nina went missing from their care home and have a tangled past in care. He brings in Keely to find out where Nina is, but she insists on starting from the beginning of their story.
This is a dark tale, told in a compelling narrative, alternating between Keely's story and Jonah and his team investigating on their own. This ratchets up the tension, as we slowly learn more from both sides, never sure exactly what it all means, or who to trust. The horrors of the foster care system are made abundantly clear, but Keely also comes across as cold and supremely manipulative. Is she telling the truth? As always, the dynamics around Jonah and his team are great. The result is a strong thriller that keeps you turning the pages.
celina31's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
a nail biter for sure. I am really enjoying seeing how this series has been going for Jonah.
teresaalice's review against another edition
4.0
I love the characters in this series more every single book. As much as I read for the murders and cases that follow, it's the characters that make me stay.
misskk's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up in store about two weeks ago because it looked interesting and actually rounded out my book buy to a nice even price of twenty pounds. I wasn't actually searching for a crime thriller but it is arguably my favourite genre to read and blurb had me intrigued.
I started a different book out of my shop and made it nine chapters in before i needed a break and picked this one up whilst on a trip to the laundry. That was Monday 20th March. It's now Saturday the 25th March and my mind is reeling from this book.
I realised early on that this was a series and I was stressed to no end to realise I was reading the fourth and most recent book in the series but the beginning of the book was too interesting for me to simply put it down and wait to get the first three books.
And interesting it was. So interesting that from Tuesday onwards I ordered the other three books online and now eagerly await there arrival alongside the fifth book that's going to be released.
I've read a lot of crime thriller books and this one honestly deserves a spot in the top ten. My hopes for the other books are now exceedingly high and considering there are three previous books, I have no doubt that they'll deliver.
Without the context of the thirst three book, things seem straight forward enough. I got on board quite quickly with who the characters are and what their backgrounds are. There probably is details that I'm missing due too repetition, I imagine but otherwise the author does a pretty good job of telling you what's going on in the personal lives of the team whilst still making the case the main plot obviously.
The book was fast paced and beautifully interwoven. I felt like a proper detective when I noticed the Gate line and couldn't believe how clever the clues were through out the story.
Of course the main plot twist has to be rewarded for its simplicity but also its ingeniousness to make you understand it immediately but also feel the need to reread the book over just so you can understand it from the get go and I had to admit that it definitely caught me by surprise.
The other twists were equally surprising and strangely enough I had practically guessed that they could be possible two or three chapters into the book and yet was still thoroughly surprised when they were revealed. Although one twist other than the main one in particular did throw me off entirely which it shouldn't have seeming as it was obvious but that just goes to show that the writing was top notch.
The beginning of the book made me assume so many things even though I knew twists would be coming and yet as I got more absorbed in and taken on a ride throughout the book, that fuelled the shock reaction that I had to reading certain scenes and it was honestly great to feel that way especially seeming as I like to guess possible plot twists, which I actually did guess a few of them and still found them shocking.
The actual case itself was tense but fun. It wasn't you're typical murder case, not that those aren't always fun to read but this one pulled on the heart tugs about a missing a child and the writer makes you eager to see her be rescued whilst this other child comes across as a psychological mind warp of twisted tales and games which definitely frustrated me in the beginning of this story.
It was also interesting how the team reacted emotionally towards this case and regardless that I haven't read the other three books, my guess is that, this book might've been the most intense exploration of character development and empathy which was beautifully written.
Six days may not seem that quick but that's exceedingly fast for me especially as I multi read books at a time and this one had my attention for near enough a week.
The first three books can't come any faster.
Whilst I have plenty of praise for the book, I do have a few cons with this story:
1. Jonah's on going inner battle with a certain topic.
I for some odd reason felt pulled out of the story every time it was mentioned and was frustrated that he wouldn't do the one thing that would solve all his problems surrounding the topic. Yes he should be commended for what he's doing but also think about what's best for both himself and for the three other parties involved in said topic.
2. Ben's confession.
No spoilers here but it felt a little just put out there. It doesn't come from nowhere obviously and I could be missing context from the other books but seeming as it relates to the case and certain characters keep asking questions, I assume that's not the case which makes it feel dropped in. Which isn't a problem but it's dropped in right at the end of the wrap up with no proper conclusion. I know it's to handle that confession sensitively but I wished there could've been a more in depth conversation about it without having to push the character's boundaries. Maybe between Ben and Keeley or something. It just felt empty because it wasn't acknowledged until the very end.
3. More O'Malley
A personal nitpick but he was definitely my favourite character and we just didn't see enough of him in my opinion. He definitely got the least POV's. I would've loved to see more from him. Although I'm curious to see if that changes with the other other books.
4. The Social worker.
No spoilers but I badly wanted to know what the deal was there and it's not explained. AHHHHHH!
5. Trigger Warnings.
Now I wasn't triggered by anything and I have a very open mind to the crime thriller genre but I had no idea of course what this book was going to entail and it entails a lot of abuse of several different forms. I definitely think there should've been a small content warning just in case anyone was triggered. I don't know if the author did or not but my physical copy of the book definitely had no content warning.
Regardless of my criticisms, I vastly enjoyed this book and even lost a night of sleep during one of those six days, which paid for with a severe headache lmao. I would definitely recommend and reread And I can't wait to read the first three books and wait for the fifth book which I believe comes this April.
Colour me Excited.
I started a different book out of my shop and made it nine chapters in before i needed a break and picked this one up whilst on a trip to the laundry. That was Monday 20th March. It's now Saturday the 25th March and my mind is reeling from this book.
I realised early on that this was a series and I was stressed to no end to realise I was reading the fourth and most recent book in the series but the beginning of the book was too interesting for me to simply put it down and wait to get the first three books.
And interesting it was. So interesting that from Tuesday onwards I ordered the other three books online and now eagerly await there arrival alongside the fifth book that's going to be released.
I've read a lot of crime thriller books and this one honestly deserves a spot in the top ten. My hopes for the other books are now exceedingly high and considering there are three previous books, I have no doubt that they'll deliver.
Without the context of the thirst three book, things seem straight forward enough. I got on board quite quickly with who the characters are and what their backgrounds are. There probably is details that I'm missing due too repetition, I imagine but otherwise the author does a pretty good job of telling you what's going on in the personal lives of the team whilst still making the case the main plot obviously.
The book was fast paced and beautifully interwoven. I felt like a proper detective when I noticed the Gate line and couldn't believe how clever the clues were through out the story.
Of course the main plot twist has to be rewarded for its simplicity but also its ingeniousness to make you understand it immediately but also feel the need to reread the book over just so you can understand it from the get go and I had to admit that it definitely caught me by surprise.
The other twists were equally surprising and strangely enough I had practically guessed that they could be possible two or three chapters into the book and yet was still thoroughly surprised when they were revealed. Although one twist other than the main one in particular did throw me off entirely which it shouldn't have seeming as it was obvious but that just goes to show that the writing was top notch.
The beginning of the book made me assume so many things even though I knew twists would be coming and yet as I got more absorbed in and taken on a ride throughout the book, that fuelled the shock reaction that I had to reading certain scenes and it was honestly great to feel that way especially seeming as I like to guess possible plot twists, which I actually did guess a few of them and still found them shocking.
The actual case itself was tense but fun. It wasn't you're typical murder case, not that those aren't always fun to read but this one pulled on the heart tugs about a missing a child and the writer makes you eager to see her be rescued whilst this other child comes across as a psychological mind warp of twisted tales and games which definitely frustrated me in the beginning of this story.
It was also interesting how the team reacted emotionally towards this case and regardless that I haven't read the other three books, my guess is that, this book might've been the most intense exploration of character development and empathy which was beautifully written.
Six days may not seem that quick but that's exceedingly fast for me especially as I multi read books at a time and this one had my attention for near enough a week.
The first three books can't come any faster.
Whilst I have plenty of praise for the book, I do have a few cons with this story:
1. Jonah's on going inner battle with a certain topic.
I for some odd reason felt pulled out of the story every time it was mentioned and was frustrated that he wouldn't do the one thing that would solve all his problems surrounding the topic. Yes he should be commended for what he's doing but also think about what's best for both himself and for the three other parties involved in said topic.
2. Ben's confession.
No spoilers here but it felt a little just put out there. It doesn't come from nowhere obviously and I could be missing context from the other books but seeming as it relates to the case and certain characters keep asking questions, I assume that's not the case which makes it feel dropped in. Which isn't a problem but it's dropped in right at the end of the wrap up with no proper conclusion. I know it's to handle that confession sensitively but I wished there could've been a more in depth conversation about it without having to push the character's boundaries. Maybe between Ben and Keeley or something. It just felt empty because it wasn't acknowledged until the very end.
3. More O'Malley
A personal nitpick but he was definitely my favourite character and we just didn't see enough of him in my opinion. He definitely got the least POV's. I would've loved to see more from him. Although I'm curious to see if that changes with the other other books.
4. The Social worker.
No spoilers but I badly wanted to know what the deal was there and it's not explained. AHHHHHH!
5. Trigger Warnings.
Now I wasn't triggered by anything and I have a very open mind to the crime thriller genre but I had no idea of course what this book was going to entail and it entails a lot of abuse of several different forms. I definitely think there should've been a small content warning just in case anyone was triggered. I don't know if the author did or not but my physical copy of the book definitely had no content warning.
Regardless of my criticisms, I vastly enjoyed this book and even lost a night of sleep during one of those six days, which paid for with a severe headache lmao. I would definitely recommend and reread And I can't wait to read the first three books and wait for the fifth book which I believe comes this April.
Colour me Excited.
pkane01's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.5
awill2read's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Very good. You're tense trying to figure out how the pieces all got together.
frantically's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Great book that really hooked me, especially in the last half. It's got a bit of a slow start but quickly picks up speed. Just like the detectives on the case, the reader, too, finds themself wondering just what version of the story to believe. For most of the book, it's separated to be one chapter of Keely telling her story and then one regular chapter and that worked surprisingly well for me. Was satisfying to see it all come together in the end. I had my suspicions pretty quickly but didn't see the full picture until it was revealed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Eating disorder
Minor: Stalking, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Incest