Scan barcode
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
2.0
A meticulously structured puzzle, but with an utterly unbelievable plot and characters. It's as if Hannah is only interested in putting the pieces of the puzzle together, in a cerebral and sterile way, and cares nothing for what the finished picture actually shows, or means. It's a page-turner though, in the sense that you need to know how she's going to resolve the convoluted mystery. I'm not sure if this is any better or worse than her previous works, most likely I've just grown tired of them. Loyal fans will probably enjoy it.
kandicez's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this! It was a very complex mystery, much like a puzzle. You had "corners" or incidents that were obviously important, but Hannah doesn't make it clear why they are important. Nor does she even begin to show us the big picture until more than halfway through. I actually thought I was reading a couple of unattached stories that were going to collide at the very end, but really, every single scene hinged on another, you just couldn't "see" the hinges until the finale. This was the definition of a "page turner." I didn't want to put it down!
This book was so cleverly written that i didn't even realize it was 9th, yes, NINTH, in a series until the last couple of pages. I did feel that the author was writing about some of the characters as if I should know them, or should be vested in them already. I guess I would be if I had read the previous eight books! I think I'll look for them now.
This book was so cleverly written that i didn't even realize it was 9th, yes, NINTH, in a series until the last couple of pages. I did feel that the author was writing about some of the characters as if I should know them, or should be vested in them already. I guess I would be if I had read the previous eight books! I think I'll look for them now.
reindeerbandit's review against another edition
1.0
nicki is the worst. she’s way too fucking neurotic to live, and is too, too dumb. “there’s no feeling like being bad and getting caught.” girl stfu. you sound like a teenager shoplifting from claire’s.
also all the cops were introduced at once and i have no idea who any of them were. charlie seems cool but whichever one is her husband is an ass. i have no idea wtf is going on with her sister & the other cop but jesus every single person in this book needs to grow the hell up and act like adults for gods sake.
the ending was absolutely absurd and we got no answers about the stupid sister and cop, nor why the family was so pathological to nicki. terrible.
also all the cops were introduced at once and i have no idea who any of them were. charlie seems cool but whichever one is her husband is an ass. i have no idea wtf is going on with her sister & the other cop but jesus every single person in this book needs to grow the hell up and act like adults for gods sake.
the ending was absolutely absurd and we got no answers about the stupid sister and cop, nor why the family was so pathological to nicki. terrible.
mojostdennis's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't familiar with Sophie Hannah before I picked up an advance copy of this book at ALA Midwinter, but that's not all that surprising, really, since I'm fairly new to the psychological crime thriller scene. (My Mom loves crime novels, and for awhile I was convinced that our reading tastes were different -- it didn't occur to me that the fact that she didn't like what I was reading didn't mean that I wouldn't like what she was reading. But I digress.)
The point is, this book was solid but not great. There wasn't a single character in the lot that I felt I could really empathize with, and by about halfway through I was only reading because I had no idea who King Edward was, who committed the murder, or what Nicki had to do with any of it and that's unusual for me; I'm fairly good at figuring out endings most of the time.
I won't say I'm glad I read it -- that's going at little bit too far -- but it did while away a couple of afternoons. That said, I'm not going to feel conflicted at all about ditching the ARC in my local little free library, and I doubt I'll go back and pick up the others in the series (which I didn't know about until I came to post this review).
The point is, this book was solid but not great. There wasn't a single character in the lot that I felt I could really empathize with, and by about halfway through I was only reading because I had no idea who King Edward was, who committed the murder, or what Nicki had to do with any of it and that's unusual for me; I'm fairly good at figuring out endings most of the time.
I won't say I'm glad I read it -- that's going at little bit too far -- but it did while away a couple of afternoons. That said, I'm not going to feel conflicted at all about ditching the ARC in my local little free library, and I doubt I'll go back and pick up the others in the series (which I didn't know about until I came to post this review).
izzatiidrus's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I really thought that I would enjoy this one because the beginning was pretty intriguing. But the conclusion was pretty meh and the journey was rather a hard slog.
Like some other reviewers have mentioned, the book was a bit too unnecessarily detailed. I didn't mind it that much to be honest, but it did get tiring at times. What I really didn't like about the book was how every character seemed to have been created from the same mould. Everybody cheats on their spouses and even if they didn't, they wish they didn't love their spouse too much so they could cheat. Everybody lies because they can. Everybody has bad intention, everybody is just too selfish and heartless.
Then I found out that each of the police has their own background too because this book is part of a series. One of the running stories is about this couple who constantly play games while cheating on their respective spouses. There are just too many justifications for bad behaviour and lying. And most of them didn't sound genuine enough to be believable. I can't help but wonder if the author is trying too hard to sound "edgy" or otherwise just wants some drama to get the story to sound exciting.
I'd still try her book written about Poirot (despite the bad reviews) because I already have the book but I won't be reading anything from this series for sure.
Like some other reviewers have mentioned, the book was a bit too unnecessarily detailed. I didn't mind it that much to be honest, but it did get tiring at times. What I really didn't like about the book was how every character seemed to have been created from the same mould. Everybody cheats on their spouses and even if they didn't, they wish they didn't love their spouse too much so they could cheat. Everybody lies because they can. Everybody has bad intention, everybody is just too selfish and heartless.
Then I found out that each of the police has their own background too because this book is part of a series. One of the running stories is about this couple who constantly play games while cheating on their respective spouses. There are just too many justifications for bad behaviour and lying. And most of them didn't sound genuine enough to be believable. I can't help but wonder if the author is trying too hard to sound "edgy" or otherwise just wants some drama to get the story to sound exciting.
I'd still try her book written about Poirot (despite the bad reviews) because I already have the book but I won't be reading anything from this series for sure.
addy1991's review against another edition
2.0
Nicki is married with two young children. She frequently lies, even when there is no reason to do so, and is carrying on an online affair with someone she's never met. Imagine her dismay when she gets drawn into a murder investigation and tries to juggle all of these balls. Balls that seem to connect in ways she hadn't imagined when she discovered the identity of the murder victim. Lies and more lies get told as she tries to sort things out for herself and keep her secrets from being discovered. I can honestly say that Nikki annoyed the heck out of me and I wanted to see her carefully constructed wall of lies pulled down, brick by brick. More unlikable characters as those found in Ms. Hannah's last book has me seriously starting to consider being done with this series.
hjulia5's review against another edition
3.0
I've found with Hannah's books recently that while the twists and turns along the way are suspenseful and keep me turning the pages, the conclusions - everyone's motives and how all the loose threads come together - don't provide the satisfaction I'd hope for, and aren't very strong.
shalulah's review against another edition
2.0
I'm depressed that this book has a blurb by Tana French.
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
I'm generously rounding up from a 3.5 because... actually, I'm not sure why. There are some truly interesting moments of mystery here, where the Who Killed Damon Blundy plot was really exciting (those columns! that vitriol! who wouldn't have dunnit?) but all too often I just wanted to smack Nicki and say "stop being so stupid, tell people what you know!" And that's what really dropped this down for for me: that she lied, so often, or did the stupid thing, rather than being smart about the police and the investigation. That and the whole weird family dynamic (which seemed even more interesting than the mystery part, but ultimately came to nothing).
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.