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lisaeirene's review against another edition
2.0
It was ok. I did not love it. I had a hard time getting invested in the book. I didn't love the characters.
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
3.75/5 stars. I preferred Lie In Wait to The Silent Girls. There were still some awkward sentences. But. I didn't find them as distracting this time. Two major inconsistencies in this book did really bothered me, however. One was that in The Silent Girls, Test is described as being unhappily married with an addiction to running and food issues. Miraculously, all of these problems seemed to have resolved themselves between the first book and this one. The second inconsistency was with the text itself. At the start of Chapter 65, Victor is waiting at a coffee shop for Merryfield. He "sat all morning".... After a while, he gets some magazines at a local pharmacy, and returns to the coffee shop, "where fortunately the staff had changed for the late afternoon."...He sees Merryfield. "It was 4:42." He follows Merryfield into his office building and speaks to the receptionist. He wants to see Merryfield, and the receptionist replies, "I don't have anyone penciled in for this morning...." After a brief discussion, Victor states, "And he may not have expected me this very morning."
What? I had to read this chapter about 4 times to make sure I hadn't missed something. Apparently the town of Canaan, Vermont is not subject to the same laws of time as the rest of Earth. Sloppy editing, people.
What? I had to read this chapter about 4 times to make sure I hadn't missed something. Apparently the town of Canaan, Vermont is not subject to the same laws of time as the rest of Earth. Sloppy editing, people.
tammylew40's review against another edition
3.0
The story line was interesting but predictable.
After the peeks or major turn of events the story dragged. It was sort of all over the place but interesting enough to keep me reading.
After the peeks or major turn of events the story dragged. It was sort of all over the place but interesting enough to keep me reading.
nattycran's review
5.0
Lie In Wait is an extremely well crafted and multi-layered murder mystery/thriller. While I found Rickstad's other Canaan thriller, The Silent Girls, to be a better story, Lie In Wait has an undeniable pull on the reader.
What starts out as a murder case surrounding a 15 year old girl eventually moves into an exploration of religion, the sins of our fathers, assault, and how secrets can be kept buried across decades.
Pair this book with... A full bodied Merlot.
What starts out as a murder case surrounding a 15 year old girl eventually moves into an exploration of religion, the sins of our fathers, assault, and how secrets can be kept buried across decades.
Pair this book with... A full bodied Merlot.
avidreadergirl1's review against another edition
4.0
Hooked on page 2 and did not see the ending coming until the last few chapters.
This book is centered around a murder and some heinous religious nut job but behind all this, there’s a substory that appears towards the end to shed light on the murder.
This book is centered around a murder and some heinous religious nut job but behind all this, there’s a substory that appears towards the end to shed light on the murder.
tanguera's review against another edition
2.0
I'd expect better editing from a book published by Harper Collins (Witness Impulse is part of Harper Collins), but it was like the editor was sleeping. In a four page section, Victor sees Jon enter his office at 4:42pm, talks to the secretary about seeing Jon, who says that Jon is fully booked that morning. Bursts into Jon's office where Jon tells the secretary to take the rest of the morning off as it is almost time to leave, then watches as the sun starts to set. Okay, wow.
Then there is the dropping of words (perhaps for writer's voice), but instead just made sentences incomprehensible. And the misuse of big words. I'm okay with big words, but please make sure you use the right big words (culminating really doesn't mean the same thing as accumulating).
But more than that, Test really should have been named Testy, because she acted like an immature brat more often than a detective. North couldn't give her the time of day and discounted her "intuition"--or she thought he did, therefore he did. Neither North nor Test(y) ever once looked for a murder weapon. Never sifted through mounds of evidence to see whether it added up. Only really worked together once on the whole case (granted not the same department, but still). North felt cardboard and unreal, and Test(y) not much better. Also, the motive? Are you kidding me. What a letdown.
Then there is the dropping of words (perhaps for writer's voice), but instead just made sentences incomprehensible. And the misuse of big words. I'm okay with big words, but please make sure you use the right big words (culminating really doesn't mean the same thing as accumulating).
But more than that, Test really should have been named Testy, because she acted like an immature brat more often than a detective. North couldn't give her the time of day and discounted her "intuition"--or she thought he did, therefore he did. Neither North nor Test(y) ever once looked for a murder weapon. Never sifted through mounds of evidence to see whether it added up. Only really worked together once on the whole case (granted not the same department, but still). North felt cardboard and unreal, and Test(y) not much better. Also, the motive? Are you kidding me. What a letdown.
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In 'Lie in Wait' a teenage girl is murdered while babysitting for a lawyer who's taken on a high-profile, highly controversial case. Set in a fictionalized version of the small town of Canaan in the far Northeastern corner of the Vermont, this is a thriller that makes great use of its setting and recent history.
In 2000 Vermont legalized civil unions for same-sex couples and there was a backlash across the state from many Vermonters who felt that their state was being "taken over" by liberal flatlanders who were moving to the state in large numbers and therefore their own concerns were being ignored. Signs were put up everywhere encouraging voters to "Take Back Vermont" and roll back the civil union legislation and many other progressive policies. The bigots did not win that time, but its hard for me to forget how many of those signs there were, and how slowly they came down.
Rickstad sets his novel in 2010 against the backdrop of gay marriage instead of civil unions. This brings the action more towards the present for the reader and perhaps ties the Take Back Vermont movement in with other, more recent, knee-jerk political movements. The truth is, in my part of the state, there wasn't nearly as much animosity or division about the same-sex marriage bill as there was about same-sex civil unions, but animosity and division make for a better novel.
The sleepy town of Canaan is rocked by the murder of a bright young girl in the home of a prominent man. Was her death a tragic quarrel with a boyfriend, a message from those opposed to the gay marriage case, or something else? Detective Sonja Test wants to make the most out of this case, there are few opportunities to investigate this level of crime, but the case belongs to the State Police and Detective North, so she has to work within his investigation. Sonja's struggles are compounded by sexism and Rickstad deftly handles that. Women have fair play here, which isn't always the case in genre novels.
I have some issues with the ending, but it was still satisfying.
My real disappointment is an editorial one. I read the paperback first edition and it is riddled with errors - character descriptions contradicting each other, sometimes on the same page; the time of day in one pivotal scene of confrontation is referred to as both the morning and the afternoon; and some small typos. I hope these have been fixed for future editions.
Canaan Crime
Next: 'The Silent Girls'
In 2000 Vermont legalized civil unions for same-sex couples and there was a backlash across the state from many Vermonters who felt that their state was being "taken over" by liberal flatlanders who were moving to the state in large numbers and therefore their own concerns were being ignored. Signs were put up everywhere encouraging voters to "Take Back Vermont" and roll back the civil union legislation and many other progressive policies. The bigots did not win that time, but its hard for me to forget how many of those signs there were, and how slowly they came down.
Rickstad sets his novel in 2010 against the backdrop of gay marriage instead of civil unions. This brings the action more towards the present for the reader and perhaps ties the Take Back Vermont movement in with other, more recent, knee-jerk political movements. The truth is, in my part of the state, there wasn't nearly as much animosity or division about the same-sex marriage bill as there was about same-sex civil unions, but animosity and division make for a better novel.
The sleepy town of Canaan is rocked by the murder of a bright young girl in the home of a prominent man. Was her death a tragic quarrel with a boyfriend, a message from those opposed to the gay marriage case, or something else? Detective Sonja Test wants to make the most out of this case, there are few opportunities to investigate this level of crime, but the case belongs to the State Police and Detective North, so she has to work within his investigation. Sonja's struggles are compounded by sexism and Rickstad deftly handles that. Women have fair play here, which isn't always the case in genre novels.
I have some issues with the ending, but it was still satisfying.
My real disappointment is an editorial one. I read the paperback first edition and it is riddled with errors - character descriptions contradicting each other, sometimes on the same page; the time of day in one pivotal scene of confrontation is referred to as both the morning and the afternoon; and some small typos. I hope these have been fixed for future editions.
Canaan Crime
Next: 'The Silent Girls'
lissythereader's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audiobook and so didn’t come across the typos etc others have mentioned. I almost gave this 3/5 because I felt like the writer doesn’t understand women very well and relied heavily on cliches. Women can go out to work (and even be detectives!) without feeling shame about it or without questioning her own ability to parent well.
At times it read as though the writer had some resentment to his own working mother and took it out on Test!
That aside, it was a good read. I finished it in two sittings and the audio performance was solid, so it deserves a 4.
At times it read as though the writer had some resentment to his own working mother and took it out on Test!
That aside, it was a good read. I finished it in two sittings and the audio performance was solid, so it deserves a 4.
karenks's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, page turner. I will continue with this series. Looking forward to seeing this author at BooktopiaVermont.