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pikamonster's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
This book says it's the first in a series but it reads like it's dead in the middle of a series, the writing was cliche, and the copy I got from the library was full of many typos the patron before me generously corrected. Overall not very impressive.
littlebit2991's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
obsesswithmandy's review
3.0
This book grabbed my attention from the beginning. The description talked about a female antagonist, which I don't read very often. While it took me a bit to read it was enjoyable. Though I did give it three stars it leans more towards four. For me, the story dragged on a bit. But even still I wanted to see the story through. I wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters. I think the problem was that going into the story I was expecting to have a twist or a shocking reveal that was going to leave me speechless but it was all pretty straightforward. The motives for Sophie were revealed early on and the rest of the story was just a cat and mouse game from then on out. If you like stories like that (like Criminal Minds) I think you will like this novel. It's also the first book in the series and I'm interested to see what the next book will be about.
auteaandtales's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
3no7's review
4.0
“19 Souls” is the first in J. D. Allen’s “Sin City Investigation” series, set in, where else, Las Vegas. Jim Bean is likeable, up-front, private investigator in Las Vegas. There certainly is a lot to investigate in “Sin City,” and there are many colorful characters along the way. The supporting cast is pleasant, contemporary, humorous, relevant, and somewhat flawed. All have interesting backgrounds, and even the “minor” players are well defined. It is easy to like them, and they help advance the story line. Of course this is a P.I. in Vegas, so there are hidden identities, damsels in distress, lost loves, and a not your typical serial killer serial killer.
The story is an interesting psychological game with several twists. Multiple points of view provide the reader with the perspective from both sides of the drama and help bring out all the unsavory details of the story and its participants. Although the pace is somewhat slow at times, the characters move the plot along, sometimes with a touch of humor.
I received a copy of “19 Souls” from J. D. Allen, Midnight Ink, and NetGalley. It is easy to read with satisfying action. Since this is the first in a series set in Las Vegas, I am sure that Jim will have many more interesting if not crazy and bizarre adventures to come. (It is Vegas after all!) I cannot wait.
The story is an interesting psychological game with several twists. Multiple points of view provide the reader with the perspective from both sides of the drama and help bring out all the unsavory details of the story and its participants. Although the pace is somewhat slow at times, the characters move the plot along, sometimes with a touch of humor.
I received a copy of “19 Souls” from J. D. Allen, Midnight Ink, and NetGalley. It is easy to read with satisfying action. Since this is the first in a series set in Las Vegas, I am sure that Jim will have many more interesting if not crazy and bizarre adventures to come. (It is Vegas after all!) I cannot wait.
jessicamap's review
3.0
Thanks to the publisher for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.
Going into 19 SOULS by J.D. Allen I had seen some mixed reviews, which I always find fun about going into a book. Something where you can go in and kind of have no expectations for it. This perfectly falls into the thriller/mystery genre, so I can see a lot of people that are fans of the genre enjoying this one!
Jim Bean is a Private Investigator and he takes on a case that is more complicated than he anticipated. When Sophie Evers asks him to help her find her brother, Daniel, Jim's life becomes complicated and very quickly. He quickly discovers that Daniel is not actually Sophie's brother, but someone she obsessed with and is convinced they are meant for each other. There are more twists and turns that Sophie has in store for Jim and he is determined to stop her before she can ruin anymore lives.
Going into early copies reviewers are aware that there is the potential for some errors because it's not the final draft. Sometimes it's completely unnoticeable and doesn't affect the reading experience. However, in this case there were some that really broke up the flow of the book. I'm assuming those got fixed in the final printing!
There were a couple parts where it felt is was dragging, but again, I'm really thinking this is because of some of the issues in the early printing, so I definitely think that thriller fans will like this one! There are plenty of twists and great thriller elements to this novel, and one that I recommend visiting in it's final form!
I give this one 3/5 stars!
Going into 19 SOULS by J.D. Allen I had seen some mixed reviews, which I always find fun about going into a book. Something where you can go in and kind of have no expectations for it. This perfectly falls into the thriller/mystery genre, so I can see a lot of people that are fans of the genre enjoying this one!
Jim Bean is a Private Investigator and he takes on a case that is more complicated than he anticipated. When Sophie Evers asks him to help her find her brother, Daniel, Jim's life becomes complicated and very quickly. He quickly discovers that Daniel is not actually Sophie's brother, but someone she obsessed with and is convinced they are meant for each other. There are more twists and turns that Sophie has in store for Jim and he is determined to stop her before she can ruin anymore lives.
Going into early copies reviewers are aware that there is the potential for some errors because it's not the final draft. Sometimes it's completely unnoticeable and doesn't affect the reading experience. However, in this case there were some that really broke up the flow of the book. I'm assuming those got fixed in the final printing!
There were a couple parts where it felt is was dragging, but again, I'm really thinking this is because of some of the issues in the early printing, so I definitely think that thriller fans will like this one! There are plenty of twists and great thriller elements to this novel, and one that I recommend visiting in it's final form!
I give this one 3/5 stars!
canada_matt's review
3.0
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, J.D. Allen, and Midnight Ink for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Tapping into that interesting sub-genre of private investigator thrillers, J.D. Allen offers up this interesting tale. Jim Bean enjoys his PI work in Las Vegas, though is not all that impressed with the hours or seedy aspects of the job. When Cynthia Hodge contacts Bean to assist with locating her brother, the PI is not certain if this case has legs. Learning that Daniel Hodge has absconded with his mother’s life savings and has a penchant for drugs, Bean is sure there will be nothing left, even if the man can be located. However, with his retainer paid in full, Bean agrees to help Cynthia, though makes no promises. Little does Bean know, but the woman sitting before him is actually Sophie Evers, who has recently disposed of Cynthia, as well as many others who have kept her from the boy she fell in love with all those years ago. As Bean begins his search, he bounces around from Texas and out to Utah, only to discover that Daniel is living off the beaten path. When Bean describes his distraught client, Daniel clues in that it is not Cynthia, but the foster child who lived next door during his youth, Sophie. Now, Bean sees that he’s been played and must try to keep Daniel safe while locating Sophie before she gets her hands on the prize she has been seeking for years. With the help of the LVPD and FBI, Bean works to coax Sophie out of hiding, but is unable to do so with ease. Using his tracking skills, Bean leads the investigation down the rabbit hole to piece together who Sophie Evers might be and how she’s come to fix her crosshairs on Daniel Hodge. Leaving a pile of bodies in her wake, Sophie Evers will stop at nothing to ensure Daniel is hers forever. That said, Jim Bean is not ready to walk away just yet. Not all cases close with a satisfied client. Allen offers up an interesting cat-and-mouse game with this novel. There will be some who enjoy this piece, while others will surely find it lacked the grit and punch that could have made the story far better. I find myself firmly rooted in the latter category!
Having never read J.D. Allen, I was curious to see what she had to offer, especially as he places his protagonist in the middle of Sin City. Jim Bean is an likeable character, though his no-nonsense attitude leaves him a little rough around the edges. The story suits him, as he seeks to get to the bottom of his cases without all the flair and panache that some PIs might enjoy. Paired against the likes of Sophie Evers, who is a complex character in her own right, the story offers an interesting flavour. Evers’ struggles with locating the love of her life and the voices (demons?) in her head, keep the story twisting as the narrative picks up steam. The handful of secondary characters inject some humour at times, as well as the needed depth of law enforcement to make the story the thriller it seeks to be. The characters help push the story along, though the narrative has some issues of its own as it barrels down the tracks. While the premise is there and the delivery seems to present an interesting plot and collection of ideas, I felt things limping from the get-go. It might have been that the ‘false impression’ of Sophie Evers appears so early to Jim Bean or that the chase was slow to develop and became less about the thrill and more about how to gather mundane information, but this story seemed too diluted to really capture me. Use of short chapters and degrees of humour did help, but I felt as though I could have been waving my hand to propel things forward at a quicker pace on many occasions. If one seeks a book with potential mired in treacle, they need look no further than this piece. First in the series, it could be jitters or simply a lack of connection with the intended audience, though I cannot commit to returning to see what else Bean and Sin City Investigations has to offer.
Kudos, Madam Allen, for your attempts with this book. All the pieces are there and the intentions are good, but there’s a need for some pizzazz injections throughout to keep the reader hooked!
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
Tapping into that interesting sub-genre of private investigator thrillers, J.D. Allen offers up this interesting tale. Jim Bean enjoys his PI work in Las Vegas, though is not all that impressed with the hours or seedy aspects of the job. When Cynthia Hodge contacts Bean to assist with locating her brother, the PI is not certain if this case has legs. Learning that Daniel Hodge has absconded with his mother’s life savings and has a penchant for drugs, Bean is sure there will be nothing left, even if the man can be located. However, with his retainer paid in full, Bean agrees to help Cynthia, though makes no promises. Little does Bean know, but the woman sitting before him is actually Sophie Evers, who has recently disposed of Cynthia, as well as many others who have kept her from the boy she fell in love with all those years ago. As Bean begins his search, he bounces around from Texas and out to Utah, only to discover that Daniel is living off the beaten path. When Bean describes his distraught client, Daniel clues in that it is not Cynthia, but the foster child who lived next door during his youth, Sophie. Now, Bean sees that he’s been played and must try to keep Daniel safe while locating Sophie before she gets her hands on the prize she has been seeking for years. With the help of the LVPD and FBI, Bean works to coax Sophie out of hiding, but is unable to do so with ease. Using his tracking skills, Bean leads the investigation down the rabbit hole to piece together who Sophie Evers might be and how she’s come to fix her crosshairs on Daniel Hodge. Leaving a pile of bodies in her wake, Sophie Evers will stop at nothing to ensure Daniel is hers forever. That said, Jim Bean is not ready to walk away just yet. Not all cases close with a satisfied client. Allen offers up an interesting cat-and-mouse game with this novel. There will be some who enjoy this piece, while others will surely find it lacked the grit and punch that could have made the story far better. I find myself firmly rooted in the latter category!
Having never read J.D. Allen, I was curious to see what she had to offer, especially as he places his protagonist in the middle of Sin City. Jim Bean is an likeable character, though his no-nonsense attitude leaves him a little rough around the edges. The story suits him, as he seeks to get to the bottom of his cases without all the flair and panache that some PIs might enjoy. Paired against the likes of Sophie Evers, who is a complex character in her own right, the story offers an interesting flavour. Evers’ struggles with locating the love of her life and the voices (demons?) in her head, keep the story twisting as the narrative picks up steam. The handful of secondary characters inject some humour at times, as well as the needed depth of law enforcement to make the story the thriller it seeks to be. The characters help push the story along, though the narrative has some issues of its own as it barrels down the tracks. While the premise is there and the delivery seems to present an interesting plot and collection of ideas, I felt things limping from the get-go. It might have been that the ‘false impression’ of Sophie Evers appears so early to Jim Bean or that the chase was slow to develop and became less about the thrill and more about how to gather mundane information, but this story seemed too diluted to really capture me. Use of short chapters and degrees of humour did help, but I felt as though I could have been waving my hand to propel things forward at a quicker pace on many occasions. If one seeks a book with potential mired in treacle, they need look no further than this piece. First in the series, it could be jitters or simply a lack of connection with the intended audience, though I cannot commit to returning to see what else Bean and Sin City Investigations has to offer.
Kudos, Madam Allen, for your attempts with this book. All the pieces are there and the intentions are good, but there’s a need for some pizzazz injections throughout to keep the reader hooked!
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
kimbekaw's review
1.0
I just could not finish this book, but I made it 54% through. I didn't like any of the characters and at worst some were just painfully annoying. Reading the antagonist's chapters, for example, was excruciating. And the protagonist was not much better. Honestly, I just didn't care to find out what happens. Perhaps this genre is not for me.
Thank you to Midnight Ink for providing an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Midnight Ink for providing an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
veereading's review
3.0
This novel promises to have a manipulative villain - and it does. From the first chapter, the reader is introduced to Sophie, Jim Bean's newest client. And boy, is she messed up! I loved that the author packed the punches from the start!
I think the author did a really great job with Sophie's character. She was absolutely crazy and I loved reading chapters that were from Sophie's perspective. It was the most exciting part of the book for me. I wanted to see how far Sophie would go to get what she wanted, what would be her next move. I wish there had been more of her chapters in the book because it was where the most action happened.
Jim Bean gave me a very classic noir detective vibe. He's a man of limited words who is bitter about his past but is focused on doing a good job. He's jaded, he's unpredictable, and it's all about solving the mystery. But I didn't love him as much. I found his character to be a bit too stereotypical; there was nothing very unique about him. He talked in a very cliched manner and I found everything he mused on to be very repetitive. It took away from the action of the story and made everything move at a slower pace.
I feel like the story premise, while interesting, didn't flow as well as it could have. There were spurts with a good amount of action that moved the story forward, but for the most part, the novel was bogged down with details that were interesting but not really necessary. I kept wanting the novel to keep moving forward, and found myself getting bored with the discoveries of the smaller details.
I also wasn't too big of a fan of the writing. There were many choppy sentences that could have been removed or adjusted to be a part of a bigger sentence. I feel like the writing style (especially for sections featuring Jim Bean) were supposed to mimic the vibe of a classic noir story, but it was done way too often to maintain the effect. I also found it annoying that the author kept repeating the same things multiple times. Yes, readers can forget details but that doesn't mean they need to be reminded of them excessively! And these details weren't even important ones so I really didn't understand the emphasis.
Overall, I think this novel was quite interesting in that it featured a very unique antagonist. However, the awkward writing style and slow plot didn't work too well for me. I'm giving this a 2.5/5 stars (rounded to 3) and would recommend this to fans of noir novels.
I received this novel as an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com
I think the author did a really great job with Sophie's character. She was absolutely crazy and I loved reading chapters that were from Sophie's perspective. It was the most exciting part of the book for me. I wanted to see how far Sophie would go to get what she wanted, what would be her next move. I wish there had been more of her chapters in the book because it was where the most action happened.
Jim Bean gave me a very classic noir detective vibe. He's a man of limited words who is bitter about his past but is focused on doing a good job. He's jaded, he's unpredictable, and it's all about solving the mystery. But I didn't love him as much. I found his character to be a bit too stereotypical; there was nothing very unique about him. He talked in a very cliched manner and I found everything he mused on to be very repetitive. It took away from the action of the story and made everything move at a slower pace.
I feel like the story premise, while interesting, didn't flow as well as it could have. There were spurts with a good amount of action that moved the story forward, but for the most part, the novel was bogged down with details that were interesting but not really necessary. I kept wanting the novel to keep moving forward, and found myself getting bored with the discoveries of the smaller details.
I also wasn't too big of a fan of the writing. There were many choppy sentences that could have been removed or adjusted to be a part of a bigger sentence. I feel like the writing style (especially for sections featuring Jim Bean) were supposed to mimic the vibe of a classic noir story, but it was done way too often to maintain the effect. I also found it annoying that the author kept repeating the same things multiple times. Yes, readers can forget details but that doesn't mean they need to be reminded of them excessively! And these details weren't even important ones so I really didn't understand the emphasis.
Overall, I think this novel was quite interesting in that it featured a very unique antagonist. However, the awkward writing style and slow plot didn't work too well for me. I'm giving this a 2.5/5 stars (rounded to 3) and would recommend this to fans of noir novels.
I received this novel as an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com