Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Meisje zonder verleden

the writing style is so good, and the character background stories help with so much character development. the dynamics are so easy to follow and enjoyable to read. the book’s a little graphic when it comes to violence so if that’s not your type then this book definitely isn’t for you.

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jasperoz's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'm usually hesitant to read Michael Robotham's books when they aren't part of his Joe O'Loughlin series, however, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I really liked the new main character Cyrus, and Robotham is very talented at writing very real characters, who have very real flaws and weaknesses, as well as strengths. The plot for this one was very interesting, and although somewhat predictable, the writing and the characters more than make up for it, to create a very well worth it read.

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betttyy8's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.0

This is the first book in Robotham’s Cyrus Haven series, introducing us to Cyrus, a forensic psychologist with a traumatic history. In this first book, he works alongside the Nottingham police to investigate the murder of young ice skater Jodie Sheean. At the same time, Cyrus meets Evie Cormac, a troubled teenager with a mysterious past, and the story is split between their two perspectives as the investigation unfolds.

While this is certainly a very standard crime thriller, I did find this book compelling to listen to. The book switches between the perspectives of Cyrus and Evie and so there are, in essence, two mysteries unravelling throughout the story. I found that enjoyable and helped break up the fairly predictable case that is the central plot. I honestly found the politics of the police that threatened the investigation much more fascinating than the mystery itself.

Evie's story is much more interesting. Her narration has more depth than Cyrus's and I found her a much more compelling character. Her mystery was engaging enough that I will likely pick up the second book to keep unraveling her story.

There are some huge trigger warnings in this book and I would advise caution if you are sensitive to almost anything. These situations are also written with that slight clumsiness that betrays the fact that a man wrote them. Given it is a crime thriller I didn't judge this too harshly in and of itself but it's not careful and it's not nearly as clever as it thinks.

I would recommend this you're in the mood for a run of the mill crime thriller and if your tolerance for these is high.

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