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applegnreads's review against another edition
1.0
There were so many things wrong with this. Truthfully the plot wasn't bad but everything else was. I swear I've liked other things by her. I wonder what's wrong.
noella_t's review against another edition
1.0
Too many murders had too many characters who were not interesting at all. Except for maybe one page, I could have skipped between page 20 and 220 and have done fine. And actually, I skimmed the pages after that!
I read Tim and The Thorn Birds early on in Colleen McCullough's writings. This will probably be my last book that she's written that I will read.
I found it difficult to remember the characters, the scenes were forgettable and it just wasn't what I consider to be a good book. I kind of feel generous giving it a 1 star.
I read Tim and The Thorn Birds early on in Colleen McCullough's writings. This will probably be my last book that she's written that I will read.
I found it difficult to remember the characters, the scenes were forgettable and it just wasn't what I consider to be a good book. I kind of feel generous giving it a 1 star.
samstillreading's review against another edition
4.0
I was initially a bit worried about this book after reading the disaster that was The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet (truly terrible). However, I really enjoyed On,Off so I was prepared to give this a go. I was glad that I did. This is a murder mystery with many dizzying twists and curves set in 1960's America. Twelve people murdered on the same day- is it a terrible coincidence or the plot of a mastermind?
I did get a little confused at times when the police were determining which murders were important or not (though with twelve murders, it's hard to keep track at times) and the ending made me wonder why I went through it all. Interesting to see if there will be another sequel.
I did get a little confused at times when the police were determining which murders were important or not (though with twelve murders, it's hard to keep track at times) and the ending made me wonder why I went through it all. Interesting to see if there will be another sequel.
kandicez's review against another edition
3.0
It actually pains me to give this book 3 stars. Seriously. This is a continuation of Carmine Delmonico's crime fighting adventures, or whatever you want to call them. We met Delmonico in [b:On, Off|3418|On, Off (Carmine Delmonico, #1)|Colleen McCullough|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1163666782s/3418.jpg|2492568]. This one starts with 12 muder/deaths on one day in a relatively small college city. They seem unrelated, but...are they?
The plot was vintage McCullough. It started out with a bang, shocking me into realizing this wouldn't be a calm who-dunnit, but the actual turns of phrase fell short of her usual genius. I know she's been very ill, and I want to think that's the problem with this book, at the same time, I didn't feel [b:On, Off|3418|On, Off (Carmine Delmonico, #1)|Colleen McCullough|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1163666782s/3418.jpg|2492568] really lived up to her name on the front, so maybe it's Delmonico.
In a relatively short book she managed to fit in the above mentioned, 12 murders, plus 2 more and a suicide, rape, necrophilia, child neglect, espionage, political intrigue AND glimpses into the private lives of Delmonico and his team. I couldn't help but feel the entire book would have been improved by about 200 pages more. She's not a flowery describer, but she usually eases us into lives. In this one, I felt she tossed a few details around here and there, no build up, no let down, and the end...whimper instead of bang. She did tell us, in Delmonico's voice that's how crime solving generally ends. You investigate, run around, research, stress, find the killer...and then must wait for a trial that's out of your hands. Maybe that's what she was trying to get across, I just wanted more satisfaction.
It seems as if she's going to be devoting some time to this series. If so, I am more than willing to wait for the next installment. I'd prefer the wait for a pure McCullough, than another installment with the clumsy feel this one had. All the more disapointing because the plot was first rate. She was capable of the perfect book using the bones of the story we got...alas.
The plot was vintage McCullough. It started out with a bang, shocking me into realizing this wouldn't be a calm who-dunnit, but the actual turns of phrase fell short of her usual genius. I know she's been very ill, and I want to think that's the problem with this book, at the same time, I didn't feel [b:On, Off|3418|On, Off (Carmine Delmonico, #1)|Colleen McCullough|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1163666782s/3418.jpg|2492568] really lived up to her name on the front, so maybe it's Delmonico.
In a relatively short book she managed to fit in the above mentioned, 12 murders, plus 2 more and a suicide, rape, necrophilia, child neglect, espionage, political intrigue AND glimpses into the private lives of Delmonico and his team. I couldn't help but feel the entire book would have been improved by about 200 pages more. She's not a flowery describer, but she usually eases us into lives. In this one, I felt she tossed a few details around here and there, no build up, no let down, and the end...whimper instead of bang. She did tell us, in Delmonico's voice that's how crime solving generally ends. You investigate, run around, research, stress, find the killer...and then must wait for a trial that's out of your hands. Maybe that's what she was trying to get across, I just wanted more satisfaction.
It seems as if she's going to be devoting some time to this series. If so, I am more than willing to wait for the next installment. I'd prefer the wait for a pure McCullough, than another installment with the clumsy feel this one had. All the more disapointing because the plot was first rate. She was capable of the perfect book using the bones of the story we got...alas.
nursenell's review against another edition
3.0
12 murders in one day in a college town of 150,000 is pushing the limits of believable. The methods of murder vary from shootings to poisonings, to death by a bear trap. Is Carmine Delmonico dealing with one murderer, or several? Did one person mastermind all the murders? And does a FBI investigation into espionage going on in a local armaments company have anything to do with the murders? I found it hard to keep all the victims straight, never mind how each died.
jrmama42's review against another edition
4.0
Carmine Delmonico is becoming one of my favorite detectives. Of course, he has some great helpers (notably, his amazing secretary Delia) and quite often just plain luck on his side. This second book in the series was not quite as good as the first, but still hard to put down at times.
This time, Carmine is hit with numerous murders, all different, yet all on the same day - very unusual in his small city. Once again, the numerous characters were hard to keep straight at first. There were some nice twists and turns in the story. The plot neatly mixes murder and espionage, and Carmine has to square off against a visiting FBI agent at times. In all, it was a very clever story, and well developed to keep the reader interested. I'm ready for the next episode!
This time, Carmine is hit with numerous murders, all different, yet all on the same day - very unusual in his small city. Once again, the numerous characters were hard to keep straight at first. There were some nice twists and turns in the story. The plot neatly mixes murder and espionage, and Carmine has to square off against a visiting FBI agent at times. In all, it was a very clever story, and well developed to keep the reader interested. I'm ready for the next episode!
nyxshadow's review against another edition
3.0
Un thriller très sympa à l'époque de la guerre froide, loin des analyses ADN et des profilages !
notyouravgb's review against another edition
3.0
I came across this book in a library about twelve months ago. The cover got my attention immediatly so I gave it a try and I bought it after having read the first five pages.
When I arrived home, I left it in my shelve dedicated to books pending to read. As I had to read some books before, I wasn't able to read it until April and I read it again in August.
I really liked the book. It was a mix of everything: anger, jealousy, love, action, mistery, forensic science, different perspective and antique police procedure. It all resulted in Too Many Murders, the second case in where Carmine Delmonico is the detective.
It wasn't engaging, but it was interesting. I was able to finish it in more or less three weeks, and I really enjoyed the way Colleen McCullough connected the dots across the novel. It had some interesting characters, Erica Davenport mainly, which allowed the writer to create a final and unexpected turn in the story.
I'm definitely reading the book in the future, and I strongly recommend it to crime novels fans.
When I arrived home, I left it in my shelve dedicated to books pending to read. As I had to read some books before, I wasn't able to read it until April and I read it again in August.
I really liked the book. It was a mix of everything: anger, jealousy, love, action, mistery, forensic science, different perspective and antique police procedure. It all resulted in Too Many Murders, the second case in where Carmine Delmonico is the detective.
It wasn't engaging, but it was interesting. I was able to finish it in more or less three weeks, and I really enjoyed the way Colleen McCullough connected the dots across the novel. It had some interesting characters, Erica Davenport mainly, which allowed the writer to create a final and unexpected turn in the story.
I'm definitely reading the book in the future, and I strongly recommend it to crime novels fans.
rebecca_o's review against another edition
1.0
(E) 15% ~ L’intrigue est plate, les personnages sont plates, le punch est plate... La traduction est aussi particulièrement mauvaise et les dialogues ne mènent à rien...
samstillreading's review against another edition
4.0
I was initially a bit worried about this book after reading the disaster that was The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet (truly terrible). However, I really enjoyed On,Off so I was prepared to give this a go. I was glad that I did. This is a murder mystery with many dizzying twists and curves set in 1960's America. Twelve people murdered on the same day- is it a terrible coincidence or the plot of a mastermind?
I did get a little confused at times when the police were determining which murders were important or not (though with twelve murders, it's hard to keep track at times) and the ending made me wonder why I went through it all. Interesting to see if there will be another sequel.
I did get a little confused at times when the police were determining which murders were important or not (though with twelve murders, it's hard to keep track at times) and the ending made me wonder why I went through it all. Interesting to see if there will be another sequel.
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