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makeshiftstar's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
karlyo83's review against another edition
1.0
My Rating: 1⭐️ started ok, fell flat and then just bored the life out of me!!!
MY REVIEW IS FULL OF MASSIVE SPOILERS - SO DON’T READ THIS IF YOU FEEL LIKE READING THIS BOOK
GoodReads Synopsis
Do you really know your neighbours? Jacky Seever was a beloved local businessman and pillar of the Denver community. Until thirty-one bodes were discovered in the crawl space of his house.
Detective Paul Hoskins was lauded for bringing down one of the most ruthless serial killers of the decade. Sammie Peterson, the lead reporter on the case, finally obtained success she craved. An Seever’s wife, Gloria? Well, she claimed to be as surprised as everyone else. But when you get that close to a killer, can you really move on?
Well well well, this certainly sounded like a winner… and it did actually start out pretty creepy and exactly what I was after… BUT… as you can see from my rating… that went pretty far down the toilet, fairly quickly I might add.
Why did I keep reading… aside from the fact I am a sucker… well I get really tired through the week so sometimes I think that its just me and I keep giving the book another chance… sometimes its a win sometimes… well… this happens.
Again review is full of spoilers along with ruining the ending… so if you have a burning desire to read this bore-fest I would tap out of this review now…
First of all - I ask you after reading that synopsis does it remind you of anything… well if you aren’t up with your serial killers from the past, let me tell you… its is basically the John Wayne Gacey case, even down to the dude being a clown. Of course there are some difference but essentially the case is mirrored on JWG. This is ok, HOWEVER, I would much prefer the author to imply or nod to the inspiration … I did not find that anywhere in the acknowledgements so I thought that was a bit of a cop out.
The focus was not really so much on the Seever (aka Gacey) case it was more to do with the post-serial killer lives of three of the main people that were affected by the case. Hoskins, Sammie and Gloria.
Hoskins, this guy is a straight up lunatic. He loses it all the time… he is severely mentally unwell and no one is really giving him any assistance just letting him go around being a lunatic. He cannot really do police work all that well. When we come back to him post-Seever he has been demoted for beating the living shit out of a woman who killed her kid… LOOK I get it… mothers who abuse their kids are tough for me too… I have issues there no doubt… and I could really get a whoop going for a piece of shit like that… BUT I am not a cop… I am not a detective investigating crimes for a living. Now clearly this dude is going through it but he didn’t just punch her he nearly killed her and had to be dragged off her… sooooo not sacked just demoted.
THEN during the copycat case… which by the way they call the copycat killer THE SECONDHAND KILLER are you f*cking with me… the worst nickname ever… instead of just coming up with a better name the author just goes… oh yeah that’s a terrible name… YOLO USING IT ANYWAY…..
But Hoskins just starts beating the crap out of all sorts of people, other cops for no apparent reason, his fave stripper coffee chick’s abusive boyfriend, after he sits and stares at her for hours on end then follows her home… UMM SORRY BUT … what is happening… this guy needs to be sacked…. NaHhhhh all good we can leave him on the force… get real.
Oh and the author loved to use shock tactics with gratuitous sexual references and dreams at one point Hoskins is dreaming about the serial killer giving him a hand job and its soooo Graphic!! Ugh I cant even bring myself to make you read it… if you love that shit please be my guest but it was just icky.
Then we have Sammie, who the author might have just called Slutty, she wrote her as a walking sex fiend to get her own way. She was sleeping with Hoskins, for stories for the paper. Which he just fed her willingly, she has a husband who shes cheating on (obviously), we get references to her sleeping with the killers YES I said KILLERS!!! Past and current… just sleep with everyone… she is basically written as a walking talking sex doll… and I am not a prude or anything but it was over kill… I am surprised she was a journalist in the story and not some mindless idiot as well. The author just made her so unlikable and to explain away her behaviour… oh I was given such good looks everytime a guy looks at me they just want to have sex with me… so I might as well… riiiiiiiiiight…. There was no substance to her at all… it’s as boring AF.
Then Gloria, she was probably the most interesting of the lot… she stayed true to her husband the whole time, always saying she knew nothing… but we get snippets of the truth throughout her POV’s which I found kind of interesting but the rest of the book was such bullshit that by the time Gloria was on I just didn’t care.
The book is told in multiple POV which I like but again didn’t redeem it… it was just so predictable… it’s one thing to guess the killer but for it to be soooo damn obvious and boring that is it for me. Why did the killer do it… omg for Sammie of course… he just had to get it on with her so he killed a bunch of people to make her happy so she could get her job back …. Booooooorrrrrrrriiiiiinnnnnnngggggg!!!!
Husband to the rescue, kills bad guy and scene… pfft!! Husband should have left that cheating Hoe ages ago… cause why was she with the bad guy in the first place OH THATS RIGHT TO HAVE SEX WITH HIM!!!
Christ alive, give me a break. Anyway… I have completely ruined the book at this point… so fingers crossed you didn’t get to here if you wanted to read it….
Obviously I am not recommending this trash fire to anyone… so I hope you all find a better book than this one to read and for those that loved it as always I am so glad you had a better experience than me!!!
Its a strong NO from me!!!
MY REVIEW IS FULL OF MASSIVE SPOILERS - SO DON’T READ THIS IF YOU FEEL LIKE READING THIS BOOK
GoodReads Synopsis
Do you really know your neighbours? Jacky Seever was a beloved local businessman and pillar of the Denver community. Until thirty-one bodes were discovered in the crawl space of his house.
Detective Paul Hoskins was lauded for bringing down one of the most ruthless serial killers of the decade. Sammie Peterson, the lead reporter on the case, finally obtained success she craved. An Seever’s wife, Gloria? Well, she claimed to be as surprised as everyone else. But when you get that close to a killer, can you really move on?
Well well well, this certainly sounded like a winner… and it did actually start out pretty creepy and exactly what I was after… BUT… as you can see from my rating… that went pretty far down the toilet, fairly quickly I might add.
Why did I keep reading… aside from the fact I am a sucker… well I get really tired through the week so sometimes I think that its just me and I keep giving the book another chance… sometimes its a win sometimes… well… this happens.
Again review is full of spoilers along with ruining the ending… so if you have a burning desire to read this bore-fest I would tap out of this review now…
First of all - I ask you after reading that synopsis does it remind you of anything… well if you aren’t up with your serial killers from the past, let me tell you… its is basically the John Wayne Gacey case, even down to the dude being a clown. Of course there are some difference but essentially the case is mirrored on JWG. This is ok, HOWEVER, I would much prefer the author to imply or nod to the inspiration … I did not find that anywhere in the acknowledgements so I thought that was a bit of a cop out.
The focus was not really so much on the Seever (aka Gacey) case it was more to do with the post-serial killer lives of three of the main people that were affected by the case. Hoskins, Sammie and Gloria.
Hoskins, this guy is a straight up lunatic. He loses it all the time… he is severely mentally unwell and no one is really giving him any assistance just letting him go around being a lunatic. He cannot really do police work all that well. When we come back to him post-Seever he has been demoted for beating the living shit out of a woman who killed her kid… LOOK I get it… mothers who abuse their kids are tough for me too… I have issues there no doubt… and I could really get a whoop going for a piece of shit like that… BUT I am not a cop… I am not a detective investigating crimes for a living. Now clearly this dude is going through it but he didn’t just punch her he nearly killed her and had to be dragged off her… sooooo not sacked just demoted.
THEN during the copycat case… which by the way they call the copycat killer THE SECONDHAND KILLER are you f*cking with me… the worst nickname ever… instead of just coming up with a better name the author just goes… oh yeah that’s a terrible name… YOLO USING IT ANYWAY…..
But Hoskins just starts beating the crap out of all sorts of people, other cops for no apparent reason, his fave stripper coffee chick’s abusive boyfriend, after he sits and stares at her for hours on end then follows her home… UMM SORRY BUT … what is happening… this guy needs to be sacked…. NaHhhhh all good we can leave him on the force… get real.
Oh and the author loved to use shock tactics with gratuitous sexual references and dreams at one point Hoskins is dreaming about the serial killer giving him a hand job and its soooo Graphic!! Ugh I cant even bring myself to make you read it… if you love that shit please be my guest but it was just icky.
Then we have Sammie, who the author might have just called Slutty, she wrote her as a walking sex fiend to get her own way. She was sleeping with Hoskins, for stories for the paper. Which he just fed her willingly, she has a husband who shes cheating on (obviously), we get references to her sleeping with the killers YES I said KILLERS!!! Past and current… just sleep with everyone… she is basically written as a walking talking sex doll… and I am not a prude or anything but it was over kill… I am surprised she was a journalist in the story and not some mindless idiot as well. The author just made her so unlikable and to explain away her behaviour… oh I was given such good looks everytime a guy looks at me they just want to have sex with me… so I might as well… riiiiiiiiiight…. There was no substance to her at all… it’s as boring AF.
Then Gloria, she was probably the most interesting of the lot… she stayed true to her husband the whole time, always saying she knew nothing… but we get snippets of the truth throughout her POV’s which I found kind of interesting but the rest of the book was such bullshit that by the time Gloria was on I just didn’t care.
The book is told in multiple POV which I like but again didn’t redeem it… it was just so predictable… it’s one thing to guess the killer but for it to be soooo damn obvious and boring that is it for me. Why did the killer do it… omg for Sammie of course… he just had to get it on with her so he killed a bunch of people to make her happy so she could get her job back …. Booooooorrrrrrrriiiiiinnnnnnngggggg!!!!
Husband to the rescue, kills bad guy and scene… pfft!! Husband should have left that cheating Hoe ages ago… cause why was she with the bad guy in the first place OH THATS RIGHT TO HAVE SEX WITH HIM!!!
Christ alive, give me a break. Anyway… I have completely ruined the book at this point… so fingers crossed you didn’t get to here if you wanted to read it….
Obviously I am not recommending this trash fire to anyone… so I hope you all find a better book than this one to read and for those that loved it as always I am so glad you had a better experience than me!!!
Its a strong NO from me!!!
owlyreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars
The first page of this read was filled with tons of profanity and what seemed like devaluing of the main characters. I thought I might not enjoy this books at all... and then I was caught up in this novel without stop. As I read through, the characters were as described, but also so much more. And wow did Loren really get to me throughout most of this novel. Sometimes he actually was a decent person, but his disposition was constantly shifting. Then there is Hoskins whom constantly has to deal with Loren's overbearing personality, and then all of a sudden gets a helping hand from him when he needs it the most.
There is also Sammie who is a reporter and wants to be considered one of the bests at what she does. Her choice in getting faster to that position is to start up a relationship with Hoskins, who allows her access to the Seever case. This gets her to be the lead reporter in the case, with all the front page dibs she could ever hope for, but of course nothing lasts forever. I am torn with her character. On one end she is a fighter, willing to get all she needs for her byline in the newspaper, but is also a person desperately willing to risk ruining her marriage just to make a name for herself.
With all these characters, it makes for that much of an interesting book. The reader is taken seven years forward in the novel, after Seever has been caught red handed and living out the rest of his time in prison. Everything has started up again, with the first kill being that of Carrie Simms who was the only one to escape Seever's crawl space all that time ago. Adding Hoskins back on the case along with Loren. And Sammie finding her way back into the limelight after that small time she had on the front page.
I found that the more I read, the more I couldn't put this novel down. I didn't much care for all the foul language, but even with all that I kept finding myself more taken it by What You Don't Know. It made me often wonder who was at the center of of it all, who had enough reason or want to do this and pursue everyone who was involved in that case many years ago. It's never a dull moment in any of these pages and it didn't leave me disappointed in much of it.
Though I was taken in continually by this novel, I couldn't quite come around to really liking any of the main characters. I appreciate the honesty of most of them, a side that didn't sugar coat who is really around us, but I just couldn't come around to liking or connecting with any of them. But maybe that's part of the charm, three very flawed people just trying to find a way to make their careers, to find truth even in the darkest of places. None of them are anywhere near perfect and that just says quite a lot as well. I can't say that I cared for most of the vulgarity that was in here either, it was just too over-the-top, but as I said, much of that was put to the side because it was a read that kept me interested and wanting to find out who is Secondhand.
******I received this copy from Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
The first page of this read was filled with tons of profanity and what seemed like devaluing of the main characters. I thought I might not enjoy this books at all... and then I was caught up in this novel without stop. As I read through, the characters were as described, but also so much more. And wow did Loren really get to me throughout most of this novel. Sometimes he actually was a decent person, but his disposition was constantly shifting. Then there is Hoskins whom constantly has to deal with Loren's overbearing personality, and then all of a sudden gets a helping hand from him when he needs it the most.
There is also Sammie who is a reporter and wants to be considered one of the bests at what she does. Her choice in getting faster to that position is to start up a relationship with Hoskins, who allows her access to the Seever case. This gets her to be the lead reporter in the case, with all the front page dibs she could ever hope for, but of course nothing lasts forever. I am torn with her character. On one end she is a fighter, willing to get all she needs for her byline in the newspaper, but is also a person desperately willing to risk ruining her marriage just to make a name for herself.
With all these characters, it makes for that much of an interesting book. The reader is taken seven years forward in the novel, after Seever has been caught red handed and living out the rest of his time in prison. Everything has started up again, with the first kill being that of Carrie Simms who was the only one to escape Seever's crawl space all that time ago. Adding Hoskins back on the case along with Loren. And Sammie finding her way back into the limelight after that small time she had on the front page.
I found that the more I read, the more I couldn't put this novel down. I didn't much care for all the foul language, but even with all that I kept finding myself more taken it by What You Don't Know. It made me often wonder who was at the center of of it all, who had enough reason or want to do this and pursue everyone who was involved in that case many years ago. It's never a dull moment in any of these pages and it didn't leave me disappointed in much of it.
Though I was taken in continually by this novel, I couldn't quite come around to really liking any of the main characters. I appreciate the honesty of most of them, a side that didn't sugar coat who is really around us, but I just couldn't come around to liking or connecting with any of them. But maybe that's part of the charm, three very flawed people just trying to find a way to make their careers, to find truth even in the darkest of places. None of them are anywhere near perfect and that just says quite a lot as well. I can't say that I cared for most of the vulgarity that was in here either, it was just too over-the-top, but as I said, much of that was put to the side because it was a read that kept me interested and wanting to find out who is Secondhand.
******I received this copy from Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
lindseysparks's review against another edition
3.0
I liked that most of this book is about the fallout from a previous serial killer case. A copycat killer makes up the actual mystery, but what is more interesting is how the original murders impacted the detectives, a reporter, the killer's wife and the victim who got away.
library book
library book
amberherself's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
2.25
A bit too vulgar for me.
laurazdavidson's review against another edition
4.0
Gritty and brutal. This a beautifully, darkly crafted crime novel. It kept up the tension without ever throwing in a twist that didn't make sense. That's a pet peeve of mine. I can't tell you how many times I've thrown down a book in disgust, crying "What the hell? Where did that come from?!" JoAnn Chaney avoids that trap, and I'm grateful.
vickyloo's review
2.0
Had lots of promise but seemed to drag on in the middle. I also didn't warm to any of the characters.
saltycorpse's review against another edition
5.0
While this novel certainly adheres to the usual formula of a mystery novel, there are a few things that really stand out.
First of all, the writing is really good. REALLY fucking good. Definitely a cut above the average book in the genre.
Second of all, the detectives are utterly insane.
Loren is balls-to-the-wall, probably should actually be in an inpatient clinic, unhinged crazy. And usually when there's a crazy character they are somehow endearing or brilliant, but Loren is widely disliked and a total asshole. And yet...he's so ridiculous and compelling, you can't help but want to know more.
Loren's partner, Hoskins, starts off as the typical bummed out, burned out cop who is Sad Cop with PTSD, but then it turns out he's just as unhinged as Loren, and has a hair-trigger rage that results in him beating people's asses, which to be fair are usually people who absolutely deserve that beating, except for that one time. Hoskins is stubbornly anti-feelings, and also the only cop who could work as Loren's partner for more than like, five minutes. And yes, several physical altercations between the two are alluded to in the past.
The serial killer is a facsimile of John Wayne Gacy, down to the clown shit and painting, but it's definitely a well-done facsimile rather than a rip off or cheapening of a real case. The killer's wife is also a compelling and well-done character, and I'm glad Chaney spent time on this aspect.
A dark detective novel, superbly written with excellent characters, and notes of True Detective (season one). Highly recommend.
I do hope this is a standalone novel and not turned into a series with the two detectives - as much as I enjoyed them, I am not sure if they'd stand up to repeatedly solving crimes together in subsequent books.
First of all, the writing is really good. REALLY fucking good. Definitely a cut above the average book in the genre.
Second of all, the detectives are utterly insane.
Loren is balls-to-the-wall, probably should actually be in an inpatient clinic, unhinged crazy. And usually when there's a crazy character they are somehow endearing or brilliant, but Loren is widely disliked and a total asshole. And yet...he's so ridiculous and compelling, you can't help but want to know more.
Loren's partner, Hoskins, starts off as the typical bummed out, burned out cop who is Sad Cop with PTSD, but then it turns out he's just as unhinged as Loren, and has a hair-trigger rage that results in him beating people's asses, which to be fair are usually people who absolutely deserve that beating, except for that one time. Hoskins is stubbornly anti-feelings, and also the only cop who could work as Loren's partner for more than like, five minutes. And yes, several physical altercations between the two are alluded to in the past.
The serial killer is a facsimile of John Wayne Gacy, down to the clown shit and painting, but it's definitely a well-done facsimile rather than a rip off or cheapening of a real case. The killer's wife is also a compelling and well-done character, and I'm glad Chaney spent time on this aspect.
A dark detective novel, superbly written with excellent characters, and notes of True Detective (season one). Highly recommend.
I do hope this is a standalone novel and not turned into a series with the two detectives - as much as I enjoyed them, I am not sure if they'd stand up to repeatedly solving crimes together in subsequent books.
gareindeedreads's review against another edition
5.0
As a reader, whenever I am nose-deep in some new thriller or mystery, I am always a sucker for imagery. When I read, I cast the characters in my mind and really need to envision a novel as a movie in my mind. This is why I started casting main characters on my Instagram when I post my review.
With that being said, this was the book for me. So uniquely written, this one actually is written out between the three characters...not necessarily their perspectives like you're used to, but as "scenes". It also kind of reads like a movie. Telling you when the music gets creepy, when something ominous is looming. This is probably the most unique way I've ever read a book other than "Six Stories".
The plot is f-ing terrifying. A pillar of the community as a serial killer? Even worse, a serial killer who legit dresses like a clown. I. Am. NOT. Joking. Everything that goes bump in the night was in this novel...including the horrors of retail during Christmas!
The characters are all so three-dimensional, that I had to question of this was in fact a novel or if I had read something wrong and found myself with a non-fiction book. They were in your face, real, unlikeable, selfish, manipulative, and beautiful. I especially loved the coldness of Gloria and the wild Ralph Loren.
And then there's the meat of the novel. A copycat killer? Bodies start to be found and does this take a turn for the worse...for the characters anyway. For me, it was such a thrilling read. It was intensely written with red herrings literally EVERYWHERE. Like I had about four or five theories before reading the finale.
The ending was extremely satisfying. The credits were rolling.
And then, my personal favorite part of the story happened. Chaney actually wrote a chapter called "What You Don't Know", which is about eight paragraphs answering all of the questions you might have...or come up with after reading. What happened to this person when it was over...how this person started doing this...how did so-and-so react to this earlier...
It was amazing.
And then in true movie (or good television) fashion, there is an unremarkably creepy last chapter that I don't think I'll ever forget.
I cannot recommend this one enough. Read it now. A long weekend is coming up and this is the perfect book to keep you occupied while you enjoy three whole glorious days off!
With that being said, this was the book for me. So uniquely written, this one actually is written out between the three characters...not necessarily their perspectives like you're used to, but as "scenes". It also kind of reads like a movie. Telling you when the music gets creepy, when something ominous is looming. This is probably the most unique way I've ever read a book other than "Six Stories".
The plot is f-ing terrifying. A pillar of the community as a serial killer? Even worse, a serial killer who legit dresses like a clown. I. Am. NOT. Joking. Everything that goes bump in the night was in this novel...including the horrors of retail during Christmas!
The characters are all so three-dimensional, that I had to question of this was in fact a novel or if I had read something wrong and found myself with a non-fiction book. They were in your face, real, unlikeable, selfish, manipulative, and beautiful. I especially loved the coldness of Gloria and the wild Ralph Loren.
And then there's the meat of the novel. A copycat killer? Bodies start to be found and does this take a turn for the worse...for the characters anyway. For me, it was such a thrilling read. It was intensely written with red herrings literally EVERYWHERE. Like I had about four or five theories before reading the finale.
The ending was extremely satisfying. The credits were rolling.
And then, my personal favorite part of the story happened. Chaney actually wrote a chapter called "What You Don't Know", which is about eight paragraphs answering all of the questions you might have...or come up with after reading. What happened to this person when it was over...how this person started doing this...how did so-and-so react to this earlier...
It was amazing.
And then in true movie (or good television) fashion, there is an unremarkably creepy last chapter that I don't think I'll ever forget.
I cannot recommend this one enough. Read it now. A long weekend is coming up and this is the perfect book to keep you occupied while you enjoy three whole glorious days off!