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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
This book features POVs from the detective, the serial killer and the victims. It was a pretty deep dive into their thoughts and emotions but I find myself not caring about them and the plot to be slow moving and predictable. Also, the book was way too long imo. I wish it was shorter and more fast-paced.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Addiction
2.5 Stars
I couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed with this book. I had heard such wonderful things about it and a lot of my friends have given it a minimum of 4 stars. I just didn't feel all the LOVE.
There are a few things going on at once in this thriller. First we meet Rowena and her family at a secluded house where two armed men enter. 10 Year old Nell is the only one who escapes and flees into the snow. One of the men follows her and so begins Nell's fight for survival. At the same time Valarie, a detective, is desperately trying to find a serial killer who has killed many women in horrible, gruesome ways. She realises that he may not be acting alone. And finally Xander's story. The killer. How and why is he doing what he is doing? And how did he get such incompetent help? The three stories of Nell, Xander and Valarie continue, and come together in a griping conclusion.
Now don't get me wrong, I did like this book. It was very gripping and exciting in parts. The characters were well written, all interesting and complex. However too much of it was just totally unbelievable and corny and TOTALLY predictable. There were a few times in the book where the author would focus on something small and "insignificant" eg a funny shaped tree, and give it just a little bit too much attention, which made the reader aware that it would end up being an integral part of the investigation. It was way too predictable for me. Even the reason that Carla disliked Valarie was SO OBVIOUS. I felt every twist as a disappointment.
Parts of this book were extremely slow. There was more than one occasion where I was totally and utterly bored reading about what the characters were thinking about every second. Or when they would go off on tangents, imagining what it would be like if they were in a different situation. It felt like it went ON AND ON AND ON. And Valarie! Oh my gosh if she went on about "what its like to LOVE" any more, I think I would have ripped my hair out! I counted at least 10 different occasions where she went on about LOVE and what its like to have LOVE and what its like to lose LOVE and LOVE and LOVE. ARRRRRGGGGG!!!!! And then the other characters started on about LOVE AND LOVE AND LOVE...
And lets not mention the medical inaccuracies... I can't help but be frustrated with the description of miscarriage, pain relief and other cringe worthy medical parts of this book.
Ok enough with the bad. It was exciting. I will admit that. I enjoyed the majority of the characters. I liked Valarie despite her flaws and I tried not to hold all the LOVE against her... I enjoyed the relationship she sort of had with Nick. I liked how the bad guys were written, and there was a lot of blood and gore in this book. I'm glad it wasn't too graphic though, some of the killings were over even my threshold of tolerability in a thriller (which is saying something) but a lot of the really bad stuff was mentioned or merely eluded to, but not described in detail.
Would I recommend it?
Yes, but for die hard thriller fans... Those who don't mind their thrillers with a little bit of dribble.
For more reviews visit my blog
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
Follow me on Twitter
www.twitter.com/BBB_Mel
I couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed with this book. I had heard such wonderful things about it and a lot of my friends have given it a minimum of 4 stars. I just didn't feel all the LOVE.
There are a few things going on at once in this thriller. First we meet Rowena and her family at a secluded house where two armed men enter. 10 Year old Nell is the only one who escapes and flees into the snow. One of the men follows her and so begins Nell's fight for survival. At the same time Valarie, a detective, is desperately trying to find a serial killer who has killed many women in horrible, gruesome ways. She realises that he may not be acting alone. And finally Xander's story. The killer. How and why is he doing what he is doing? And how did he get such incompetent help? The three stories of Nell, Xander and Valarie continue, and come together in a griping conclusion.
Now don't get me wrong, I did like this book. It was very gripping and exciting in parts. The characters were well written, all interesting and complex. However too much of it was just totally unbelievable and corny and TOTALLY predictable. There were a few times in the book where the author would focus on something small and "insignificant" eg a funny shaped tree, and give it just a little bit too much attention, which made the reader aware that it would end up being an integral part of the investigation. It was way too predictable for me. Even the reason that Carla disliked Valarie was SO OBVIOUS. I felt every twist as a disappointment.
Parts of this book were extremely slow. There was more than one occasion where I was totally and utterly bored reading about what the characters were thinking about every second. Or when they would go off on tangents, imagining what it would be like if they were in a different situation. It felt like it went ON AND ON AND ON. And Valarie! Oh my gosh if she went on about "what its like to LOVE" any more, I think I would have ripped my hair out! I counted at least 10 different occasions where she went on about LOVE and what its like to have LOVE and what its like to lose LOVE and LOVE and LOVE. ARRRRRGGGGG!!!!! And then the other characters started on about LOVE AND LOVE AND LOVE...
And lets not mention the medical inaccuracies... I can't help but be frustrated with the description of miscarriage, pain relief and other cringe worthy medical parts of this book.
Ok enough with the bad. It was exciting. I will admit that. I enjoyed the majority of the characters. I liked Valarie despite her flaws and I tried not to hold all the LOVE against her... I enjoyed the relationship she sort of had with Nick. I liked how the bad guys were written, and there was a lot of blood and gore in this book. I'm glad it wasn't too graphic though, some of the killings were over even my threshold of tolerability in a thriller (which is saying something) but a lot of the really bad stuff was mentioned or merely eluded to, but not described in detail.
Would I recommend it?
Yes, but for die hard thriller fans... Those who don't mind their thrillers with a little bit of dribble.
For more reviews visit my blog
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
Follow me on Twitter
www.twitter.com/BBB_Mel
The Killing Lessons is so close to being that of a classic crime fiction book. So close, but it falls short. Still, I enjoyed the book very much while at the same time was somewhat disappointed.
The book follows the investigation of a serial killer. The main investigative character is a troubled woman with her own streak of self-destruction accompanying her search for the killer.
Some aspects, such as character development, of the book could be described as being cliche-like, however, Saul Black is able to avoid such criticism by creating numerous characters and their story line like they are individual spokes on a wheel and eventually will converge in the middle.
One thing I liked was how Saul Black's main character comes to her conclusions in plausible discoveries.
The main criticisms I have include while Black hints at the horrors that helped moved the villain along to what he became, they were some what left incomplete and full resolutions for characters at the end were not fully fleshed out.
Still, Saul Black's (a pseudonym for Glen Duncan) next venture into crime fiction will be looked for.
The book follows the investigation of a serial killer. The main investigative character is a troubled woman with her own streak of self-destruction accompanying her search for the killer.
Some aspects, such as character development, of the book could be described as being cliche-like, however, Saul Black is able to avoid such criticism by creating numerous characters and their story line like they are individual spokes on a wheel and eventually will converge in the middle.
One thing I liked was how Saul Black's main character comes to her conclusions in plausible discoveries.
The main criticisms I have include while Black hints at the horrors that helped moved the villain along to what he became, they were some what left incomplete and full resolutions for characters at the end were not fully fleshed out.
Still, Saul Black's (a pseudonym for Glen Duncan) next venture into crime fiction will be looked for.
It's fine. Overly long with a couple of unnecessary sideplot detours. Some good stuff throughout though. Not sure if it's a setup for a series, wouldn't rush out to read more but would have no objections to picking 'em up down the line.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely a very dark book, but I found it to be very well-written. It hooked me very early on.
Can't say that I loved this one! Something about it just didn't grab me!
A twisted, gut wrenching “In Cold Blood” for present day! Amazingly well written, heart stopping, breathtaking, and compelling; Killing Lessons has a sadistic serial killer on the loose, a damaged but determined cop after him, and is pure raw terror. It will put shivers down your spine.
Jesus f*ck. Don't read this. You'll get nightmares. And day-mares.
I have to hand it to Black though, really knows how to write.
I have to hand it to Black though, really knows how to write.
Overall, a decent effort in the serial killer genre. But too many characters and story lines just muddles the action. Can't get invested in one character because there's like fourteen others to worry about.