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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
It started well and seemed to be developing a good storyline but, at around halfway through it became muddled and I found it a bit hard to keep the characters I had developed in my head in sync with the unfolding plot.
The Fixer is a book that reads like it wants to be a television show. The pacing is quick and the way the scenes and storylines are broken up makes it easy to imagine this as something that would be on the screen. The book starts off with a scene that would make a fantastic cold open to this hypothetical series, where we meet The Fixer of the title, and from there we delve into the rest of the book's world.
We follow several different characters as their stories intertwine, including a police detective who's suffered some losses of his own, a psychologist who gets too close to the case, a university president not known for making friends, and a barista with his own surprising past. The scenes with Lydia, the psychologist, were some of my favorites, and I felt like the therapy scenes were handled well. (The author is a psychologist, so no surprise there.)
There is an absolutely awesome twist in this book that is one that I both expected and totally didn't think would ever happen, all at the same time. It was one of those "wouldn't it be cool if..." thoughts that I brushed aside, so I was super pumped at the big reveal. There are several of these sorts of twists and reveals in the book, especially in the back half, which makes the end a very fast read.
On the down-side, the way the book is structured, you're often introduced to a character and then don't hear from them for several chapters, so I did find myself sometimes forgetting who was who, or why someone was important. The ultimate plot resolution comes fast and furious, but in a pretty typical bad-guy-monologuing sort of way, and I thought it could have been handled in a more compelling way.
Aside from your typical murder-mystery violence, this book also has some references to past child abuse, a scene describing medical experimentation and cruelty to animals, and some scenes involving cutting/self-injury.
This is the first book in a series, which appears to focus on Mort Grant, the detective who works the case in The Fixer, so while this book stands on its own, it would definitely be interesting to see what happens next.
We follow several different characters as their stories intertwine, including a police detective who's suffered some losses of his own, a psychologist who gets too close to the case, a university president not known for making friends, and a barista with his own surprising past. The scenes with Lydia, the psychologist, were some of my favorites, and I felt like the therapy scenes were handled well. (The author is a psychologist, so no surprise there.)
There is an absolutely awesome twist in this book that is one that I both expected and totally didn't think would ever happen, all at the same time. It was one of those "wouldn't it be cool if..." thoughts that I brushed aside, so I was super pumped at the big reveal. There are several of these sorts of twists and reveals in the book, especially in the back half, which makes the end a very fast read.
On the down-side, the way the book is structured, you're often introduced to a character and then don't hear from them for several chapters, so I did find myself sometimes forgetting who was who, or why someone was important. The ultimate plot resolution comes fast and furious, but in a pretty typical bad-guy-monologuing sort of way, and I thought it could have been handled in a more compelling way.
Aside from your typical murder-mystery violence, this book also has some references to past child abuse, a scene describing medical experimentation and cruelty to animals, and some scenes involving cutting/self-injury.
This is the first book in a series, which appears to focus on Mort Grant, the detective who works the case in The Fixer, so while this book stands on its own, it would definitely be interesting to see what happens next.
Vigilante? Or cold blooded killer? The line between the two is definitely blurred when it comes to T.E. Woods' debut mystery, The Fixer. Part murder mystery, part psychological thriller, there are plenty of shades of gray in this compelling whodunnit. An abundance of twists and turns make guessing the killer's identity next to impossible and I have to confess, I was rooting for the murderer throughout the entire novel.
The fixer is who you call when justice has failed and with her clear cut rules, she is certain her victims deserve the punishment she is about to deliver. Carefully planning each killing, silently stalking her victims, her murders have gone undetected for years. Until now. A tenacious reporter reaches out to his cop father and together they uncover a pattern that will lead them to straight to the unsuspecting killer.
Savannah Samuels, a beautiful but emotionally fragile young woman, seeks therapy from Dr. Lydia Corriger, a well established psychologist with a thriving practice. Savannah is quite mysterious and very reluctant to reveal any of her secrets but she is quite clear that she has done horrible things. Lydia is troubled by Savannah's inability to open up, but her perseverance eventually pays off, and she is stunned by Savannah's revelations.
Lydia's concern for Savannah draws her into the murder investigation of a local grad student. In an effort to discover the possible link between his death and her patient, Lydia contacts the cop on the case, Mort Grant. Mort's investigation is at a standstill and he is quite eager to talk to Lydia. Despite his feeling that she is hiding something, Mort is drawn to Lydia and when their paths later cross, they begin forming a tentative friendship.
It takes a while for the various storylines to comes together, but once they do, The Fixer becomes impossible to put down. The characters are fascinating and the mystery is incredibly intriguing but I was consumed with trying to guess the fixer's identity. Just when I thought I had the story all figured out, T.E. Woods throws in a MAJOR plot twist that I never saw coming. All in all, it is a very clever mystery with a unique storyline and I am very eager to read the next book in the series.
The fixer is who you call when justice has failed and with her clear cut rules, she is certain her victims deserve the punishment she is about to deliver. Carefully planning each killing, silently stalking her victims, her murders have gone undetected for years. Until now. A tenacious reporter reaches out to his cop father and together they uncover a pattern that will lead them to straight to the unsuspecting killer.
Savannah Samuels, a beautiful but emotionally fragile young woman, seeks therapy from Dr. Lydia Corriger, a well established psychologist with a thriving practice. Savannah is quite mysterious and very reluctant to reveal any of her secrets but she is quite clear that she has done horrible things. Lydia is troubled by Savannah's inability to open up, but her perseverance eventually pays off, and she is stunned by Savannah's revelations.
Lydia's concern for Savannah draws her into the murder investigation of a local grad student. In an effort to discover the possible link between his death and her patient, Lydia contacts the cop on the case, Mort Grant. Mort's investigation is at a standstill and he is quite eager to talk to Lydia. Despite his feeling that she is hiding something, Mort is drawn to Lydia and when their paths later cross, they begin forming a tentative friendship.
It takes a while for the various storylines to comes together, but once they do, The Fixer becomes impossible to put down. The characters are fascinating and the mystery is incredibly intriguing but I was consumed with trying to guess the fixer's identity. Just when I thought I had the story all figured out, T.E. Woods throws in a MAJOR plot twist that I never saw coming. All in all, it is a very clever mystery with a unique storyline and I am very eager to read the next book in the series.
An assassin with a conscience gets tangled up with a detective who sees connections no one else has made in the past.
I've not read many thrillers/mysteries, but this was a quick suspenseful read that had me guessing until nearly the end. The writing was descriptive without giving everything away too soon.
Murder, abuse, and animal cruelty warnings.
I've not read many thrillers/mysteries, but this was a quick suspenseful read that had me guessing until nearly the end. The writing was descriptive without giving everything away too soon.
Murder, abuse, and animal cruelty warnings.
The Fixer weaves together detective work, clinical psychology, an assassin, a prostitute, university politics and fundraising, and keeps readers involved to the very end. Set in Washington State, the story follows the police-work of Detective Mort Grant as he tries to find the link between several recent deaths that were made to seem the result of natural causes or misadventure, but were actually murders for hire. Dr.Lydia Corriger is a psychologist who worries that her newest client may have been involved with a related death, this one an obvious murder. The main characters have strengths and weaknesses that make them 3-dimensional and interesting. And the mystery of The Fixer's identity keeps you guessing and analyzing what each person says and does to see if they are giving themselves away as the owner of the alter-ego.
I enjoyed the book because it had enough misdirection in it to keep me a bit uncertain, even after I was fairly sure I knew who The Fixer was. The characters are enjoyable because of their flaws and quirks, as much as they are for their abilities. And, the end of the story leaves you ready to see what happens next as the series develops. If you enjoy the TV shows and movies where the main character is a master/mistress of disguise, then you will appreciate The Fixer's seemingly endless supply of identities for every occasion. Mystery lovers should give this a try.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
I enjoyed the book because it had enough misdirection in it to keep me a bit uncertain, even after I was fairly sure I knew who The Fixer was. The characters are enjoyable because of their flaws and quirks, as much as they are for their abilities. And, the end of the story leaves you ready to see what happens next as the series develops. If you enjoy the TV shows and movies where the main character is a master/mistress of disguise, then you will appreciate The Fixer's seemingly endless supply of identities for every occasion. Mystery lovers should give this a try.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
The Fixer is the one you call for those special jobs. Things that need to be "fixed." Her services don't come cheap and you must adhere to her rules, and she can always refuse service. No repeat customers, a set amount of time between jobs, and a strict set of restrictions she sets on the jobs she'll accept are all designed to keep her anonymous, under the radar, and out of trouble.
But the job has gotten tough for The Fixer and so she reaches out to Lydia Corriger, a psychologist who will soon find herself wrapped up in The Fixer's twisted world.
THE FIXER is T. E. Woods's debut as well as the kick off to her new Justice series. It's an exciting and fast paced thriller, but one that is on the graphic side - just a fair warning for any potentially more reserved readers out there.
As a debut the book is not without flaws. The main one is that while there is quite a bit of action throughout the book it does take a little while to really get to the meat of the story. And surprisingly, Mort Grant appears to become more of the focus of the series in the follow up. I say surprisingly because in this first installment he definitely takes a backseat to The Fixer and Lydia. I admit, though, that I'm quite excited to get more of Mort in the series follow up, The Red Hot Fix.
As a whole I found THE FIXER to be an intriguing read. I enjoyed both Lydia and The Fixer very much as characters. Lydia is a psychologist who comes across much more real than some I've read of late, likely thanks to T. E. Woods's own experience as a clinical psychologist. And while I'm sure the real life job is much less exciting than Lydia's day to day might be, what with contract killers on her client list and all, she never comes across as overly exaggerated. Woods seems to have done a fine job of balancing the real with the fiction here. The Fixer in particular is an excellent character. A bit of a Dexter to be honest, someone who is much easier to sympathize with than to judge for her crimes.
But the job has gotten tough for The Fixer and so she reaches out to Lydia Corriger, a psychologist who will soon find herself wrapped up in The Fixer's twisted world.
THE FIXER is T. E. Woods's debut as well as the kick off to her new Justice series. It's an exciting and fast paced thriller, but one that is on the graphic side - just a fair warning for any potentially more reserved readers out there.
As a debut the book is not without flaws. The main one is that while there is quite a bit of action throughout the book it does take a little while to really get to the meat of the story. And surprisingly, Mort Grant appears to become more of the focus of the series in the follow up. I say surprisingly because in this first installment he definitely takes a backseat to The Fixer and Lydia. I admit, though, that I'm quite excited to get more of Mort in the series follow up, The Red Hot Fix.
As a whole I found THE FIXER to be an intriguing read. I enjoyed both Lydia and The Fixer very much as characters. Lydia is a psychologist who comes across much more real than some I've read of late, likely thanks to T. E. Woods's own experience as a clinical psychologist. And while I'm sure the real life job is much less exciting than Lydia's day to day might be, what with contract killers on her client list and all, she never comes across as overly exaggerated. Woods seems to have done a fine job of balancing the real with the fiction here. The Fixer in particular is an excellent character. A bit of a Dexter to be honest, someone who is much easier to sympathize with than to judge for her crimes.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Murder
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Can see this become a made for tv film. It is paced like that. Interesting premise & characters who hold your attention.