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readuntilthelastpage's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Murder
midnightrose_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
jeannine6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Graphic: Murder
kris386's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Car accident
dalmavatai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I actually really enjoyed this book and is probably my favorite Peter Swanson as I found both The Kind Worth Killing and Every Vow You Break mediocre. It was fast-paced, exciting, and had a reveal that I didn't expect and really enjoyed. As usual, Peter Swanson doesn't have super memorable characters or relationships, and the reason behind the murders did not surprise me as it was very similar to the one in And Then There Were None. I also thought some of the connections could have been revealed in a more interesting and suspenseful way, so by no means is this a perfect book. But I did really enjoy my time reading it and if you're looking for a fast-paced, plot-based thriller with a satisfying (albeit not completely unpredictable) twist, then this one's for you! Just be aware that this is a retelling and therefore if you've read the original and loved it, this might not be your thing.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Grief, and Murder
shazzalovesnovels's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Child death and Murder
Minor: Suicide and Car accident
elmewhy's review
- 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
3.0
The Set-Up... Hooked! The synopsis was wow and completely enticed me to read this. It had everything, a cool premise and synopsis, the promise of a great twisty and turny mystery, and a respectable author behind it.
The Plot...I had high expectations but was let a little down. The book was a great easy read and the short chapters kept the story going - I enjoyed how a death/murder wasn't detailed to the ground to drag out the word count, it kept up the thriller/mystery theme. Sprinkled into each character's subplot was a little life lesson/issue that kept things relatable, the overarching theme and ending theme
A prominent reference either spoiled or helped me predict exactly how this book was going to go, reading this book wasn't a case of 'How will this end?' it was more 'Oh, I know what is gonna happen how will Swanson do it differently' - Read below for the Agatha Christie thing.
The Characters...I found each character really interesting, the short descriptions of them were enough to grasp their personalities - There was some diversity between them, as much as you could
The Agatha Christie thing... Now I enjoy a reference here and there to AC within modern thriller/mystery books. However, my biggest issue was how much "And Then There Were None" was mentioned -
*Heard this wasn't the first time Swanson has referenced an AC book in his books.
The Ending... I don't have any strong feelings about how this ended, the above points clarify this. The justification for the murders was questionable and I would have liked more reasoning behind it. The connection reveal was okay but did need more fleshing out - we basically heard nothing from the people who we needed to hear from
Overall, I did enjoy my reading experience with this book. I wasn't too baffled by the plot and the reveals weren't very exciting. The set-up for the book was there and completely had me hooked but the actual end product wasn't living up to the hype. I will read more of Swanson's book though as I did enjoy the writing style.
Details
-Plot: medium-paced
-TW: Death, Murder, Child loss/Death
-Ending Happy/Sad/Unfinished:
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Murder
maddireads13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Homophobia
becca_thegrimreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I think I expected a little more from this book. Peter Swanson has become known for inventive and new concepts and plots, but for me this fell short. I found the multiple points of view tedious and confusing. There are many characters that I didn’t get to know very well, and the constantly changing narrative was jarring. I think that if there had been a few less characters it would have been a little more successful. This negatively affected the plot as we didn’t get a clear storyline apart from reading about each of the characters’ everyday lives, and there was very little insight into the investigation.
After all this I was hoping that the reveal would be dramatic and make up for the rest of the book. Unfortunately it was anticlimactic. To those who love crime novels and figuring out who it might, there is no possibility of identifying the killer here. We do not get any facts until the killer reveals them themselves. I was disappointed with the ending and felt that it didn’t make sense. It was a disappointing read which left me feeling slightly bored.
Thank you to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd. for the copy of this book. My review is honest and unbiased.
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Child death
bookishflaneur's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Stalking