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tricia0613's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I liked it okay, but it didn't leave me feeling that great. It had a lot of triggering content (the self-harm scenes were too much for me, I had to skim through the text to avoid reading that in detail). It read a lot like a true crime series but without any particularly exciting twists. It was still very well written, I just personally like my thrillers to be a bit more surprising in what concerns the crime solving parts of the plot line. If you're a fan of Law and Order and the like, this might be for you
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Minor: Rape
skillyillian's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
For starters, I won a digital copy of this book from a storygraph giveaway. It's not my usual genre, but I do like true crime, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The first thing I want to say is, holy shit, trigger warnings. Check the trigger warnings. Sexual assault and abuse, self harm, domestic violence, suicide, drug addiction, it's checking all the boxes. I didn't realize this would include graphic, detailed descriptions of someone self-harming, otherwise I probably wouldn't have read this. I skimmed those parts but it was very detailed. The same with someone committing suicide, and someone else contemplates it multiple times, considering multiple ways to do it.
The plot isn't bad, the writing is fine, but some stuff was oddly specific while other things were extremely vague. Every time music was playing, it was listed by specific songs, albums, and artists. Which is fine, other than it being the same 5-10 artists no matter who was playing music or where. But there were almost no actual character descriptions? Like we know Tom has a beard, but not his hair color? The best description we got of the murder victim was when her mother saw a missing persons poster at a liquor store, and it just said "hair: brown" etc and that was it. We know almost nothing about what these people look like.
It became clear pretty early on where the story was going and what had happened to Megan, but I don't think the author was going for some big, surprise plot twist anyway.
One thing I found odd was the way the POVs switched. Another reviewer said it would've been easier to divide the POVs into their own chapters, and I agree. Having eight long chapters feels unnecessary when you're switching characters every few pages. Another thing I found odd was that it was almost impossible at times to tell how much time had passed, or what day it was. For example:
Katie gets captured by Nathan and we find out she's been there for days, but when we go back to someone else's pov, it doesn't seem like days have passed, like it goes back and forth, instead of one clear timeline everyone follows.
Early on, Tom thinks Kevin Strand killed Megan, and after we hear about Kevin, it cuts to a summary of Kevin's career as a serial killer? And says something like "he would be executed x amount of time later" but why tell us Kevin's future? It would make more sense to let the reader wonder if it was Kevin, without us knowing what happens to him until later. Even then, I don't think Kevin's fate is relevant. We learn later when Tom interviews him that he's on death row and set to die, so why specify earlier? I feel like that could've been cut. But anyway, after that, we go back to another pov, and then back to Kevin, but it's Kevin's past, where he was burning a purse. Like, I guess, but?? Why in the past? And why not clarify that was in the past? We just had to use context clues to realize it was before Kevin was caught.
Anyway, overall this is fine? Not my favorite, the story didn't feel like it flowed super well. Minor details were very specific while important things were left too vague. Some things could've been taken out but they didn't necessarily ruin the story? But yeah, not my favorite.
The plot isn't bad, the writing is fine, but some stuff was oddly specific while other things were extremely vague. Every time music was playing, it was listed by specific songs, albums, and artists. Which is fine, other than it being the same 5-10 artists no matter who was playing music or where. But there were almost no actual character descriptions? Like we know Tom has a beard, but not his hair color? The best description we got of the murder victim was when her mother saw a missing persons poster at a liquor store, and it just said "hair: brown" etc and that was it. We know almost nothing about what these people look like.
It became clear pretty early on where the story was going and what had happened to Megan, but I don't think the author was going for some big, surprise plot twist anyway.
One thing I found odd was the way the POVs switched. Another reviewer said it would've been easier to divide the POVs into their own chapters, and I agree. Having eight long chapters feels unnecessary when you're switching characters every few pages. Another thing I found odd was that it was almost impossible at times to tell how much time had passed, or what day it was. For example:
Early on, Tom thinks Kevin Strand killed Megan, and after we hear about Kevin, it cuts to a summary of Kevin's career as a serial killer? And says something like "he would be executed x amount of time later" but why tell us Kevin's future? It would make more sense to let the reader wonder if it was Kevin, without us knowing what happens to him until later. Even then, I don't think Kevin's fate is relevant. We learn later when Tom interviews him that he's on death row and set to die, so why specify earlier? I feel like that could've been cut. But anyway, after that, we go back to another pov, and then back to Kevin, but it's Kevin's past, where he was burning a purse. Like, I guess, but?? Why in the past? And why not clarify that was in the past? We just had to use context clues to realize it was before Kevin was caught.
Anyway, overall this is fine? Not my favorite, the story didn't feel like it flowed super well. Minor details were very specific while important things were left too vague. Some things could've been taken out but they didn't necessarily ruin the story? But yeah, not my favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Violence, Self harm, Blood, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Animal death
emory's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Some of the best writing I've seen in my adventures through middle to low quality thriller books recently. It was especially refreshing to read a book with multiple POVs that was able to keep them distinct and the characters moving through independent investigations. It had a very nice flow and tone to it (although one of my complaints is that this tone, while compelling at first, never changes and grows a bit flat).
The plot itself is pretty decent (even if I found it a bit annoying to make the case a cold case but then have three different characters discover the culprit independently through three different extremely simple investigative avenues); however, it lacks the suspenseful turns of a gripping thriller and also the character interiority that drives a tragedy about grief. Since I'm not sure exactly which one this book is going for, I'm not sure which to be more disappointed about. Hannah's character shone through (I would assume the series will follow her investigations, with this installment serving as a bit of an origin story), but even in her segments of narrative, we're told her emotions bluntly and clinically rather than shown through actions or relayed with any kind of warmth. Though emotional turmoil makes up a large part of each character's story, both the narrator and the characters themselves talk about them in the same flat tone as the rest of the novel. The death of the main investigator in the case had absolutely no emotional impact, trimmed of all detail or decorum . It just felt empty and one note. Time and space are nebulous, with little description of any space the characters inhabit and random moments within a chapter that mention it has now been weeks or months worth of time since an event. I think if the story leaned a bit harder into its characters rather than formulaic thriller speak--the killer actually says "your precious Megan" at one point--it really couldve shined! I especially would've liked more focus on Hannah's OCD(?)(that isn't represented for once as a nagging desire to wash her hands and nothing else; it's a miracle, even if the depiction could've been better in other ways), or Tom's feelings of guilt over "causing" his daughter's disappearance. As it was, though, the characters felt a bit cardboard.
One last little reservation I have is a bit of an odd tone surrounding vigilantism and the PIs using aggressive tactics that cops cannot. It's nothing you won't see in a typical police procedural, but still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Overall I had my criticisms, but I did like the style of writing even with my reservations about the details it chooses to give or withhold. I wouldnt rule reading out more of the series.
The plot itself is pretty decent (even if I found it a bit annoying to make the case a cold case but then have three different characters discover the culprit independently through three different extremely simple investigative avenues); however, it lacks the suspenseful turns of a gripping thriller and also the character interiority that drives a tragedy about grief. Since I'm not sure exactly which one this book is going for, I'm not sure which to be more disappointed about. Hannah's character shone through (I would assume the series will follow her investigations, with this installment serving as a bit of an origin story), but even in her segments of narrative, we're told her emotions bluntly and clinically rather than shown through actions or relayed with any kind of warmth. Though emotional turmoil makes up a large part of each character's story, both the narrator and the characters themselves talk about them in the same flat tone as the rest of the novel. The death of
One last little reservation I have is a bit of an odd tone surrounding vigilantism and the PIs using aggressive tactics that cops cannot. It's nothing you won't see in a typical police procedural, but still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Overall I had my criticisms, but I did like the style of writing even with my reservations about the details it chooses to give or withhold. I wouldnt rule reading out more of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Violence, Alcoholism, Drug use, Self harm, Drug abuse, Grief, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Gun violence
A main character struggles with self harm and there are two scenes that feature a very explicit description.
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