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tequilalina's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
suebee135's review against another edition
4.0
If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller that you just can’t put down, look no further. Rage against the Dying, the debut thriller by Becky Masterman, will not disappoint you.
Ex-FBI agent Brigid Quinn is adjusting to her new life as a newlywed in Tucson, Arizona. Forced into early retirement after shooting an unarmed suspect, the 59 year old Quinn has seemingly moved on. That is until the Route 66 Killer, the case that has haunted her for years, becomes news once again. Not only the most frustrating unsolved case of Brigid’s career, the Route 66 Killer cost the life of her protégé Jessica Robertson. Now a suspect has confessed and Brigid is once again drawn into this disturbing case. Laura Coleman, the new FBI agent assigned to Route 66, has asked for Brigid’s help but no one can foresee the horror that lies ahead.
This novel has everything: suspense, dark humor, and of course some blood and guts. I sincerely hope Brigid’s story does not end here. Unlike any character I’ve ever read, she is strong, smart, funny, and a little bit of a loose cannon. I can’t wait to see her again.
Ex-FBI agent Brigid Quinn is adjusting to her new life as a newlywed in Tucson, Arizona. Forced into early retirement after shooting an unarmed suspect, the 59 year old Quinn has seemingly moved on. That is until the Route 66 Killer, the case that has haunted her for years, becomes news once again. Not only the most frustrating unsolved case of Brigid’s career, the Route 66 Killer cost the life of her protégé Jessica Robertson. Now a suspect has confessed and Brigid is once again drawn into this disturbing case. Laura Coleman, the new FBI agent assigned to Route 66, has asked for Brigid’s help but no one can foresee the horror that lies ahead.
This novel has everything: suspense, dark humor, and of course some blood and guts. I sincerely hope Brigid’s story does not end here. Unlike any character I’ve ever read, she is strong, smart, funny, and a little bit of a loose cannon. I can’t wait to see her again.
carolpk's review against another edition
4.0
We readers are a fickle lot. Just last week I read a book in which the author tried to evoke a strong female character. In doing so she put her in situations that seemed unbelievable, where she should have been killed or maimed beyond a doubt. It didn’t work for me. So why does Rage against the Dying, a debut featuring another kick-butt woman character who also has nine lives work so well for me? It’s all in the story! This one hits the ground running and is a beaut of a thriller.
Ex-FBI Agent Brigid Quinn had hunted sexual predators and had dealt with all kinds of scum. Her retirement might have come a bit early as events led to her mutual agreement to leave the bureau. She’s gray haired, recently married to a former priest of all things, and still a heck of a woman to contend with. Loose ends and a cold case bring her back into action and I mean action.
Did I mention the pugs? There’s two of these face licking canines and they just add to the whole. I’m not even a dog lover but wished one was sitting on my lap, comforting me. The husband, Carlo is almost as good. Brigid and Carlo’s relationship is one I’d love to see explored in a future story and I’m certain there will be another.
Though it’s violent, I found myself along for the ride no matter what, eyes wide open and speeding to its finish. Smart dialogue, real flawed characters, with just a touch of humor, love and caring keeps it from being too depressing. Get yourself on the list. An excellent debut by an acquisitions editor for a press specializing in medical textbooks for forensic examiners and law enforcement. Becky Masterman did her homework and it shows.
Ex-FBI Agent Brigid Quinn had hunted sexual predators and had dealt with all kinds of scum. Her retirement might have come a bit early as events led to her mutual agreement to leave the bureau. She’s gray haired, recently married to a former priest of all things, and still a heck of a woman to contend with. Loose ends and a cold case bring her back into action and I mean action.
Did I mention the pugs? There’s two of these face licking canines and they just add to the whole. I’m not even a dog lover but wished one was sitting on my lap, comforting me. The husband, Carlo is almost as good. Brigid and Carlo’s relationship is one I’d love to see explored in a future story and I’m certain there will be another.
Though it’s violent, I found myself along for the ride no matter what, eyes wide open and speeding to its finish. Smart dialogue, real flawed characters, with just a touch of humor, love and caring keeps it from being too depressing. Get yourself on the list. An excellent debut by an acquisitions editor for a press specializing in medical textbooks for forensic examiners and law enforcement. Becky Masterman did her homework and it shows.
melledotca's review
4.0
I read the second one in the series first, which I thought was fairly weak. I enjoyed this one more, and it wasn't quite as obvious.
jshel10's review
5.0
Was completely surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The protagonist is unlike any other out there right now and a welcome change from what we normally see - she's older, she's retired, and she kicks ass. Love the Arizona setting, too. A great first book in the series.
eveningreader's review against another edition
4.0
My (first) video review: http://eveningreader.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/readers-journal-rage-against-the-dying/
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
Brigid Quinn is a fifty-nine-year-old recently retired FBI agent who gets sucked back into an old case. Years ago, she trained a young new female agent in undercover skills, with the goal of sending her into the field to catch a serial killer who had been murdering women along the old Route 66 highway for years.
The mission went wrong and the agent is assumed dead, another victim of the serial killer they were trying to ensnare. Naturally, Brigid is dealing with a touch of guilt over failing to protect her protégé. When an arrest is made, Brigid is invited by the current agent on the case to come along to the site where the man says he dumped the young agent’s body. From there, events spiral quickly out of control, threatening everything from Brigid’s life to her new, safe, stable marriage.
The central mystery held my attention and ended in a mostly-satisfying way, but the real draw here is the complex character Masterman has created in Brigid and all the ways she attempts to both save and destroy herself. Her years as a special agent have not left her unscarred. She has a new, kindly husband and a quiet life in the desert Southwest, but she can’t quite settle down into it. She feels enormous pressure to hide parts of herself and her former life from her husband, assuming he won’t be able to handle the brutality she’s capable of. When she begins pursuing the Route 66 killer again, this time as a decommissioned and unauthorized agent, she carefully lies to cover how deep her involvement goes. By the end of the book, Brigid isn’t sure she’ll be able to stay out of jail, or that if she can’t, her husband will be waiting for her afterwards.
In the opening scenes, Brigid comes across as witty and incisive, and the tone of the book seems fairly light. As I continued turning pages, though, it became clear that Brigid hides behind humor when she is too afraid to deal with stark reality, and the bantering tone was masking a darker narrative. Brigid is not a female James Bond, she is not a bumbling, matronly Miss Marple, she is not a sleek Agent 99. She’s like what Uma Thurman’s character from Kill Bill would be, if she were about 20-30 years older: tough, tense, unforgiving, and not certain she deserves a normal life. Her pursuit of her old criminal nemesis is a good read, if a bit bleak.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
The mission went wrong and the agent is assumed dead, another victim of the serial killer they were trying to ensnare. Naturally, Brigid is dealing with a touch of guilt over failing to protect her protégé. When an arrest is made, Brigid is invited by the current agent on the case to come along to the site where the man says he dumped the young agent’s body. From there, events spiral quickly out of control, threatening everything from Brigid’s life to her new, safe, stable marriage.
The central mystery held my attention and ended in a mostly-satisfying way, but the real draw here is the complex character Masterman has created in Brigid and all the ways she attempts to both save and destroy herself. Her years as a special agent have not left her unscarred. She has a new, kindly husband and a quiet life in the desert Southwest, but she can’t quite settle down into it. She feels enormous pressure to hide parts of herself and her former life from her husband, assuming he won’t be able to handle the brutality she’s capable of. When she begins pursuing the Route 66 killer again, this time as a decommissioned and unauthorized agent, she carefully lies to cover how deep her involvement goes. By the end of the book, Brigid isn’t sure she’ll be able to stay out of jail, or that if she can’t, her husband will be waiting for her afterwards.
In the opening scenes, Brigid comes across as witty and incisive, and the tone of the book seems fairly light. As I continued turning pages, though, it became clear that Brigid hides behind humor when she is too afraid to deal with stark reality, and the bantering tone was masking a darker narrative. Brigid is not a female James Bond, she is not a bumbling, matronly Miss Marple, she is not a sleek Agent 99. She’s like what Uma Thurman’s character from Kill Bill would be, if she were about 20-30 years older: tough, tense, unforgiving, and not certain she deserves a normal life. Her pursuit of her old criminal nemesis is a good read, if a bit bleak.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com