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qu33nofbookz's review against another edition
5.0
A very good twisty thriller that gives you the unexpected without stretching the limits of reality and characters you can actually like. The story revolves around Joshua, a teenager who thinks he's cursed, his family and their close associates and how their actions over a day bring about suffering (the curse) to themselves and their loved ones.
Joshua who has been blind since birth gets the gift of sight when his cop father dies and donates his eyes. However things aren't all they seem to be when and things start to get weird. Joshua now has dreams and they are not the kind of dreams any sane person should be having. As life goes on and he adjusts his curse seems to be very much trying to make up for his good fortune of sight. His uncles girlfriend is attacked and later so is he. To get the the bottom of things and figure out what his dreams mean he and a girl from his new school (whom he has a crush on) follow the clues from the dreams and his fathers police notes to a cabin. Only Joshua isn't the only one to find the cabin and there is a showdown of unforeseen consequences set in motion by past decisions of all involved.
The characters were well thought out and their development while slow comes through. They are likable and even relate-able even if that shifts throughout the story as they grow and change in their own environment just like real life people. The structure of the story is good to, giving us the pov of many characters but without jarring you out of the overall story, they all flow and overlap well that there isn't any repetitiveness and you don't lose anything. The story is continuous and each change you learn something new in a mystery that covers the whole story. The twists and turns are exciting and keep you guessing, because just when you think you have it all figured out you get a new perspective and you have to rearrange your thinking. The details in the story are plentiful but not enough to bog down the story and you get a good image of the people and places. The pacing was good and steady building up to a climax that was exciting and there was enough of an after ward to get back into life for the characters that the end didn't feel abrupt or missing.
Last on a personal note the story takes place in New Zealand and they love the tv series Supernatural so a shout out to the author for including that.
Joshua who has been blind since birth gets the gift of sight when his cop father dies and donates his eyes. However things aren't all they seem to be when
Spoiler
the murderer of his father also is a downer and a medical mix up gives him an eye from each of the dead menThe characters were well thought out and their development while slow comes through. They are likable and even relate-able even if that shifts throughout the story as they grow and change in their own environment just like real life people. The structure of the story is good to, giving us the pov of many characters but without jarring you out of the overall story, they all flow and overlap well that there isn't any repetitiveness and you don't lose anything. The story is continuous and each change you learn something new in a mystery that covers the whole story. The twists and turns are exciting and keep you guessing, because just when you think you have it all figured out you get a new perspective and you have to rearrange your thinking. The details in the story are plentiful but not enough to bog down the story and you get a good image of the people and places. The pacing was good and steady building up to a climax that was exciting and there was enough of an after ward to get back into life for the characters that the end didn't feel abrupt or missing.
Last on a personal note the story takes place in New Zealand and they love the tv series Supernatural so a shout out to the author for including that.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
The 30 Best Books of 2017
Paul Cleave, the internationally bestselling powerhouse New Zealand author returns following Trust No One landing on my Top 10 Books of 2015 and Five Minutes Alone making its way to my Top 30 Books of 2014 with yet another jaw-dropping twisty suspense horror thriller — A KILLER HARVEST. It is indeed "Killer."
An avid Cleave fan: What sets this author apart from the competition? Many things. Tops: His creativity, talent, and his wicked dark humor!
Oh, and what a cover! Dynamite. Atria is killing it! I kept swiping the last page, hoping for inspiration from the author. Would love to know the spark which ignited this story.
Those who enjoyed the movie Blink (1993) and Seven Pounds (2008) will be fascinated with A KILLER HARVEST — a new unique twist which keeps on spinning . . .
Now back to the book. Cellular Memory Horror. Dark secrets.
Poor Joshua Logan. He has had a run of horrible luck. A family curse. (I would say he is on to something here, for sure).
His dad jumped in front of a bus a few months before Joshua was born. He did it to save a small girl he never met who had slipped away from her mother’s grasp and had stumbled into the street.
A hero? A dad who was missing in his life. His mom was in his life for five months before meeting a bus of her own, in the form of a brain embolism.
Predestination.
Blind from birth. Biological parents gone. Joshua’s world is black. It has been his entire sixteen years. The curse made sure of that.
Now his current father (his aunt and uncle), Detective Mitchell Logan is killed. On a case. The suspect construction foreman, Simon Bowers. What do a killer and a cop have in common? Eyes.
Detective Inspector Ben Kirk (Logan’s partner) takes out Simon. However, before he takes him out, he needs to get answers to a few health questions.
The clock is ticking. Mitchell and Ben wanted to improve the world. Taking organs from the evil to give to the good.
The four best friends through high school: Mitchell (cop), Michelle (vet), Ben (police), and Ben’s brother Jesse (teacher).
A dad's promise. He wanted his eyes to go to his son, Joshua.
Detective Vega, once again states his dad was a hero. No hero left for him. The guy that killed his dad was a bad guy, and his dad makes sure that guy could not hurt anyone else.
However, now there is Simon’s friend, Vincent who wants revenge. He is a nasty one as well.
Joshua is the recipient of his dad’s eyes. He is hoping to be able to see the world his dad saw it. The new Joshua Logan is going to see for the first time, something he has wanted more than anything—just not at this price. The curse is not about balance. It takes and takes.
However, there was a mishap by a technician. His dad’s eyes and the killer’s eyes dropped. Switched in error. Now, Josh has one of each.
The exciting twist is how he knows, or suspects. His mom says he owes it to his dad to be the best man he can. Was his dad a criminal as well?
The Doctor: Twenty-eight years of harvesting organs. For the last five years, a doctor has been harvesting them from the likes of Simon Bower.
Persons killed in the commission of crime have had their names retroactively added to the database of organ donors whether they want to donate or not.
From a cabin in the woods, abduction, dogs, torture, blood, a woman, death. Josh begins seeing things. A nightmare or is he seeing things from the owner of his new eyes? Will his eyes and cellular memory give him two perspectives to solve a crime?
A vampire named Frederick in his books, to bullying, a partner in crime, danger, a serial killer, a girl named Ruby Carter, and a scar he has inherited. How many others are having weird dreams from their donor?
Wow, Cleave knows how to create complex plot twists and intensity! Cellular memory takes on an evil twist (s), and no one does it better than Cleave. Lines between good and evil are blurred.
The secrets of the past refuse to keep quiet in this razor-sharp, unputdownable, taut thriller. Readers will be immersed until the final page while never trusting a surgeon again in this lifetime.
I am beginning to suspect Paul Cleave/Stephen King may be long lost, brothers.
Looking forward to someone picking up his Cleave’s books for the wide screen. I want a front row seat! Also how about Cleave for a guest appearance on Younger (TV series) with Atria.
A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an early reading copy. Once again, top book list for the year.
JDCMustReadBooks
Paul Cleave, the internationally bestselling powerhouse New Zealand author returns following Trust No One landing on my Top 10 Books of 2015 and Five Minutes Alone making its way to my Top 30 Books of 2014 with yet another jaw-dropping twisty suspense horror thriller — A KILLER HARVEST. It is indeed "Killer."
An avid Cleave fan: What sets this author apart from the competition? Many things. Tops: His creativity, talent, and his wicked dark humor!
Oh, and what a cover! Dynamite. Atria is killing it! I kept swiping the last page, hoping for inspiration from the author. Would love to know the spark which ignited this story.
Those who enjoyed the movie Blink (1993) and Seven Pounds (2008) will be fascinated with A KILLER HARVEST — a new unique twist which keeps on spinning . . .
Now back to the book. Cellular Memory Horror. Dark secrets.
Poor Joshua Logan. He has had a run of horrible luck. A family curse. (I would say he is on to something here, for sure).
His dad jumped in front of a bus a few months before Joshua was born. He did it to save a small girl he never met who had slipped away from her mother’s grasp and had stumbled into the street.
A hero? A dad who was missing in his life. His mom was in his life for five months before meeting a bus of her own, in the form of a brain embolism.
Predestination.
Blind from birth. Biological parents gone. Joshua’s world is black. It has been his entire sixteen years. The curse made sure of that.
Now his current father (his aunt and uncle), Detective Mitchell Logan is killed. On a case. The suspect construction foreman, Simon Bowers. What do a killer and a cop have in common? Eyes.
Detective Inspector Ben Kirk (Logan’s partner) takes out Simon. However, before he takes him out, he needs to get answers to a few health questions.
The clock is ticking. Mitchell and Ben wanted to improve the world. Taking organs from the evil to give to the good.
The four best friends through high school: Mitchell (cop), Michelle (vet), Ben (police), and Ben’s brother Jesse (teacher).
A dad's promise. He wanted his eyes to go to his son, Joshua.
Detective Vega, once again states his dad was a hero. No hero left for him. The guy that killed his dad was a bad guy, and his dad makes sure that guy could not hurt anyone else.
However, now there is Simon’s friend, Vincent who wants revenge. He is a nasty one as well.
Joshua is the recipient of his dad’s eyes. He is hoping to be able to see the world his dad saw it. The new Joshua Logan is going to see for the first time, something he has wanted more than anything—just not at this price. The curse is not about balance. It takes and takes.
However, there was a mishap by a technician. His dad’s eyes and the killer’s eyes dropped. Switched in error. Now, Josh has one of each.
The exciting twist is how he knows, or suspects. His mom says he owes it to his dad to be the best man he can. Was his dad a criminal as well?
The Doctor: Twenty-eight years of harvesting organs. For the last five years, a doctor has been harvesting them from the likes of Simon Bower.
Persons killed in the commission of crime have had their names retroactively added to the database of organ donors whether they want to donate or not.
From a cabin in the woods, abduction, dogs, torture, blood, a woman, death. Josh begins seeing things. A nightmare or is he seeing things from the owner of his new eyes? Will his eyes and cellular memory give him two perspectives to solve a crime?
A vampire named Frederick in his books, to bullying, a partner in crime, danger, a serial killer, a girl named Ruby Carter, and a scar he has inherited. How many others are having weird dreams from their donor?
Wow, Cleave knows how to create complex plot twists and intensity! Cellular memory takes on an evil twist (s), and no one does it better than Cleave. Lines between good and evil are blurred.
The secrets of the past refuse to keep quiet in this razor-sharp, unputdownable, taut thriller. Readers will be immersed until the final page while never trusting a surgeon again in this lifetime.
I am beginning to suspect Paul Cleave/Stephen King may be long lost, brothers.
Looking forward to someone picking up his Cleave’s books for the wide screen. I want a front row seat! Also how about Cleave for a guest appearance on Younger (TV series) with Atria.
A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an early reading copy. Once again, top book list for the year.
JDCMustReadBooks
vikaf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Viens no pirmajiem detektīv trilleriem, slepkavību mistērijas romāniem, ko esmu lasījusi. Jāsaka, ka esmu apmierināta un grāmata ir laba.
Viena no grāmatām, kuru bija ļoti vielgi iztēloties sev prātā, redzēt visu to, ko redzēja Džošua ar tēva acīm.
Grāmatu bija arī diezgan viegli lasīt. Nodaļas bija salīdzinoši īsas, kas ļāva veidot ilūziju, ka es lasu ātri. Un arī nodaļu beigu "klifhangeriem " bija aizraujošs efekts - nevarēju apstāties, ļoti gribējās zināt, kas būs tālāk.
Par galveno varoni, Džošua. Parasts zēns ar neparastu dzīvi, pārliecināts, ka viņam ir uzlikts lāsts un tāpēc sliktas lietas notiek viņas apkārt. Bezgala drosmīgs.
Viena no grāmatām, kuru bija ļoti vielgi iztēloties sev prātā, redzēt visu to, ko redzēja Džošua ar tēva acīm.
Grāmatu bija arī diezgan viegli lasīt. Nodaļas bija salīdzinoši īsas, kas ļāva veidot ilūziju, ka es lasu ātri. Un arī nodaļu beigu "klifhangeriem " bija aizraujošs efekts - nevarēju apstāties, ļoti gribējās zināt, kas būs tālāk.
Par galveno varoni, Džošua. Parasts zēns ar neparastu dzīvi, pārliecināts, ka viņam ir uzlikts lāsts un tāpēc sliktas lietas notiek viņas apkārt. Bezgala drosmīgs.
melohpa's review against another edition
4.0
See my review at http://topplingbookpile.blogspot.com/2018/01/a-killer-harvest-by-paul-cleave.html
abbyspragins's review against another edition
4.0
Great psychological thriller. I really enjoyed the concept of the book and it hasn’t been like anything I had ever read before. However, the book was hard to follow sometimes because of the multiple story lines. BUT at the end, it’s all worth it.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
Joshua don't have it easy, being blind and losing his parents and he even lost the man who toke care of him, a detective who died on a case and the suspect was killed soon after. But Joshua got a chance to be able to see, with the detective's eyes and the story unfolds from there. Had a very interesting and compelling premise and the story was somewhat entertaining. Don't feel like a waste of time but at the same time it wasn't something amazing but an decent read with some suspense and intriguing plot.
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
5.0
Massively addictive! Taut, tense, suspenseful, riveting. Highly recommended to any and all readers who like their thrillers action-packed, high-octane, and with a bucket of blood on the side.
jennygogo101's review against another edition
2.0
It was meh. The beginning started out strong, but the middle dragged too much. The ending was fast-paced with a twist I didn’t see coming. There was something that bothered me with the book that I couldn’t quite place, until I read Gatorman’s review and he hit the nail on the head.
“The biggest problem with the story is that it becomes too implausible, with several plot contrivances and characters who suddenly, and conveniently, figure things out without really having enough information other than to move the story forward.”
This was something I did take notice of and I would find myself rolling my eyes at the way some things just happened to work out in order to drive the plot forward.
Some of the characters who had seemingly big roles are suddenly never talked about again.
“The biggest problem with the story is that it becomes too implausible, with several plot contrivances and characters who suddenly, and conveniently, figure things out without really having enough information other than to move the story forward.”
This was something I did take notice of and I would find myself rolling my eyes at the way some things just happened to work out in order to drive the plot forward.
Some of the characters who had seemingly big roles are suddenly never talked about again.