Reviews tagging 'Murder'

How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

52 reviews

opldxblqo's review against another edition

funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

How Can I Help You is a zippy fun-house ride through a Tunnel of Terror: you know what spooky thrills to expect and it delivers them pretty well; you exit the ride smiling, but wishing there had been a little more. This book is for lovers of Moshfeg's Eileen.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

missgrangerr's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Being a public librarian, this appealed to me quite a bit.  I enjoyed the library anecdotes but story itself was lackluster.  Ending felt extremely rushed and left me wanting something else. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Addiction and Alcohol

kelseyr713's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Entertaining read (especially since I used to work in a library), but I wished for a little more insight into both characters, especially as this is essentially a character study (the Margot chapters moreso) with some thriller trappings. Villain protagonist is always fun though!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child death and Death of parent

lauren_lovestoread's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a unique, creepy, horrifying experience this book was. This is certainly not your typical thriller; it is a much richer story, almost more of a character study. 
Margo/Jane and Patricia are the two main characters and both narrate the story, often narrating the same scene in their own POV. There is a tense, obsessive, and almost erotic connection between the two women. The author brings fresh twist to the ‘cat and mouse’ theme you often find in a suspense/thriller novel. Highly recommend this wild tale.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Medical trauma

ebpertner's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexual content

morethanmylupus's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book was almost as weird as its MC. I don't know what was happening here, but she was bizarre and not in a compelling way. I generally was cheering for anyone but her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Fire/Fire injury

lportilla's review against another edition

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death of parent

seawarrior's review against another edition

dark

3.0

This was a straightforward novel that never spiraled into madness the way that I'd hoped. Secrets were revealed too soon, personalities were never fully developed, and Sims played it too safe by adapting the true story of a historical serial killer into her lead character. The only highlight of the story for me was the accuracy regarding library work and the gulf between those who view it as an exile or a safe haven. Ultimately, this mystery is dry and disappointing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Stalking

Minor: Sexual content

allofmyfriendsarebooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Being a librarian myself, there was something slightly unsettling about reading a psychological thriller set in a library!  This is a dark (really dark in places) engaging thriller.  Margo is really interesting to read.  I felt less drawn to Patricia, but I liked seeing the interplay of their two stories.  And watching Patricia become feverish in her writing, I did get caught up in where her story would go.  I wasn't entirely sure about the ending, though I sort of sensed things might go that way.  Very readable, though it wasn't always the best thing for me to read immediately before bedtime!
With thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Murder