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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
*Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC! All opinions are my own.*
I'll start by saying that the first half of this book was quite good! The suspense that was built was great, it was sufficiently creepy, all good things. The second half just fell flat for me personally.
I think this is a wonderful starter thriller for people who might want to get introduced to the genre. It's a pretty standard, no-frills kind of option for people who might be interested in seeing what the genre might have to offer. For someone like me, however, who reads a lot of thriller/horror already and has run the gamut of most of the tropes, this felt pretty formulaic and predictable. Which, to be clear, is not always a bad thing! As a library employee, I have patrons who specifically seek out familiarity in their reads. If you're looking for that, this is that! And that's wonderful for you! For me, though, I wanted more out of the stalker plot. I wanted him to be scarier before his reveal. I think the POVs would have been much punchier if he had more chapters rather than spending so much time with the detective. It's something I'll recommend to people for sure, but it just didn't hit for me.
I'll start by saying that the first half of this book was quite good! The suspense that was built was great, it was sufficiently creepy, all good things. The second half just fell flat for me personally.
I think this is a wonderful starter thriller for people who might want to get introduced to the genre. It's a pretty standard, no-frills kind of option for people who might be interested in seeing what the genre might have to offer. For someone like me, however, who reads a lot of thriller/horror already and has run the gamut of most of the tropes, this felt pretty formulaic and predictable. Which, to be clear, is not always a bad thing! As a library employee, I have patrons who specifically seek out familiarity in their reads. If you're looking for that, this is that! And that's wonderful for you! For me, though, I wanted more out of the stalker plot. I wanted him to be scarier before his reveal.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A truly fantastic debut! This was one creepy book! I live in the Portland area and I found myself reading late at night, which really added to the fear factor! Several nights I actually had to stop listening because I really felt like someone could be watching! Also, masks are always eerie, but the one in this book is next level!
This book has a bit of something for everyone mystery, horror, family drama, and a budding romance. I enjoyed the podcast element too. I donโt want to go into too many specifics about the story! Just read it! Itโs fast paced and will definitely suck you in!
I highly recommend the audiobook! The dual narration really brings the story to life!
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Happy #PubWeek to ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ป ๐พ๐จ๐ป๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐น ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, graciously #gifted to be by @grandcentralpub & @hachetteaudio via @netgalley!
I am not a call-in or podcast listener, however, I am discovering that I find it utterly entertaining to read about them. The writing format seems to explore the reasons people begin them, why they listen, and how they can both help and hurt. I find this all fascinating.
In this tale, Nola is a late-night host of a radio program and gets a very unnerving call. She is immediately flashing back to a childhood trauma and is sure she is being stalked after even more unsettling events. She is beginning to look at everyone suspiciously as evidence begins to point toward her father. She has to get to the bottom of it before a past ghost strikes again.
I am finding my favorite combo of hearing and seeing the words I read to be ideal for this. Helen Laser and Will Colyer expertly navigate the perspectives and portray the growing tension well.
I did enjoy this suspenseful read, and had no idea when the reveal came. It felt a bit anticlimactic to me for some reason, but I appreciated the motives behind it and how this book explored that a bit, giving a teeny bit of humanity to the villain. I loved the red herrings, especially one of which I cannot speak, lest I spoil it. The old adage of not judging a book (which makes everyone a possibility! ).
I would definitely recommend this story in either format for fans of suspense.
I am not a call-in or podcast listener, however, I am discovering that I find it utterly entertaining to read about them. The writing format seems to explore the reasons people begin them, why they listen, and how they can both help and hurt. I find this all fascinating.
In this tale, Nola is a late-night host of a radio program and gets a very unnerving call. She is immediately flashing back to a childhood trauma and is sure she is being stalked after even more unsettling events. She is beginning to look at everyone suspiciously as evidence begins to point toward her father. She has to get to the bottom of it before a past ghost strikes again.
I am finding my favorite combo of hearing and seeing the words I read to be ideal for this. Helen Laser and Will Colyer expertly navigate the perspectives and portray the growing tension well.
I did enjoy this suspenseful read, and had no idea when the reveal came. It felt a bit anticlimactic to me for some reason, but I appreciated the motives behind it and how this book explored that a bit, giving a teeny bit of humanity to the villain. I loved the red herrings, especially one of which I cannot speak, lest I spoil it. The old adage of not judging a book (which makes everyone a possibility! ).
I would definitely recommend this story in either format for fans of suspense.
Nola Strate is a late-night radio host. But years ago, she was the only victim of the Hidng Man to survive his killing spree. Now she gets a call from someone who makes her think that the killer is back and has a score to settle with her.
This was one creepy story! It was well-written, and the audio narration was fantastic. I did knock off half a star because I wanted a bit more from the endingโa great debut, and maybe my favorite thriller of the year so far.
This was one creepy story! It was well-written, and the audio narration was fantastic. I did knock off half a star because I wanted a bit more from the endingโa great debut, and maybe my favorite thriller of the year so far.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
medium-paced
Even though I am not into the serial killer sub-genre anymore, I saw so many great reviews about this one that I thought it might be unique. So that's kind of a me issue in my book. But at the same time, if it would have felt fresh then I probably would have enjoyed it more. So take that how you will.
I'm not usually one to notice writing styles. It clicks with me or doesn't, and I typically can't put the reasons into words. This book specifically felt like someone consulted a thesaurus to find word substitutions. And it reminded me of when I tried making papers longer in school by adding clunky obvious descriptions.
A lot of people love this one in my circles of thriller readers, so take my review with a grain of salt. A lot of friends thought it was super creepy and exciting. Hopefully you all love it!
I'm not usually one to notice writing styles. It clicks with me or doesn't, and I typically can't put the reasons into words. This book specifically felt like someone consulted a thesaurus to find word substitutions. And it reminded me of when I tried making papers longer in school by adding clunky obvious descriptions.
A lot of people love this one in my circles of thriller readers, so take my review with a grain of salt. A lot of friends thought it was super creepy and exciting. Hopefully you all love it!
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
I received an advance copy of this audio book for review. Itโs a quick read/listen and I loved it! I must admit, for a moment, I was questioning if several of the folks we knew were the killer. I loved how it was framed, drawn out and wrapped up