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duchessofreadin's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting read - with some twists and turns along the way. If you are looking for something that you can tear through in a weekend, this is your book!
As I said interesting - but there were some areas where I felt it was rather thrown together. Still not a terrible read.
As I said interesting - but there were some areas where I felt it was rather thrown together. Still not a terrible read.
luciearan's review against another edition
4.0
Hodnocení: 4,5/5 ☆
Už dlouho se mi nestalo, aby si mě autor knihy (osobně bych řekla, že žánrově se jedná víc o thriller než detektivku), takhle povodil. Ale Ericu Rickstadovi se to podařilo. Občas jsem sama zapochybovala nad tím, co je a není skutečné a i když jsem měla svůj tip na to, co se stalo a na samotného vraha, nakonec jsem byla hodně překvapená závěrečným rozuzlením. Autor mě touto knihou naprosto přesvědčil o tom, že si chci - ne nutně potřebuju - přečíst i jeho další díla a že to bude stát za to. Protože psát skutečně umí, příběhu nechybí atmosféra ani napětí, zápletka je promyšlená, skvěle dotažená a děj si vaši pozornost, bez sebemenších problémů, podrží.
Už dlouho se mi nestalo, aby si mě autor knihy (osobně bych řekla, že žánrově se jedná víc o thriller než detektivku), takhle povodil. Ale Ericu Rickstadovi se to podařilo. Občas jsem sama zapochybovala nad tím, co je a není skutečné a i když jsem měla svůj tip na to, co se stalo a na samotného vraha, nakonec jsem byla hodně překvapená závěrečným rozuzlením. Autor mě touto knihou naprosto přesvědčil o tom, že si chci - ne nutně potřebuju - přečíst i jeho další díla a že to bude stát za to. Protože psát skutečně umí, příběhu nechybí atmosféra ani napětí, zápletka je promyšlená, skvěle dotažená a děj si vaši pozornost, bez sebemenších problémů, podrží.
lexruthor's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
2.75
This book just was not for me. I hated the sentence structure and the writing, the resolution felt weird and rushed, and the amount of times characters accidentally fell asleep or passed out was insane.
jen08108's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kdurham2's review against another edition
4.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Sometimes you just need a good mystery/thriller to curl up with on a rainy weekend and this book was just that. A poetry professor who has been wishing for tenure in a small town in Vermont comes home to find his wife and daughter missing and he has no clue as to where they have gone. 25 years later another little girl goes missing and it just seems way to close to the same thing happening again.
With short chapters this book moved so quickly. I find books with short chapters, I keep saying oh one more chapter and all of the sudden I am half way or flipping the last page! I like this set up for mysteries because it keeps the pacing going and going.
Sometimes you just need a good mystery/thriller to curl up with on a rainy weekend and this book was just that. A poetry professor who has been wishing for tenure in a small town in Vermont comes home to find his wife and daughter missing and he has no clue as to where they have gone. 25 years later another little girl goes missing and it just seems way to close to the same thing happening again.
With short chapters this book moved so quickly. I find books with short chapters, I keep saying oh one more chapter and all of the sudden I am half way or flipping the last page! I like this set up for mysteries because it keeps the pacing going and going.
chazzerguy's review against another edition
2.0
Really, if I am being petty, it's 1.5 stars. This book is a thriller alright... You will be thrilled to be done with it.
Interesting story, although predictable... and the "twist" at the end, while plausible, is ridiculous and its reveal a HUGE stretch. But that's beside the point. The characters are shallow, the writing formulaic and predictable. It feels like this was the output of a random cliche and simile generator, or maybe the semester project in a college level creative writing class. It's one of those books you'll read and wonder what publisher actually thinks "Oh, this is worth investing money in..."
Pretty much everyone in the story suffers at least one minor to moderate bleeding flesh wound. Bloody nose, bleeding chapped lips (not kidding), scalp lacerations galore, scraped hands and fingers. And there seems to be lots of people falling out of beds repeatedly and/or falling over in shock. Also thrown in is some random vomitting and drueling to round out the body fluid narrative. It's just missing semen and urine, an oversight I am sure.
There are holes in the narrative... for instance the protagonist's hair does not match the samples taken from bedding, but at no point have we been told of any warrants being issued or samples taken. The so-called police work seems to more likely be black magic.
There is an attempt to give some background on why the protagonist is the way he is, but it feels contrived as though Rickstad meant to finish the chapter, but never did. I guess he had a rough childhood? I think? Maybe? Not sure why exactly. The explanation is more of a fever dream than anything.
The chapters are short, which generally I like... But in this case they were sometimes ridiculously short... A few paragraphs. And the ending really needed to end more quickly once the final plot twist was revealed. Instead it dragged on maybe twenty pages longer than it needed to, trying to wrap up some loose ends that didn't need to be wrapped up. Or maybe I just didn't care enough at that point. As I said, I was thrilled to be almost finished.
I just cannot recommend this to anyone except maybe a middle school level reader looking for some pulpy escapist reading.
Interesting story, although predictable... and the "twist" at the end, while plausible, is ridiculous and its reveal a HUGE stretch. But that's beside the point. The characters are shallow, the writing formulaic and predictable. It feels like this was the output of a random cliche and simile generator, or maybe the semester project in a college level creative writing class. It's one of those books you'll read and wonder what publisher actually thinks "Oh, this is worth investing money in..."
Pretty much everyone in the story suffers at least one minor to moderate bleeding flesh wound. Bloody nose, bleeding chapped lips (not kidding), scalp lacerations galore, scraped hands and fingers. And there seems to be lots of people falling out of beds repeatedly and/or falling over in shock. Also thrown in is some random vomitting and drueling to round out the body fluid narrative. It's just missing semen and urine, an oversight I am sure.
There are holes in the narrative... for instance the protagonist's hair does not match the samples taken from bedding, but at no point have we been told of any warrants being issued or samples taken. The so-called police work seems to more likely be black magic.
There is an attempt to give some background on why the protagonist is the way he is, but it feels contrived as though Rickstad meant to finish the chapter, but never did. I guess he had a rough childhood? I think? Maybe? Not sure why exactly. The explanation is more of a fever dream than anything.
The chapters are short, which generally I like... But in this case they were sometimes ridiculously short... A few paragraphs. And the ending really needed to end more quickly once the final plot twist was revealed. Instead it dragged on maybe twenty pages longer than it needed to, trying to wrap up some loose ends that didn't need to be wrapped up. Or maybe I just didn't care enough at that point. As I said, I was thrilled to be almost finished.
I just cannot recommend this to anyone except maybe a middle school level reader looking for some pulpy escapist reading.
jillsbookishbiz's review against another edition
3.0
This wasn’t a book that I absolutely could not put down, but one where I really was excited to find the answers to all the mysteries. The first part of the book was very captivating, and I found it to deescalate throughout, but I still enjoyed reading it.
alliejojo's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. The ending wasn't at all something that I was expecting and it really shocked me, It was intense - and not at all what I thought I would be dealing with. I really think that if you are into crime/mystery then this is a really decent read.