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shanajade's review against another edition
2.5
I wanted to like this, but it was not for me. I'm not sure exactly what it was I didn't like... maybe the clunky dialogue, or the sudden/random switching between perspective... or the smaller storylines that kind of fit in, but weren't really important. It just seemed like it was a messy story. It wasn't awful, I did finish it, but it doesn't make me want to check out anything else by the author.
badashbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the first book. While I really liked the overall plot of this one, it was a harder read. There are too many POVs that switched suddenly (& almost without reason), making it hard to keep track.
mnboyer's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to get to read something new, and be one of the first people to discuss this with others!
Forensic anthropologist tries to find a murderer... yes please! While this is the second book in a series, it is fair to say that you can jump right into this first book without having read the first (although, of course, one should aways read books in order... theoretically). Christine, our protagonist, works with the FBI and she's the kind of person who doesn't take "no" for an answer and sometimes bends the rules. I'm sure she'll have plenty of fans! But of course, there are some on her team who do not fully appreciate her behavior. But I digress.
Christine starts finding bodies all around a little college campus and things get pretty interesting. She starts realizing that the FBI "bro club" would rather just fill out some forms and toss them into a drawer, but she thinks she can find the killer. Of course, we believe in Christine and realize that she's going to get the case done. Are some of her methods unorthodox. Sure. Would it necessarily fly in contemporary standards ... maybe ... maybe not, but it certainly is fun to watch unfold.
The killer ends up having a tell and a bit of a pattern. The diagnosis is also seriously interesting. That made me round it up from 3 stars to 4 stars.
But why was I originally thinking 3 stars? Well, this is a bit procedural. It gets a little drawn out and sometimes the suspense becomes a bit "then this happened and then this and now this and this" and at moments it pulls you out of the "thriller" category. I'm not saying this isn't normal for a more procedural work -- just that it may be something not everyone loves (if you love this specific type of FBI crime solving then this is for you!).
Overall, I very much enjoyed it and I think this is going to do well with people who love:
-- strong female leads
-- crime procedurals
-- anthropological bends in crime solving
-- dark academia type books
-- series about crime
-- did I mention strong female leads?
4 out of 5 stars.
Forensic anthropologist tries to find a murderer... yes please! While this is the second book in a series, it is fair to say that you can jump right into this first book without having read the first (although, of course, one should aways read books in order... theoretically). Christine, our protagonist, works with the FBI and she's the kind of person who doesn't take "no" for an answer and sometimes bends the rules. I'm sure she'll have plenty of fans! But of course, there are some on her team who do not fully appreciate her behavior. But I digress.
Christine starts finding bodies all around a little college campus and things get pretty interesting. She starts realizing that the FBI "bro club" would rather just fill out some forms and toss them into a drawer, but she thinks she can find the killer. Of course, we believe in Christine and realize that she's going to get the case done. Are some of her methods unorthodox. Sure. Would it necessarily fly in contemporary standards ... maybe ... maybe not, but it certainly is fun to watch unfold.
The killer ends up having a tell and a bit of a pattern. The diagnosis is also seriously interesting. That made me round it up from 3 stars to 4 stars.
But why was I originally thinking 3 stars? Well, this is a bit procedural. It gets a little drawn out and sometimes the suspense becomes a bit "then this happened and then this and now this and this" and at moments it pulls you out of the "thriller" category. I'm not saying this isn't normal for a more procedural work -- just that it may be something not everyone loves (if you love this specific type of FBI crime solving then this is for you!).
Overall, I very much enjoyed it and I think this is going to do well with people who love:
-- strong female leads
-- crime procedurals
-- anthropological bends in crime solving
-- dark academia type books
-- series about crime
-- did I mention strong female leads?
4 out of 5 stars.
buttholesplash17's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-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? Yes
2.0
i didnt finish it lol it was really slow after the first book.....
ss20390's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
stlcaroline's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
danapr's review against another edition
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher. Since it is the second in the series, I bought the first book, Stone Maidens so I could read them in order. Thrillers are my favorite genre, however I cannot tolerate the graphic mutilation details that the author includes in the stories. I’m sorry to say that this book is DNF for me but I’m certain that lovers of crime thrillers will enjoy it. From the little I read of Stone Maidens, the main character seems to be likable and interesting. I do appreciate the complimentary ARC from the author and William Mottos Books. Thank you!
ellasreadingnook's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 rounded up to 3
I was a little nervous about jumping into this second installment of the series since I hadn’t read the first, but it was very easy to understand! There were definitely some references to the first book, but they didn’t get in the way of understanding the plot or characters.
The book started off very strong with the prologue, but just a few chapters into it, I found myself getting annoyed with Christine’s character pretty quickly. Christine is supposedly a forensic anthropologist, but throughout the entire book, she takes on roles of the entirety of the FBI. While her superiors try to tell Christine that she does not have the clearance to be interviewing those that she believes to be involved in the crime, she simply ignores them. This made it so hard for me to root for Christine’s character.
I think this book would’ve made more sense and been more enjoyable if there was more of Christine doing forensic work instead of being a Poirot-type detective. My dislike for her character just made it really hard to get through the book.
Thank you HarperCollins and William Morrow for sending me an ARC!
I was a little nervous about jumping into this second installment of the series since I hadn’t read the first, but it was very easy to understand! There were definitely some references to the first book, but they didn’t get in the way of understanding the plot or characters.
The book started off very strong with the prologue, but just a few chapters into it, I found myself getting annoyed with Christine’s character pretty quickly. Christine is supposedly a forensic anthropologist, but throughout the entire book, she takes on roles of the entirety of the FBI. While her superiors try to tell Christine that she does not have the clearance to be interviewing those that she believes to be involved in the crime, she simply ignores them. This made it so hard for me to root for Christine’s character.
I think this book would’ve made more sense and been more enjoyable if there was more of Christine doing forensic work instead of being a Poirot-type detective. My dislike for her character just made it really hard to get through the book.
Thank you HarperCollins and William Morrow for sending me an ARC!
lolarobles's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0