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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't regret reading this book, but I won't be in a hurry to read any of his other books. There were a few plot holes and some inconsistencies. As a non-spoiler example, in one sentence it says a character picks up a screwdriver, then a few sentences later, it says that same character uses a dime as a screwdriver.
Harlan is always a good read. I thought this one was terrific. Widow Maya (ex-soldier with nightmares, mother of 2-year-old) is investigating her husband's murder and her sister's murder months before. Twist upon twist. Great story!
3.5 stars
In the event that I forget that this is full of spoilers and hide the review,
WARNING****SPOILERS AHEAD****
Sweet Jesus, this book surprised me. AS far as twists I didn't see coming, I would give this 5 stars because I DID NOT see a lot of that coming. Joe being basically a fucking psychopath murderer since infancy and Maya killing his dumb ass because he killed her sister. Yes, my head was a bit spinning. There were things that bothered me. First, Maya...I pretty much hated her, she had very few redeeming qualities, I did not find her strong or tough, she was cold and heartless, she didn't even want to spend time with her own child and had the audacity to say shitty things about women that would gather for coffee and talk about their kids and potty training-
So I found her to be an arrogant bitch. Don't feed me this shit about it being because she was a soldier, that's bullshit and insulting to service members that take care of their families. She was just supremely unlikable. I am glad she died. Best thing she could have done for this novel.
She's also a user. Shane was the best friend she could possibly ever have and she damn sure didn't deserve him. He cared about her, did every favor she asked for and she just left him hanging. Not to protect him, but because she's a selfish bitch. Okay, I think I have conveyed the depths of my loathing for this chick.
Moving on...
The twists were good. This was well thought out. I like things throwing me off and I was invested because every time something happened, I was formulating new theories, I was accusing everyone we came into contact with of something. The Isabella shit pissed me off. I'm not sure why I found her such a disappointment, her mother was right, after all, but I was still pissed.
I know I seem like I didn't like this book, but I did, I think I would have just liked it better if Maya had been...anyone else, a character that I could feel sympathy for or something. I am a fan of Coben and will continue to read his novels, the twists are too good. Hopefully next time I will like the MC better.
In the event that I forget that this is full of spoilers and hide the review,
WARNING****SPOILERS AHEAD****
Sweet Jesus, this book surprised me. AS far as twists I didn't see coming, I would give this 5 stars because I DID NOT see a lot of that coming. Joe being basically a fucking psychopath murderer since infancy and Maya killing his dumb ass because he killed her sister. Yes, my head was a bit spinning. There were things that bothered me. First, Maya...I pretty much hated her, she had very few redeeming qualities, I did not find her strong or tough, she was cold and heartless, she didn't even want to spend time with her own child and had the audacity to say shitty things about women that would gather for coffee and talk about their kids and potty training-
So I found her to be an arrogant bitch. Don't feed me this shit about it being because she was a soldier, that's bullshit and insulting to service members that take care of their families. She was just supremely unlikable. I am glad she died. Best thing she could have done for this novel.
She's also a user. Shane was the best friend she could possibly ever have and she damn sure didn't deserve him. He cared about her, did every favor she asked for and she just left him hanging. Not to protect him, but because she's a selfish bitch. Okay, I think I have conveyed the depths of my loathing for this chick.
Moving on...
The twists were good. This was well thought out. I like things throwing me off and I was invested because every time something happened, I was formulating new theories, I was accusing everyone we came into contact with of something. The Isabella shit pissed me off. I'm not sure why I found her such a disappointment, her mother was right, after all, but I was still pissed.
I know I seem like I didn't like this book, but I did, I think I would have just liked it better if Maya had been...anyone else, a character that I could feel sympathy for or something. I am a fan of Coben and will continue to read his novels, the twists are too good. Hopefully next time I will like the MC better.
Wasn't my favorite of his but I loved the reader on audible for this book. Still gave that twist and I loved/hated the very ending. Still worth a read.
adventurous
tense
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:
Yes
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book brought me out of my reading slump.
The pace of the story flowed so well, it was hard for me to put it down.
The plot got more intriguing with every new revelation, my theories were all over the place 😆 & I'm usually good at predicting whodunit!
I can't wait to read more from this author.
If you couldn't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery/thriller. 🤩
The pace of the story flowed so well, it was hard for me to put it down.
The plot got more intriguing with every new revelation, my theories were all over the place 😆 & I'm usually good at predicting whodunit!
I can't wait to read more from this author.
If you couldn't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery/thriller. 🤩
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
My stars are mostly for the amazing narrator January LaVoy - she did a terrific job creating the characters and bringing their own voice to the page.
I know some folks have issue with the "twist" but that didn't bother me and to me, frankly made sense.I found Maya supremely unlikeable - she is brash, lacks warmth and her lack of remorse in war and unshakeable sense of self righteousness made it fine to me that she was a liar and the killer of Joe. Don't get me wrong soldiers have a duty and see and do what most of us couldn't fathom - it's just that I have never come across a soldier that had so little humility - even if they believed in the cause. Maya essentially killed Joe because he killed her sister. The fact that he also killed his own brother, a kid in an atrocious hazing incident and another gentleman (sorry escapes my mind who he was) were just details to Maya. So to Maya, her killing Joe was justified. He had gotten away with two murders already so Maya knew it was unlikely he would have ever been brought to justice for killing Maya's sister or the other gent. His family was too powerful. She essentially took justice in her own hands and even though I didn't particularly like her, I thought that made sense to her character.
As for Harlan's story... again a great premise but just a mediocre delivery. The problem I find with him is that although he is good at making a page turner, the climax is always underwhelming, convoluted and unfortunately forgettable the day after I finish reading. I also didn't like how Maya's looks were constantly brought up - added zero to the story and was unnecessary.
I know some folks have issue with the "twist" but that didn't bother me and to me, frankly made sense.
As for Harlan's story... again a great premise but just a mediocre delivery. The problem I find with him is that although he is good at making a page turner, the climax is always underwhelming, convoluted and unfortunately forgettable the day after I finish reading. I also didn't like how Maya's looks were constantly brought up - added zero to the story and was unnecessary.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder
fast-paced