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katiecake2000's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mickey09's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I was recommended this book and I am so glad that they did. The book started off in a completely different way than how it ended. A few twists along the way.
Really enjoyed this book
Really enjoyed this book
jmyers1's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A very odd book is the only way I could describe this. The main character was emotionless and so unlikeable that I almost didn't finish it. The overall plot was interesting, but I just wasn't sure why she was inserting herself in everywhere, when it was nothing to do with her. I didnt understand her reasoning for killing the man in the hopistal nor the fisherman , and the whole thing was so emotionless. Phils characher was also an odd one, as he seemed to just show up and be too involved all of a sudden
jennymcc97's review
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.0
emmawheatley's review
dark
mysterious
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
1.0
thecatswhiskers's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
2.0
2.5
I was intrigued enough to pick up the Scottish Book of the Month for September. Forensic cleaning has fascinated me since I read an interview with some forensic cleaners in Time Out years ago. The beginning of this book had a lot of detail about what it entails but the emotionally void MC sucked any interest right out of it. She managed to make it boring, methodical, and checklisty.
The MC was part of the reason I didn’t enjoy this as much as I’d hoped. She was one dimensional, odd, off-putting, and unsympathetic. The writing style was stilted and keep the reader at arm’s length throughout the book. Of course, this also created a very slow pace. While the writing was accessible, the story and writing weren’t compelling enough to outweigh it and there were times I just couldn’t bring myself to keep reading. Simply put, it was boring. The whole book is a long road to a short cliche.
I don’t like this trend in thrillers of I also found the MC’s reasons for doing this suspect. She was clearly deeply damaged if she’d sold herself the lie she did around her rationale. All in all, it was a that I really could have lived without. The MC was too distant and boring to pull it off. I’m actually really annoyed that
What I did enjoy about the book was the sense of place: Glasgow, the Clyde Coast, Bute… they all had a great sense of place. Bute was probably the best of the lot!
All in all, I don’t think I’d recommend this. There are a lot of graphic details and deaths that may be quite upsetting if you’ve lost someone.
I was intrigued enough to pick up the Scottish Book of the Month for September. Forensic cleaning has fascinated me since I read an interview with some forensic cleaners in Time Out years ago. The beginning of this book had a lot of detail about what it entails but the emotionally void MC sucked any interest right out of it. She managed to make it boring, methodical, and checklisty.
The MC was part of the reason I didn’t enjoy this as much as I’d hoped. She was one dimensional, odd, off-putting, and unsympathetic. The writing style was stilted and keep the reader at arm’s length throughout the book. Of course, this also created a very slow pace. While the writing was accessible, the story and writing weren’t compelling enough to outweigh it and there were times I just couldn’t bring myself to keep reading. Simply put, it was boring. The whole book is a long road to a short cliche.
I don’t like this trend in thrillers of
Spoiler
vigilant killers. As Phil says when he loses it with the MC, you don’t have the right to play judge, jury, and executioner. There are processes and laws in place.Spoiler
“twist”Spoiler
the MC was a “vigilant killer” because I literally put a book down in the bookshop on the day I bought this one for being just that! If I’d known, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with this either.What I did enjoy about the book was the sense of place: Glasgow, the Clyde Coast, Bute… they all had a great sense of place. Bute was probably the best of the lot!
All in all, I don’t think I’d recommend this. There are a lot of graphic details and deaths that may be quite upsetting if you’ve lost someone.