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knuckledown's review
This book excited me so much when I got my first taste of the O'Malleys. I remember being very sad to finish it, despite the fact that I had five more ahead of me, simply because I didn't think anyone could be as cool as Kate O'Malley. (Luckily I was wrong.) The character of Kate is so excellently dynamic and really what makes her book special. I find her job as a hostage negotiator fascinating. She's independent. She has nerves of steel, yet as the reader you also get to see her deepest emotions. That's what makes you love her.
The external drama is used to enhance the internal drama. Dave gets to see Kate at her weakest due to sheer bad timing. Kate's struggle with faith is also made more challenging. I thought the Bible quote Dee picked for the beginning of the book was perfect for Kate: "For the Son of man came to seek and save the lost." It's so appropriate for the pain of her childhood and job.
The external drama is used to enhance the internal drama. Dave gets to see Kate at her weakest due to sheer bad timing. Kate's struggle with faith is also made more challenging. I thought the Bible quote Dee picked for the beginning of the book was perfect for Kate: "For the Son of man came to seek and save the lost." It's so appropriate for the pain of her childhood and job.
sweetpea1992mee's review
4.0
Good book. I know that there are quite a few more in this series, and I can't wait to read them too.
the_jesus_fandom's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It’s been a while since I read this, but it was fun. I liked reading an explicitly Christian police/detective book, I’m not really used to that. It wasn’t always super subtle, especially with Kate’s spiritual life, but the plot was pretty interesting. Although a lot of gritty stuff happened, the climax felt a bit underwhelming, but that was maybe just me having the wrong expectations. Parts of the relationship between Kate and Dave was icky, but there were quite a few funny moments too, not just between them. The whole adopted family thing with every single person being in a dangerous/interesting job was super unrealistic, but I decided to just lean into it, and it makes sense because this is part of a series about the whole clan. I might actually end up reading the rest of the books at some point, it’d be pretty fun, I think. Gotta finish my TBR first, though.
kimvanvuuren's review against another edition
The toxicity of the men that 'needs' to be in the presence of the women, which she clearly rejects but is not arguing when he declines, is so hard to read through, that i stopped reading at all.
The story seemed interesting, but the focus is more on their tocic relation
The story seemed interesting, but the focus is more on their tocic relation
book_aholic24's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
carlsfisch's review
5.0
5 stars for the book and 4 stars for the narration. I wish they had read Dave with his British accent (something that was thankfully corrected in book 6)
ngreads's review against another edition
3.0
When I went into this book, it was with really low expectations. I was borrowing it from a friend who wanted me to check it out for the fun of it. All I wanted was a cheesy Christian romance/thriller (which I NEVER read), and that’s what I got.
Did it get a bit cringey on occasion? Yes.
Were some moments REALLY cheesy? Yes.
Did I have fun? Absolutely.
It was a light little read in a genre I never touch, and it actually impressed me in a few ways. In particular, what I had dreaded was the Christian element. I like books that bring in faith in subtle, nuanced ways that bring the point across without preaching and talking down to me or trying to simplify what faith actually is. I had expected this book to be preachy as all heck, but it actually wasn’t. Where a couple things were a bit on the nose, I found that I didn’t cringe every time someone tried to talk about Christianity, and I really appreciated it.
Overall, fun little read. Nice to dabble in something different.
Did it get a bit cringey on occasion? Yes.
Were some moments REALLY cheesy? Yes.
Did I have fun? Absolutely.
It was a light little read in a genre I never touch, and it actually impressed me in a few ways. In particular, what I had dreaded was the Christian element. I like books that bring in faith in subtle, nuanced ways that bring the point across without preaching and talking down to me or trying to simplify what faith actually is. I had expected this book to be preachy as all heck, but it actually wasn’t. Where a couple things were a bit on the nose, I found that I didn’t cringe every time someone tried to talk about Christianity, and I really appreciated it.
Overall, fun little read. Nice to dabble in something different.
annakath's review
Too preachy and dramatic. Similar to the “Gods not dead” movies.