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paulabrandon's review against another edition
2.0
A mysterious man by the name of Luther is murdering people who seemingly have no connection. And what does his killings have to do with an old psychiatric asylum? And what does it have to do with another serial killer who has been operating since the 1930s in Estonia? And what does it have to do with a couple of young girls 16 years ago being visited by a mysterious man in his closet? And what does it have to do with a young real estate agent, Rachel? Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano get involved when a recent cold case is given to them in relation to a man with a railroad spike driven into his head.
This book is just all over the place. It's clear the author himself had a timeline of when everything was happening, and why it was happening, but that all gets lost, because he chops it all up and delivers it in little bits of pieces, featuring different characters in different time periods. Basically, I was sitting in the dark for the most of the book until the final quarter finally starts to explain how all the discrete elements fit together, because the author was being delibrately confusing. Even then, it was all a bit muddled, something to do with dream therapy that makes a person think they're somebody else and carries out killings. But why Kross (the ultimate villian) was doing any of this remains frustratingly vague, even once the book is over.
Montanari is a fine writer and this had a few good moments here and there, but it was a struggle to get through, and I can't help but feel it stole ten days of my life that I could have spent reading other more interesting, less deliberately confusing books.
This book is just all over the place. It's clear the author himself had a timeline of when everything was happening, and why it was happening, but that all gets lost, because he chops it all up and delivers it in little bits of pieces, featuring different characters in different time periods. Basically, I was sitting in the dark for the most of the book until the final quarter finally starts to explain how all the discrete elements fit together, because the author was being delibrately confusing. Even then, it was all a bit muddled, something to do with dream therapy that makes a person think they're somebody else and carries out killings. But why Kross (the ultimate villian) was doing any of this remains frustratingly vague, even once the book is over.
Montanari is a fine writer and this had a few good moments here and there, but it was a struggle to get through, and I can't help but feel it stole ten days of my life that I could have spent reading other more interesting, less deliberately confusing books.
petersenftleben's review against another edition
3.0
Started off great, but I felt like it was more unfocused that the other Byrne/Balzano books, which I've loved. I don't know if it was the book or me, but I had a hard time connecting a lot of the dots in this one. Even after finishing, some of the points didn't completely make sense to me . The whole dream experiments, historical passages, and flashbacks didn't all come together for me. :(
Spoiler
(So that guy visiting the girls as kids was a good cop all along, not our killer?)tryingtoreadagain's review against another edition
Not interesting and didn’t keep my attention
rojo25's review against another edition
4.0
My first Byrne and Balzano book. I had a hard time putting the book down. I love books dealing with psychiatric patients. It wasn’t quite what I thought it would be but I enjoyed it. Thought the characters were terrific. The story flowed well and it was definitely thrilling. My only hang up was trying to wrap the dream therapy idea around my head. Other than that, it’s complex and intense.
ciska's review against another edition
3.0
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*
Author
Richard was born in Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating he travelled trough Europe trying out various jobs. After his return to the Unites States he worked as a freelance writer. In 1996 his first book Deviant Way was released and won the OLMA for Best First Mystery. His novels have been published in more than twenty-five languages.
Review
I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book. A man spending his life in a warehouse for the criminally insane? Only that description caught my eye already. Loving a good mystery, thriller I decided to give it a try. I never read a book by this author before but the ratings for his previous book were pretty good too.
The first fifty pages introduce Jessica and Kevin very shortly. Though you get enough information on their personalities it is clear that this is the number 7 in a series. The base for the mystery is set quickly making that you cannot stop reading. Though I did guess one of the most important things early in the story it was still a great read. You can puzzle along very well as reader getting enough clues which I always enjoy a lot in mysteries. Both Kevin and Jessica are likeable characters but very standard for books like this. Kevin being a bit of tough guy with a tiny heart and Jessica the fighting against all prejudice of a woman in the police. Still I enjoyed reading the book and I am planning to check out the other books by this author.
Author
Richard was born in Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating he travelled trough Europe trying out various jobs. After his return to the Unites States he worked as a freelance writer. In 1996 his first book Deviant Way was released and won the OLMA for Best First Mystery. His novels have been published in more than twenty-five languages.
Review
I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book. A man spending his life in a warehouse for the criminally insane? Only that description caught my eye already. Loving a good mystery, thriller I decided to give it a try. I never read a book by this author before but the ratings for his previous book were pretty good too.
The first fifty pages introduce Jessica and Kevin very shortly. Though you get enough information on their personalities it is clear that this is the number 7 in a series. The base for the mystery is set quickly making that you cannot stop reading. Though I did guess one of the most important things early in the story it was still a great read. You can puzzle along very well as reader getting enough clues which I always enjoy a lot in mysteries. Both Kevin and Jessica are likeable characters but very standard for books like this. Kevin being a bit of tough guy with a tiny heart and Jessica the fighting against all prejudice of a woman in the police. Still I enjoyed reading the book and I am planning to check out the other books by this author.
samstone's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
koalachlox's review against another edition
4.0
The story links back to a serial killer who was previously carrying out murders in other countries and has passed this proclivity on to another country.
From the start we are introduced to the killer which of course the detectives and unaware of. This added character helps with the darkness of the killer and really makes them seem threatening. It links to the idea of dream therapy throughout the book.
I like the main detectives, I felt they were believable and human. I was pleasantly surprised when the current mystery was linked to a previous case.
Overall the case was well thought out, made sense and kept you hooked.
My reason for 4 star is just down to the ending which I felt was a little rushed and the lack of emphasis on the second killer. I actually had to flick back through the book to remember who they were.
From the start we are introduced to the killer which of course the detectives and unaware of. This added character helps with the darkness of the killer and really makes them seem threatening. It links to the idea of dream therapy throughout the book.
I like the main detectives, I felt they were believable and human. I was pleasantly surprised when the current mystery was linked to a previous case.
Overall the case was well thought out, made sense and kept you hooked.
My reason for 4 star is just down to the ending which I felt was a little rushed and the lack of emphasis on the second killer. I actually had to flick back through the book to remember who they were.
thosedarkpages's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved it. 5 stars for me. Completely gripping from the first page, with plenty of twists, developments and new characters to keep you hooked. I will admit that I did get slightly confused at times (if you've read the book, hopefully you understand what things were confusing to me!) but that's only a minor problem as I soon picked it up and sorted it out in my head.
This was the first Richard Montanari book I read; and it certainly won't be the last.
This was the first Richard Montanari book I read; and it certainly won't be the last.
lizzicyrus's review against another edition
4.0
Once again a great book, full of action and fast pace. At times I did get a little confused by all the people, however, it came together in the end. Can not wait to read more by this author