Scan barcode
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
Another compelling literary-style mystery, with plenty of twists and turns that didn't feel contrived. I'm really enjoying this series.
jrmarr's review
4.0
I really enjoyed ‘The Ruin’ and this was a worthy follow up. Interesting mystery. Great pacing. Very readable and a real page turner. Looking forward to the third.
elinedl's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
litwithleigh's review
4.0
Book outlet read #3. The best one so far!!!!
Full disclosure: I have not read the first book in this series, but for the most part, I didn't find this impacted my ability to understand the overarching storylines. However, I do wonder how much of Dr. Emma's past was touched on in the first book... I'm not sure if it's being rehashed here, or if this is a first glimpse.
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3.5/5 | Ending: 4/5
THE PLOT
DS Cormac Reilley is back and on the case of a disfigured girl seemingly killed in a hit and run. To make things more complex, his girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, was the one who called it in, and the girl was in possession of an ID that belonged to Carline Darcy, granddaughter to a pharmaceutical tycoon.
MY OPINION
WHEW. After b2b 2-star reads, this was a much needed breath of fresh air. I loved the writing so much, I preemptively added the rest of the series to my TBR. It was well-paced with multi-dimensional characters. Just a personal ting—but something about Cormac and Emma's relationship bothered me. I think I need to read book #1 to get a better sense of things, because it seemed very "Captain save a hoe" to me in some ways. Idk. This didn't impact my rating though... just some verbal diarrhea you're welcome.
Anyways. As you can see I gave 3.5/5 for plot. Why?
- I liked the Henderson case. I think this would make a good book on its own. I was disappointed that it had no connected to the "main" case, because it did take up some considerable "space" in the first 30% or so of the book. I'm not sure the purpose? Did this have something to do with book #1?
- The lack of communication between detectives was annoying. I know this was done to draw out the story and create suspense, but this negatively impacted the credibility of these supposedly incredible minds.
- I didn't really understand Murphy's angle, but I think this is a ME problem. Cormac alluded many times to the fact Murphy had set a trap/knew more than he was letting on etc... but we never really got an explanation for his behaviour. Same with Moira. So he lied in an interview to get pertinent info and Moira took that personally and decided to sick IA on him? For what? Was Moira in book #1? What is her purpose other than to make me hate her????
Other than my "gripes" above, I really enjoyed this read and was fully engaged. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of this series. BTW... ANOTHER bum ass husband of a female detective. LAWD!!!!
PROS AND CONS
Pros: wonderfully written, well-paced, unique and distinctive characters, juicy j cases
Cons: Henderson case seemed pointless (although I'd like to read a book all about it), Moria/Murphy behaviour was puzzling...
Book outlet reads
#1 - The Reunion
#2 - One Step Behind
#4 - Possession
Full disclosure: I have not read the first book in this series, but for the most part, I didn't find this impacted my ability to understand the overarching storylines. However, I do wonder how much of Dr. Emma's past was touched on in the first book... I'm not sure if it's being rehashed here, or if this is a first glimpse.
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3.5/5 | Ending: 4/5
THE PLOT
DS Cormac Reilley is back and on the case of a disfigured girl seemingly killed in a hit and run. To make things more complex, his girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, was the one who called it in, and the girl was in possession of an ID that belonged to Carline Darcy, granddaughter to a pharmaceutical tycoon.
MY OPINION
WHEW. After b2b 2-star reads, this was a much needed breath of fresh air. I loved the writing so much, I preemptively added the rest of the series to my TBR. It was well-paced with multi-dimensional characters. Just a personal ting—but something about Cormac and Emma's relationship bothered me. I think I need to read book #1 to get a better sense of things, because it seemed very "Captain save a hoe" to me in some ways. Idk. This didn't impact my rating though... just some verbal diarrhea you're welcome.
Anyways. As you can see I gave 3.5/5 for plot. Why?
- I liked the Henderson case. I think this would make a good book on its own. I was disappointed that it had no connected to the "main" case, because it did take up some considerable "space" in the first 30% or so of the book. I'm not sure the purpose? Did this have something to do with book #1?
- The lack of communication between detectives was annoying. I know this was done to draw out the story and create suspense, but this negatively impacted the credibility of these supposedly incredible minds.
- I didn't really understand Murphy's angle, but I think this is a ME problem. Cormac alluded many times to the fact Murphy had set a trap/knew more than he was letting on etc... but we never really got an explanation for his behaviour. Same with Moira. So he lied in an interview to get pertinent info and Moira took that personally and decided to sick IA on him? For what? Was Moira in book #1? What is her purpose other than to make me hate her????
Other than my "gripes" above, I really enjoyed this read and was fully engaged. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of this series. BTW... ANOTHER bum ass husband of a female detective. LAWD!!!!
PROS AND CONS
Pros: wonderfully written, well-paced, unique and distinctive characters, juicy j cases
Cons: Henderson case seemed pointless (although I'd like to read a book all about it), Moria/Murphy behaviour was puzzling...
Book outlet reads
#1 - The Reunion
#2 - One Step Behind
#4 - Possession
redskates's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
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? No
3.75
solid mystery. a little bit predictable but still good turns
laurenkraigco's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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? No
3.75
bpaulson2's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
rainbowbookworm's review
4.0
Cormac Reilly is back and he has been stuck working cold cases because of the events that transpired in [b:The Ruin|36588482|The Ruin (Cormac Reilly, #1)|Dervla McTiernan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516121922l/36588482._SX50_.jpg|56669056]. (Don't worry, you do not have to read the first book before reading this one.) When a colleague complains that she is overworked one of her cases is handed over to Reilly.
As he is being briefed, his girlfriend Emma calls about a dead body she has just found near her workplace and Cormac becomes the DS in charge of the investigation as well.
McTiernan weaves three plot lines deftly: whatever was going on with the Darcy family in Darcy pharmaceuticals, the Henderson case (where a man was suspected of wanting to kill his wife and kids), and the disappearance of a young girl named Della who had been lying to her family about her life in Galway. As Reilly starts putting the pieces together, both he and the reader start seeing the bigger picture.
As he is being briefed, his girlfriend Emma calls about a dead body she has just found near her workplace and Cormac becomes the DS in charge of the investigation as well.
McTiernan weaves three plot lines deftly: whatever was going on with the Darcy family in Darcy pharmaceuticals, the Henderson case (where a man was suspected of wanting to kill his wife and kids), and the disappearance of a young girl named Della who had been lying to her family about her life in Galway. As Reilly starts putting the pieces together, both he and the reader start seeing the bigger picture.
adrianjd's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Enjoyed this second book of the series. It has pace, twists and turns throughout. A decent read
teresaalice's review against another edition
3.0
3.5.. Didn't realize until about a quarter of a way through that this was the second in a series. As it rehashed the first book, I don't feel the need to go back and read. Cormac Reilly is a great, flawed protagonist that I'd like to see more of. Though I'd more or less figured out the "twist" by halfway through the book, it was still entertaining and well written.