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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don’t usually pick up mysteries or thrillers, but this one had me hooked from the very first page.
A suspected serial killer is on the loose in Chicago, and Detective Harriet Foster is on the case. Detective Foster is the classic “good cop,” battling her own demons (the recent, tragic losses of her son and partner) while working tirelessly to get a brutal killer off the streets. On top of all that Foster, as the only Black woman officer in her department, faces everyday slights by “old-school” (read: racist and sexist) fellow officers who yearn for the days when knocking the bad guys around got them commendations instead of protests.
I struggled with the pro-cop messaging in this book, especially when the “good cops” were offended by the public’s distrust and dismissive of the police violence that created the distrust. (Case in point: When Foster and her new partner go to question a witness and accidentally surprised her at her studio, the nervous witness, a Black woman, has her hands raised. Foster’s partner reaction?: “We’re not going to shoot. You think we just walk into places and light them up for no good reason? Put your hands down.”)
But I guess I haven’t let go of my love for Law & Order (the TV franchise, not the ideology). Foster isn’t an Olivia Benson clone, but like her she’s haunted, intelligent, and empathetic. Clark knows how to write a creepy, well-paced page-turner, with vivid characters and TV-episode-worthy dialogue. And while the book feels like a classic whodunit, it’s also a psychological thriller about what makes a person turn out the way that they do—whether that’s good, evil, or something in between.
I give this a solid 4 out of 5 stars and have added the rest of the Harriet Foster series to my to-read list.
A suspected serial killer is on the loose in Chicago, and Detective Harriet Foster is on the case. Detective Foster is the classic “good cop,” battling her own demons (the recent, tragic losses of her son and partner) while working tirelessly to get a brutal killer off the streets. On top of all that Foster, as the only Black woman officer in her department, faces everyday slights by “old-school” (read: racist and sexist) fellow officers who yearn for the days when knocking the bad guys around got them commendations instead of protests.
I struggled with the pro-cop messaging in this book, especially when the “good cops” were offended by the public’s distrust and dismissive of the police violence that created the distrust. (Case in point: When Foster and her new partner go to question a witness and accidentally surprised her at her studio, the nervous witness, a Black woman, has her hands raised. Foster’s partner reaction?: “We’re not going to shoot. You think we just walk into places and light them up for no good reason? Put your hands down.”)
But I guess I haven’t let go of my love for Law & Order (the TV franchise, not the ideology). Foster isn’t an Olivia Benson clone, but like her she’s haunted, intelligent, and empathetic. Clark knows how to write a creepy, well-paced page-turner, with vivid characters and TV-episode-worthy dialogue. And while the book feels like a classic whodunit, it’s also a psychological thriller about what makes a person turn out the way that they do—whether that’s good, evil, or something in between.
I give this a solid 4 out of 5 stars and have added the rest of the Harriet Foster series to my to-read list.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If I could, I may have given this one a 3.5 or 3.75. I wish it moved a little faster. But overall, it was a great mystery and ended different than I thought.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Decent thriller. Kept me interested. Probably 3.5 stars
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've still got goosebumps from the plot twist and nail-biting finish! Amazing characters and plot.