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stefaniefrei's review against another edition
5.0
"When you can't move forward, look behind"
Wow. Ich habe diesen Thriller an einem Abend durchgelesen – und schreibe die Rezension bewusst in deutscher Sprache, um möglichst viele Leser anzusprechen.
Zuerst die Fakten:
Die Autorin hatte zuerst als Gerichtsjournalistin gearbeitet und Sachbücher geschrieben, sogenannte „True-Crime-Stories“. Dann folgte ihr Debüt für das Genre Thriller mit “The Edge of Normal” (deutsch: „Und nachts die Angst“)– bereits mit der Heldin dieses Buches, Reeve. Ich habe dieses Debüt (noch) nicht gelesen – es war auch für die Lektüre von „Hunted“ nicht notwendig.
Was etwas verwirrend ist:
„Hunted“ ist der Titel, der in UK für den zweiten Roman genutzt wurde und liegt mir vor,
ich hänge einen Scan an, da ich die Covergestaltung sehr passend finde (um das zu verstehen, muss man das Buch dann aber schon lesen),
"What does not kill her" heißt das Buch im US-Original,
in Deutschland "Und morgen dein Tod".
„When you can’t move forward, look behind“ ist eigentlich nicht (mehr) das Problem von Reeve: Als sie noch Reggie hieß, wurde sie im Alter von 12 Jahren gekidnappt und von ihrem Entführer Daryl Wayne Flint vier lange Jahre gefangen gehalten. Vor sieben Jahren kam sie frei, Flint ist seitdem in Gewahrsam und hinter Reeve liegt eine erfolgreiche Therapie, vor ihr ein selbstbestimmtes Leben als Studentin mit etwas mehr an Ballast.
Eigentlich – denn Flint entkommt.
Die Autorin hält das gesamte Buch über die Spannung aufrecht – die Handlung ist üblicherweise in der Gegenwartsform geschrieben und wirkt dadurch sehr unmittelbar. Dazu wechselt die Perspektive des in der dritten Person geschriebenen Roman mit jedem Kapital zwischen den verschiedenen Personen, meist sind diese Kapitel nur zwei bis vier Seiten kurz, ohne dass das auf mich konfus wirkte, eher trieb es die Handlung dynamisch voran. Zur Überschrift wird jeweils der Ort genannt; die Zeitschiene ist mehrheitlich chronologisch.
Was jedem klar sein muss: Flint ist ein sadistischer Pädophiler, er hatte Reggie nicht gefangen gehalten, weil er „so nett“ ist. Die Autorin geht hiermit jedoch auf besondere Art und Weise um: ins Detail geht sie nur bei der aktuellen Handlung. Was sich in der Vergangenheit abgespielt hat, blättert sie nur ganz allmählich auf, ohne dass der Leser sich mit dem Opfer durch lange explizite Seiten hindurch quälen muss. Die Wirkung entfaltete sich für mich jedoch umso subtiler: so wird fast nebenbei erwähnt, dass Reeves Haar früher schlimm aussah oder dass sie sich häufig die linke Hand massiert – warum, das wird erst allmählich aufgelöst. Oft blieb ich an so einem Satz im Buch hängen: „Get everything ready first, decide on target later.” S. 92 wird da als Motto von einem weiteren der Akteure genannt – während ich noch „die Autorin meint doch hier nicht“ dachte, wird das wirklich volle Ausmaß erst im weiteren Verlauf deutlich. „Psycho-Thriller“ passt hier sicher gut.
Warum nun tut sich Reeve das an, involviert zu sein in die Jagd nach ihrem Peiniger? “Their conversation bothers her for the rest of the day. It dogs her around campus. It nags her on the way home. It worries her as she orders a take-out dinner from a Thai restaurant. And just after she enters her door, as she’s lifting the fragrant meal out of its papier sack, the realization sinks its claws into her chest. Her breath stops. She goes utterly still, weighing the cost of the struggle, but sees no option but surrender.” S. 80 Sie kann nicht anders: “When you can’t move forward, look behind” heißt es mehrfach im Buch.
Was ich beachtlich finde, ist der Spagat, der Carla Norton in mehrfacher Hinsicht gelingt: den Kunstgriff, unbeschreibliches nicht voyeuristisch darzustellen, indem man den Horror mehr in der Vorstellung des Lesers stattfinden lässt, ihn sich aus Andeutungen herauslesen lässt, hatte ich ja schon beschrieben. Weiteres gelingt ihr über die Perspektivwechsel, speziell zum Täter hin: sie lässt uns mit ihm auf der Lauer liegen, bis zu Momenten, wo aus seiner Jagdlust nunmehr Frust wird – eine durchaus verstörend gelungene Leseerfahrung. Die Familie Flints wird als ganz eindeutig dysfunktional dargestellt, ohne dass man das auch nur kurz als Entschuldigung für seine Handlungen akzeptieren mag, auch dieses ein großer Verdienst der Autorin. Und letztlich gelingt ihr die Auflösung aller Handlungsfäden, wobei beeindruckend dargebracht wird, inwieweit auch Zufälle mit beteiligt sind an Verschleierung oder Aufdeckung von Ereignissen, Zufälle, auch bedingt durch persönliche Eitelkeiten oder Ziele außerhalb des „großen Ganzen“. Zusammengefasst nochmals „wow“!
Wow. Ich habe diesen Thriller an einem Abend durchgelesen – und schreibe die Rezension bewusst in deutscher Sprache, um möglichst viele Leser anzusprechen.
Zuerst die Fakten:
Die Autorin hatte zuerst als Gerichtsjournalistin gearbeitet und Sachbücher geschrieben, sogenannte „True-Crime-Stories“. Dann folgte ihr Debüt für das Genre Thriller mit “The Edge of Normal” (deutsch: „Und nachts die Angst“)– bereits mit der Heldin dieses Buches, Reeve. Ich habe dieses Debüt (noch) nicht gelesen – es war auch für die Lektüre von „Hunted“ nicht notwendig.
Was etwas verwirrend ist:
„Hunted“ ist der Titel, der in UK für den zweiten Roman genutzt wurde und liegt mir vor,
ich hänge einen Scan an, da ich die Covergestaltung sehr passend finde (um das zu verstehen, muss man das Buch dann aber schon lesen),
"What does not kill her" heißt das Buch im US-Original,
in Deutschland "Und morgen dein Tod".
„When you can’t move forward, look behind“ ist eigentlich nicht (mehr) das Problem von Reeve: Als sie noch Reggie hieß, wurde sie im Alter von 12 Jahren gekidnappt und von ihrem Entführer Daryl Wayne Flint vier lange Jahre gefangen gehalten. Vor sieben Jahren kam sie frei, Flint ist seitdem in Gewahrsam und hinter Reeve liegt eine erfolgreiche Therapie, vor ihr ein selbstbestimmtes Leben als Studentin mit etwas mehr an Ballast.
Eigentlich – denn Flint entkommt.
Die Autorin hält das gesamte Buch über die Spannung aufrecht – die Handlung ist üblicherweise in der Gegenwartsform geschrieben und wirkt dadurch sehr unmittelbar. Dazu wechselt die Perspektive des in der dritten Person geschriebenen Roman mit jedem Kapital zwischen den verschiedenen Personen, meist sind diese Kapitel nur zwei bis vier Seiten kurz, ohne dass das auf mich konfus wirkte, eher trieb es die Handlung dynamisch voran. Zur Überschrift wird jeweils der Ort genannt; die Zeitschiene ist mehrheitlich chronologisch.
Was jedem klar sein muss: Flint ist ein sadistischer Pädophiler, er hatte Reggie nicht gefangen gehalten, weil er „so nett“ ist. Die Autorin geht hiermit jedoch auf besondere Art und Weise um: ins Detail geht sie nur bei der aktuellen Handlung. Was sich in der Vergangenheit abgespielt hat, blättert sie nur ganz allmählich auf, ohne dass der Leser sich mit dem Opfer durch lange explizite Seiten hindurch quälen muss. Die Wirkung entfaltete sich für mich jedoch umso subtiler: so wird fast nebenbei erwähnt, dass Reeves Haar früher schlimm aussah oder dass sie sich häufig die linke Hand massiert – warum, das wird erst allmählich aufgelöst. Oft blieb ich an so einem Satz im Buch hängen: „Get everything ready first, decide on target later.” S. 92 wird da als Motto von einem weiteren der Akteure genannt – während ich noch „die Autorin meint doch hier nicht“ dachte, wird das wirklich volle Ausmaß erst im weiteren Verlauf deutlich. „Psycho-Thriller“ passt hier sicher gut.
Warum nun tut sich Reeve das an, involviert zu sein in die Jagd nach ihrem Peiniger? “Their conversation bothers her for the rest of the day. It dogs her around campus. It nags her on the way home. It worries her as she orders a take-out dinner from a Thai restaurant. And just after she enters her door, as she’s lifting the fragrant meal out of its papier sack, the realization sinks its claws into her chest. Her breath stops. She goes utterly still, weighing the cost of the struggle, but sees no option but surrender.” S. 80 Sie kann nicht anders: “When you can’t move forward, look behind” heißt es mehrfach im Buch.
Was ich beachtlich finde, ist der Spagat, der Carla Norton in mehrfacher Hinsicht gelingt: den Kunstgriff, unbeschreibliches nicht voyeuristisch darzustellen, indem man den Horror mehr in der Vorstellung des Lesers stattfinden lässt, ihn sich aus Andeutungen herauslesen lässt, hatte ich ja schon beschrieben. Weiteres gelingt ihr über die Perspektivwechsel, speziell zum Täter hin: sie lässt uns mit ihm auf der Lauer liegen, bis zu Momenten, wo aus seiner Jagdlust nunmehr Frust wird – eine durchaus verstörend gelungene Leseerfahrung. Die Familie Flints wird als ganz eindeutig dysfunktional dargestellt, ohne dass man das auch nur kurz als Entschuldigung für seine Handlungen akzeptieren mag, auch dieses ein großer Verdienst der Autorin. Und letztlich gelingt ihr die Auflösung aller Handlungsfäden, wobei beeindruckend dargebracht wird, inwieweit auch Zufälle mit beteiligt sind an Verschleierung oder Aufdeckung von Ereignissen, Zufälle, auch bedingt durch persönliche Eitelkeiten oder Ziele außerhalb des „großen Ganzen“. Zusammengefasst nochmals „wow“!
doralanda13's review against another edition
3.0
73%
Let start off by saying that I, Dora, had no idea this was actually the second book. And yes, I did continue to read anyways. I read some reviews and it sounded like most of the reviewers didn't know this was the second book. I honestly didn't feel like I missed much. Maybe I did miss a bit of back story and the events that went on, but I kind of got the gist of it through this novel. We get so many point of views that it's hard to miss anything. The narrator was amazing at doing different voices for the different characters. The only thing that annoyed me is that she would take too many breaths during a sentence. I'm guessing that those breaths were "comma slices".
The story in itself was okay. I love thriller novels and I'm not gonna lie, knowing that this book took place in Washington State was so cool. The plot was basic. Nothing special about it. A sadist escapes prison time on a technicality, escapes the mental institute that deemed him "low risk", and his main objective is to recapture his last victim. Just by knowing that, I'm sure you can guess how the story is going to go.
Reeve was an interesting character. So many times we hear about people being found after years of captivity and I've always wonder what it's like for them after returning to society. I have so much respect for them. This book kind of gives me an idea, but in reality we will never know. This is something that you can't just write stories and think, "this is what I would have felt and done, so this must be what it's like".
That being said the characters and especially the story were bland; kind of like eating unsalted chicken, had no flavor to it. I pulled through because I didn't want to start the year off with a DNF. Not really the kind of book I'd reread. I'm glad that I picked it up and tried something different from my normal reading tastes, but I won't pick anything like this again. I'm not even going to read the first one.
Let start off by saying that I, Dora, had no idea this was actually the second book. And yes, I did continue to read anyways. I read some reviews and it sounded like most of the reviewers didn't know this was the second book. I honestly didn't feel like I missed much. Maybe I did miss a bit of back story and the events that went on, but I kind of got the gist of it through this novel. We get so many point of views that it's hard to miss anything. The narrator was amazing at doing different voices for the different characters. The only thing that annoyed me is that she would take too many breaths during a sentence. I'm guessing that those breaths were "comma slices".
The story in itself was okay. I love thriller novels and I'm not gonna lie, knowing that this book took place in Washington State was so cool. The plot was basic. Nothing special about it. A sadist escapes prison time on a technicality, escapes the mental institute that deemed him "low risk", and his main objective is to recapture his last victim. Just by knowing that, I'm sure you can guess how the story is going to go.
Reeve was an interesting character. So many times we hear about people being found after years of captivity and I've always wonder what it's like for them after returning to society. I have so much respect for them. This book kind of gives me an idea, but in reality we will never know. This is something that you can't just write stories and think, "this is what I would have felt and done, so this must be what it's like".
That being said the characters and especially the story were bland; kind of like eating unsalted chicken, had no flavor to it. I pulled through because I didn't want to start the year off with a DNF. Not really the kind of book I'd reread. I'm glad that I picked it up and tried something different from my normal reading tastes, but I won't pick anything like this again. I'm not even going to read the first one.
mishlist's review against another edition
2.0
Norton writes believable true crime - and What Doesn't Kill Her took on that creepy edge of terror because of that reality. I liked Reeve's strength, which was tempered with the knowledge that she knew her captor better than the FBI did - so unlike many other unrealistic crime novels, she never tries to go it alone or rely on others not understanding her situation. Though the novel was fast paced, the gruesome villain with access to many resources made this a long drawn out chase, but I felt it was awkwardly written at times, as though Norton was writing as she saw it, rather than trying to translate visuals into written word. Overall, a discomforting but quietly triumphant tribute to 'survivors of kidnapping and captivity' who inspired Norton's fiction. 2.5 stars.
nkrajnovich's review against another edition
5.0
Such a good book! I really hope she writes a third...
audiobookingwithleah's review
5.0
❐ Overall Rating 5 | Narration 4½
❐ Reeve LeClair #2
❐ Suspense Thriller
❐ Kidnapped. Held captive. Escaped...only to have the sadistic kidnapper escape custody years later
❐ Another deeply affecting story that can be difficult to read/listen
Upon finishing Book #1, The Edge of Normal, I immediately started Book #2...knowing that its focus was more on Reeve's story, I was eager to delve into it. I seriously don't know how the author writes the scenes from inside the head of such sick, twisted individuals the way she does. (There is an interview with Carla Norton at the end of The Edge of Normal audiobook that expounds on this, though.) It is so deeply affecting...and thankfully not overly detailed graphically...because I probably couldn't have kept listening otherwise. This second book was even more compelling than the first book was.
My issue with the first book with the volume not being high enough was fixed in this second book and I, although others have not liked the narrator's performance, found her to be fairly decent. It just goes to show you never can tell how one person to the next is going to feel about someone's narration. It could have been better, of course, with a different narrator for the male POV's.
❐ Libby Listen through my Library
❐ Length ➯ 11H 23M
❐ Plot ➯ 5/5
❐ Characters ➯ 5/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 4.7/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 4.7/5
❐ Ending ➯ 5/5
❐ Reeve LeClair #2
❐ Suspense Thriller
❐ Kidnapped. Held captive. Escaped...only to have the sadistic kidnapper escape custody years later
❐ Another deeply affecting story that can be difficult to read/listen
Upon finishing Book #1, The Edge of Normal, I immediately started Book #2...knowing that its focus was more on Reeve's story, I was eager to delve into it. I seriously don't know how the author writes the scenes from inside the head of such sick, twisted individuals the way she does. (There is an interview with Carla Norton at the end of The Edge of Normal audiobook that expounds on this, though.) It is so deeply affecting...and thankfully not overly detailed graphically...because I probably couldn't have kept listening otherwise. This second book was even more compelling than the first book was.
My issue with the first book with the volume not being high enough was fixed in this second book and I, although others have not liked the narrator's performance, found her to be fairly decent. It just goes to show you never can tell how one person to the next is going to feel about someone's narration. It could have been better, of course, with a different narrator for the male POV's.
❐ Libby Listen through my Library
❐ Length ➯ 11H 23M
❐ Plot ➯ 5/5
❐ Characters ➯ 5/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 4.7/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 4.7/5
❐ Ending ➯ 5/5
authorheatherw's review
4.0
I liked What Doesn’t Kill Her a lot, but I do wish I knew this was the second book in the series before starting the thriller. Although the book can be read as a standalone, I do feel it would have helped me better understand the characters if I read the first novel.
Reeve was a good character and I liked that the trauma of her past has given her an awesome inner strength. Instead of being frozen in terror over Flint’s escape, she tries to stop him before she becomes his next victim. Flint was unbelievably scary and the flashback scenes with him gave me the serious chills.
The book is a quick read with a lot of suspense throughout. I never felt like the plot stalled or grew bored with the characters. There were a couple of moments where I felt Reeve’s answers to questions about Flint came a little too easily, but other than that, the plot and conclusion was solid.
Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy What Doesn’t Kill Her. I look forward to reading more from the author.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
Reeve was a good character and I liked that the trauma of her past has given her an awesome inner strength. Instead of being frozen in terror over Flint’s escape, she tries to stop him before she becomes his next victim. Flint was unbelievably scary and the flashback scenes with him gave me the serious chills.
The book is a quick read with a lot of suspense throughout. I never felt like the plot stalled or grew bored with the characters. There were a couple of moments where I felt Reeve’s answers to questions about Flint came a little too easily, but other than that, the plot and conclusion was solid.
Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy What Doesn’t Kill Her. I look forward to reading more from the author.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
quizzle99's review
5.0
I couldn't put it down! Such a pageturner and a great plot. It's very lovely to go on this journey again with reeve and see her growth. I also applaud that Norton does not romanticise reeves struggles and mental health troubles!
howifeelaboutbooks's review
4.0
I didn’t even know this was a sequel because it worked as a stand-alone novel, which I really appreciate. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on the action by not having read the first book - but now I want to! The suspense was pretty great, and the climax wasn’t too over-the-top. Reggie was kidnapped as a preteen and held captive for four years. She was found by accident and her captor was locked up, but he escapes, and Reggie feels obligated to help the FBI find him again, even if it means putting herself back within his reach.
libbyrosed's review
3.0
I had a hard time getting into this book because it was a little bit of a slow read for me. I found myself getting a little bored at times because I kept waiting for the suspense and action to happen, but I think it fell short. The book spent most of the time building with a small "edge of your seat" moment at the end.
maebinnig's review
3.0
I didn't realize that What Doesn't Kill Her was a sequel until I was about halfway through the book. You can absolutely read this as a standalone. I did wish that we'd gotten more of an insight into Reeve's life--both her time in captivity and her adjustment back into society afterward--but I guess I should read the first book for that.
Everyone is right about this being a really fast read. I finished this so quickly that I never even added it to my "currently reading" on Goodreads (which is significant for me, okay). Norton has a deft sense of pacing and her prose is really beautiful in a subtle way.
So why only 3 stars? I just didn't buy it. The plot wasn't as outrageous as, say, [b:Before I Go to Sleep|9736930|Before I Go to Sleep|S.J. Watson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1358353512s/9736930.jpg|14625976], but it didn't ring true, either. Reeve is just too badass, too clairvoyantly good at putting things together (things that had nothing to do with her special insight as a former victim), too smart and generous and tough. She's so beautiful and amazing that a pedophile is still obsessed with her even though she's an adult now (which is awkwardly explained away as "maybe he's an opportunistic attacker" or "he doesn't fit the usual profiles").
Nothing about this book was terrible, though, and if you're looking for an easy read that won't make you feel stupid, you could certainly do worse.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
Everyone is right about this being a really fast read. I finished this so quickly that I never even added it to my "currently reading" on Goodreads (which is significant for me, okay). Norton has a deft sense of pacing and her prose is really beautiful in a subtle way.
So why only 3 stars? I just didn't buy it. The plot wasn't as outrageous as, say, [b:Before I Go to Sleep|9736930|Before I Go to Sleep|S.J. Watson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1358353512s/9736930.jpg|14625976], but it didn't ring true, either. Reeve is just too badass, too clairvoyantly good at putting things together (things that had nothing to do with her special insight as a former victim), too smart and generous and tough. She's so beautiful and amazing that a pedophile is still obsessed with her even though she's an adult now (which is awkwardly explained away as "maybe he's an opportunistic attacker" or "he doesn't fit the usual profiles").
Nothing about this book was terrible, though, and if you're looking for an easy read that won't make you feel stupid, you could certainly do worse.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)