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victoria_2002's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Yawn. Almost 400 pages of boring stupidity that doesn’t even make sense. Hated this book, it put me in such a slump and it was such a chore to finish it. The ending was absolutely terrible, the entire thing is pointless. I hated the author’s writing style and the fact that there was no speech marks when dialogue was used? By far the worst book I’ve read this year.
ogameliabedelia's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bear_reads_books's review against another edition
1.0
I thought this would be more thrilling and interesting than it actually was. It had potential I suppose, it could have been better. But as it was, I was kind of bored and the ending is just eh. Not very satisfying for me personally.
But I could really overlook that, I've read books that turned out to be lackluster and not memorable. But the thing I couldn't stand was the absence of quotation marks! Did this bother anyone else? The dialogue all ran together into paragraphs, it was only slightly confusing but mostly annoying. So that's the biggest reason for the one star review. The editor was phoning it in on this one.
But I could really overlook that, I've read books that turned out to be lackluster and not memorable. But the thing I couldn't stand was the absence of quotation marks! Did this bother anyone else? The dialogue all ran together into paragraphs, it was only slightly confusing but mostly annoying. So that's the biggest reason for the one star review. The editor was phoning it in on this one.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
3.0
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW by Elisabeth de Mariaffi is an intense psychological suspense crime thriller with a blend of mystery and literary fiction. 3.5 Stars
Evie Jones, age twenty-two is a crime beat reporter for the Toronto Press in Canada and reports on crime, but is still haunted by an old unsolved murder of her friend years ago. Robert Cameron was suspected of the murder; however, was never apprehended and uses a number of names. She is obsessed (truly) with finding the murdered, as she is being watched, stalked, and taunted.
She is reminded of her best friend murder's and of course uses her tools and soon finds some connections. Currently with Ellie's job, there is a great deal of publicity surrounding the arrest of Paul Bernardo. He's accused of being the Scarborough Rapist, a serial killer. She is assigned to stake out Paul Bernardo’s house and gather as much information as possible, solicits help, and ultimately leads her into danger and details of her mother’s past.
While the novel had some nice writing, with psychological depth, leaving readers feeling the fear, tension, violence and haunting emotions of women, with a story close to the author’s own heart, I could not get past the narrator of the audio book, Andi Arndt— very flat and non-engaging. Would recommend reading the book; however, would not recommend the audio version.
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
Evie Jones, age twenty-two is a crime beat reporter for the Toronto Press in Canada and reports on crime, but is still haunted by an old unsolved murder of her friend years ago. Robert Cameron was suspected of the murder; however, was never apprehended and uses a number of names. She is obsessed (truly) with finding the murdered, as she is being watched, stalked, and taunted.
She is reminded of her best friend murder's and of course uses her tools and soon finds some connections. Currently with Ellie's job, there is a great deal of publicity surrounding the arrest of Paul Bernardo. He's accused of being the Scarborough Rapist, a serial killer. She is assigned to stake out Paul Bernardo’s house and gather as much information as possible, solicits help, and ultimately leads her into danger and details of her mother’s past.
While the novel had some nice writing, with psychological depth, leaving readers feeling the fear, tension, violence and haunting emotions of women, with a story close to the author’s own heart, I could not get past the narrator of the audio book, Andi Arndt— very flat and non-engaging. Would recommend reading the book; however, would not recommend the audio version.
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
danieyoop's review against another edition
1.0
I received this in a Goodreads give away and was excited to get into it. This book should not be confused with M. Carey's book of the same name (however after trying to read my gifted book, I realized there is actually no way one could mistake the two).
Reading this reminded me of Ben Stein: Beuller? Beuller? Anyone? Anyone?
In all fairness I should note that de Mariaffi had a tough crowd to get through at the time. I had just picked up the newest Richard Kadrey and Tom Holt.
(Yes, I realize this review is more about what I do enjoy reading rather than really delving into the actual book I am here to review. ☺ I just wanted to name drop a few authors that, should someone of a like mind read my review, maybe they haven't already read.)
Reading this reminded me of Ben Stein: Beuller? Beuller? Anyone? Anyone?
In all fairness I should note that de Mariaffi had a tough crowd to get through at the time. I had just picked up the newest Richard Kadrey and Tom Holt.
(Yes, I realize this review is more about what I do enjoy reading rather than really delving into the actual book I am here to review. ☺ I just wanted to name drop a few authors that, should someone of a like mind read my review, maybe they haven't already read.)
jlwebb's review against another edition
2.0
“The wit of Gone girl, the Twists of In Cold Blood” my asshole.
This book sucked.
Though I’m a little biased because I’m used to reading books with multiple points of views (victims, killer, detectives, boyfriends, randoms) this book was completely written from the main characters view, start to finish. And honestly I felt like I had to pause and stop just so I didn’t get a headache from the rambling .
“The devil you know“ by Elisabeth De Mariaffi is a story of a woman whose childhood friend was abducted, murdered and dumped. Her killer who was known (
This book sucked.
Though I’m a little biased because I’m used to reading books with multiple points of views (victims, killer, detectives, boyfriends, randoms) this book was completely written from the main characters view, start to finish. And honestly I felt like I had to pause and stop just so I didn’t get a headache from the rambling .
“The devil you know“ by Elisabeth De Mariaffi is a story of a woman whose childhood friend was abducted, murdered and dumped. Her killer who was known (
tayintoronto's review against another edition
3.0
Has an interesting storyline but is sometimes difficult to read with the lack of quotations. The dialogue gets lost in the narrative and it caused a bit of confusion before I realized that’s just how the book was going to read. As someone who lives in Toronto, the constant name dropping of subway stations and neighbourhoods felt unnecessary and I was shocked to find out the author actually lived in Toronto in the 70s and 80s. Many weird comments about the city and it felt like she got them all from a BuzzFeed article, ex. calling the Dufferin bus the worst line in the city. Like yes, we all know that, but weird to include.
saraubs's review against another edition
4.0
This is what a thriller should be. As a rule, I don't read thrillers. I hate being in constant suspense, and I really don't like being scared. Believe me when I say that I have to really enjoy a book to let it scare me. I kept reading this book, even when it scared me. If you're looking for "Gone Girl" or "The Girl on the Train", this isn't it. This is a book about the nature of fear. About the fear that women, specifically, live with every day. Many of the reviews I've read found it slow-paced - I suppose you would probably think that, if you regularly read thrillers - or didn't like the writing style (I did). If you're in this for a "big reveal", you're probably going to be disappointed. Otherwise, it's an excellent debut novel and I highly recommend it.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
4.0
This Canadian thriller about a young journalist who has good reason to become obsessed with some current and past murders in Toronto doesn't give you pleasurable shivers up your spine. It's much too disturbing, and all too real. The author perfectly captures the feeling most women have felt at some point: the fear of a man assaulting you.
It awoke some forgotten memories, things too trivial to think about because I've been lucky. Like the time I was about five and adults were freaking out about a naked guy driving around trying to pick up little girls in our town. The times guys at school would grab your ass and it wasn't supposed to be a big deal, and the teachers didn't care. The times I've declined to fuck total strangers who then called me a whore. I remembered the creepy guy who approached me on the subway late at night, and how I could tell he saw that I was scared and how much he enjoyed it. I also remembered how another man came to my defense and escorted me from the station, only to then try to kiss me. And these are just the occasions that popped to mind. You get used to it being part of your everyday life: the constant vigilance, the need to protect yourself, to not be stupid and put yourself in harm's way, to not invite the creeps in by being too hostile, or too friendly, or too assertive but also not too cautious.
Every woman I've ever talked to about this knows exactly what I mean. Men are incredulous, tell you you're exaggerating and imagining things and being paranoid. These men should read The Devil You Know.
Oh, and the book was great .
It awoke some forgotten memories, things too trivial to think about because I've been lucky. Like the time I was about five and adults were freaking out about a naked guy driving around trying to pick up little girls in our town. The times guys at school would grab your ass and it wasn't supposed to be a big deal, and the teachers didn't care. The times I've declined to fuck total strangers who then called me a whore. I remembered the creepy guy who approached me on the subway late at night, and how I could tell he saw that I was scared and how much he enjoyed it. I also remembered how another man came to my defense and escorted me from the station, only to then try to kiss me. And these are just the occasions that popped to mind. You get used to it being part of your everyday life: the constant vigilance, the need to protect yourself, to not be stupid and put yourself in harm's way, to not invite the creeps in by being too hostile, or too friendly, or too assertive but also not too cautious.
Every woman I've ever talked to about this knows exactly what I mean. Men are incredulous, tell you you're exaggerating and imagining things and being paranoid. These men should read The Devil You Know.
Oh, and the book was great .
marcccb's review against another edition
2.0
The novel was good, it had its thrilling moments but I wasn't that intrigued about it.
The ending was a bit disappointing, a good storyline though
The ending was a bit disappointing, a good storyline though