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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Not quite sure how I feel about this one
This is definitely not the best I have read by Karen Rose, and there were times I struggled I still really wanted to finish it as I needed to know the killers identity. It strangely hooks you in
This is definitely not the best I have read by Karen Rose, and there were times I struggled I still really wanted to finish it as I needed to know the killers identity. It strangely hooks you in
1) That’s not how schizophrenia works and I think it’s a shame authors use it as a cheap explanation, further stigmatizing an already vulnerable group of people.
As to the rest of the book..
Couldn’t put it down, but then the ending.. *spoilers*
Ok I’m conflicted, because I really enjoyed this one. Page-turners rarely work on me, but I got hooked on this one- and then was horrendously disappointed by the big reveal, the villain behind it all. It was just.. ridiculous. *SPOILERS*- it was her friend, Amy, killing people and setting the protagonist up to take the fall. Which is just.. what? Tess (protagonist) is a psychologist who has lived with/been friends with Amy since high school. You’re telling me Tess was friends with a murderous psychopath this whole time, and the doctor couldnt sense something off? I get that sociopaths can mask things well, but then you get into my complaint about schizophrenia- Amy isn’t really described as a sociopath, instead her mom had schizophrenia and it’s just heavily implied that was a factor here as well. What, the woman brilliantly switching out prescription bottles and drugs, bugging everything without being caught, manipulating everyone around her- she hears chaotic, disorganized voices? Fuck no, that’s just stupid on all accounts. The schizo thing doesn’t make sense, the sociopath explanation is never explored and woulda been outta the blue anyways- and Amy’s brilliance and depth of deception would be ridiculous even if her fundamental character made sense. She’s a DA, I get that she’s blackmailed bad people into working for her, but she manages to buy absolutely everything at a moments notice. She never cracks, never shows her hand in all the years Tess has known her- a jealous rage over a guy is what sparked it all off, but nothing about Amy’s character makes any practical sense- she’s the most organized disorganized rational irrational character in existence, and I just really can’t stand that sort of ending in a story. The writing was good, the plot great, but the ultimate explanation was god-awful. It simply doesn’t pass basic credibility in terms of feasibility or the antagonist being anything resembling an actual human, and it just further stigmatizes mental illness, so ya, screw this book and it’s bad conclusion.
As to the rest of the book..
Couldn’t put it down, but then the ending.. *spoilers*
Ok I’m conflicted, because I really enjoyed this one. Page-turners rarely work on me, but I got hooked on this one- and then was horrendously disappointed by the big reveal, the villain behind it all. It was just.. ridiculous. *SPOILERS*- it was her friend, Amy, killing people and setting the protagonist up to take the fall. Which is just.. what? Tess (protagonist) is a psychologist who has lived with/been friends with Amy since high school. You’re telling me Tess was friends with a murderous psychopath this whole time, and the doctor couldnt sense something off? I get that sociopaths can mask things well, but then you get into my complaint about schizophrenia- Amy isn’t really described as a sociopath, instead her mom had schizophrenia and it’s just heavily implied that was a factor here as well. What, the woman brilliantly switching out prescription bottles and drugs, bugging everything without being caught, manipulating everyone around her- she hears chaotic, disorganized voices? Fuck no, that’s just stupid on all accounts. The schizo thing doesn’t make sense, the sociopath explanation is never explored and woulda been outta the blue anyways- and Amy’s brilliance and depth of deception would be ridiculous even if her fundamental character made sense. She’s a DA, I get that she’s blackmailed bad people into working for her, but she manages to buy absolutely everything at a moments notice. She never cracks, never shows her hand in all the years Tess has known her- a jealous rage over a guy is what sparked it all off, but nothing about Amy’s character makes any practical sense- she’s the most organized disorganized rational irrational character in existence, and I just really can’t stand that sort of ending in a story. The writing was good, the plot great, but the ultimate explanation was god-awful. It simply doesn’t pass basic credibility in terms of feasibility or the antagonist being anything resembling an actual human, and it just further stigmatizes mental illness, so ya, screw this book and it’s bad conclusion.
Full disclosure: I read the abridged version of this book, unfortunately, because it’s the only version of the audiobook that appears to exist. So there’s undoubtedly a lot of nuance I missed out on, but I did get the gist of the story.
Let’s start with the romance between the two leads—absent loved it. It’s sort of an “enemies to friends” thing, as Detective Aidan Reagan meets psychiatrist Tess Ciccotelli in the process of investigating a suspicious suicide. The evidence on the is incriminating for Tess and Aidan is quick to suspect her since he had recognized her as the woman who’d testified in favor of a schizophrenic man that had murdered three children. Aidan’s friends vouch for her, though, and as more of her patients begin to have erratic episodes, he begins to see she’s being set up. Then they sort of fall for each other throughout the process of trying to figure out who’s behind it all.
The story was gripping and fast-paced. I enjoyed it all the way up to the end. However, who the antagonist of the story turned out to be was a huge letdown. It just didn’t make sense and there really wasn’t an explanation as to why she had it out for Tess. She was somehow borderline schizophrenic and also a criminal mastermind. It just wasn’t believable and the motivation seemed extremely manufactured. I’ve read 15-20 Karen Rose books at this point, and this villain was the most ridiculous. I mean, she was a great villain, but there was just no reason that she would be the villain in Tess’s story.
So, I enjoyed the process but the ending left a lot to be desired. I’d recommend it if you’re going to read the Chicago series through (book 6 is fantastic) and, like I said, it was really good all the way up to the end. So, it’s not a complete waste of time to read it as a standalone book. Just brace yourself to come away saying “but WHY???”
Let’s start with the romance between the two leads—absent loved it. It’s sort of an “enemies to friends” thing, as Detective Aidan Reagan meets psychiatrist Tess Ciccotelli in the process of investigating a suspicious suicide. The evidence on the is incriminating for Tess and Aidan is quick to suspect her since he had recognized her as the woman who’d testified in favor of a schizophrenic man that had murdered three children. Aidan’s friends vouch for her, though, and as more of her patients begin to have erratic episodes, he begins to see she’s being set up. Then they sort of fall for each other throughout the process of trying to figure out who’s behind it all.
The story was gripping and fast-paced. I enjoyed it all the way up to the end. However, who the antagonist of the story turned out to be was a huge letdown. It just didn’t make sense and there really wasn’t an explanation as to why she had it out for Tess. She was somehow borderline schizophrenic and also a criminal mastermind. It just wasn’t believable and the motivation seemed extremely manufactured. I’ve read 15-20 Karen Rose books at this point, and this villain was the most ridiculous. I mean, she was a great villain, but there was just no reason that she would be the villain in Tess’s story.
So, I enjoyed the process but the ending left a lot to be desired. I’d recommend it if you’re going to read the Chicago series through (book 6 is fantastic) and, like I said, it was really good all the way up to the end. So, it’s not a complete waste of time to read it as a standalone book. Just brace yourself to come away saying “but WHY???”
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Psychiatrist’s life being slowly destroyed. Falling in love with someone you hated. Found family. Family reunion. Gay friends.
Suicides. Baby death. Abuse. Murder. Kidnapping. Peril. Rape. Bad systems.
Suicides. Baby death. Abuse. Murder. Kidnapping. Peril. Rape. Bad systems.
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ik vond dat het verhaal erg goed in elkaar zat. Dit keer was het ook leuk dat het pas laat duidelijk werd wie de dader was.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
The characters were well done and the narration was good. I wanted to really get sucked into the story and the suspense part of the story did suck me in. The part of the book that I just couldn't find believable were the " romance scenes". People who have just seen dead people, have blood on their clothes, or have been in physical danger themselves, DO NOT HAVE SEX right after. Really? Perhaps I'm too harsh, but when a book is really good but then the author throws in something TOTALLY unbelievable, it's such a bummer. I found Tess and Reagan's romantic episodes to be totally unbelievable in their timing. You just don't have the hots for a woman who has someone's blood and brains in her hair. You just DO NOT. So rearrange the romance and put it in believable places and the book would be so much better.