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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
It has been a LONG time since I read a book by Jonathan Kellerman - mainly because I haven't read very much in the past few years. The Murderer's Daughter reminded me of everything I enjoyed about his work - the characters are well rounded and interesting, and the story loves along at a great pace without ever feeling rushed. Not sure if this is going to be a stand alive piece or if Kellerman plans to tell more of her stories, but she is definitely a character I would love to revisit.
"Broken" Mary Sue marysues a mystery when her past and present collide. Grace Blades is presented as a character we should admire, but I came away from this novel thinking it proves nature overrides nurture.
holy cow, way to screw up a good story, Mr Kellerman. a very promising start began to bog down almost immediately there after. by mid-point, it was a real drag. i almost gave up on it several times. i should have and saved myself loads of frustration and eye rolling. if one could boil the fat away one might find a decent little thriller a quarter of the size of this ponderous tome.
I am a HUGE Kellerman fan and was so intrigued to see a non-Delaware title. Of course, the book exists in the Delaware-verse, so we got a brief appearance. Any fans of Kellerman will appreciate this story with the same pace, twists, and LA atmosphere he is known for. There were times the story felt a bit long, and sections where the main character Grace Blades was more a caricature than a fully realized person, but I can live with it for an engrossing story.
DNF couldn’t get through it. Made it about 65%. Found it boring and just a lot of her doing “internet searches” and driving around to different hotels. No real suspense.
Jonathan Kellerman has been on my radar for years. While I’m not a massive fan of Psychological Thrillers, my sister loves them. Jonathan Kellerman is her favorite author; she’s read absolutely everything he’s written. So, after putting it off for years, I thought it was probably time to tackle one of his books and The Murderer’s Daughter was the winner thanks to Netgalley.
I’m not quite sure how I feel about it, now that I’ve read it. It was a fast read, just 3 days, so it clearly held my interest. However, I can’t really put my finger on what I liked about it, if anything. I think that I just wanted to complete the mystery, see how it all played out, but now that it’s over I feel pretty underwhelmed.
It’s very clear that Jonathan Kellerman is a really great writer. He writes books that are incredibly intelligent, well researched, and well thought out. The plot was broken up with half of it taking place in the present day and the other half being told through flashbacks of Grace’s past, beginning just before she was born. The way it was written we got to read the history almost paralleling the present and slowly revealing all of the stories secrets. That was what kept me reading. I was being reeled in like a fish.
What left me feeling lukewarm was something lacking in the characters. I can’t tell if what was missing was due to Grace’s inability to show an emotional connection to anyone, and that was seeping from the story into my opinion of her, or if she just wasn’t ‘real’ enough for me to forge any kind of attachment to her. For whatever the reason, when I put the book down for the last time I knew that I wouldn’t look back or think about her or the story again. And isn’t that just the kiss of death.
The Murderer’s Daughter may have been my first Kellerman novel, but I can’t say for sure that it’ll be my last. I hear from my sister, and from other reviews, that his Alex Delaware series is much better. I didn’t dislike this one so much that I wouldn’t be willing to give it another shot. Everyone deserves a second chance. :)
Thank you to Ballantine Press and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
For this and other reviews, visit us at Badass Book Reviews!
I’m not quite sure how I feel about it, now that I’ve read it. It was a fast read, just 3 days, so it clearly held my interest. However, I can’t really put my finger on what I liked about it, if anything. I think that I just wanted to complete the mystery, see how it all played out, but now that it’s over I feel pretty underwhelmed.
It’s very clear that Jonathan Kellerman is a really great writer. He writes books that are incredibly intelligent, well researched, and well thought out. The plot was broken up with half of it taking place in the present day and the other half being told through flashbacks of Grace’s past, beginning just before she was born. The way it was written we got to read the history almost paralleling the present and slowly revealing all of the stories secrets. That was what kept me reading. I was being reeled in like a fish.
What left me feeling lukewarm was something lacking in the characters. I can’t tell if what was missing was due to Grace’s inability to show an emotional connection to anyone, and that was seeping from the story into my opinion of her, or if she just wasn’t ‘real’ enough for me to forge any kind of attachment to her. For whatever the reason, when I put the book down for the last time I knew that I wouldn’t look back or think about her or the story again. And isn’t that just the kiss of death.
The Murderer’s Daughter may have been my first Kellerman novel, but I can’t say for sure that it’ll be my last. I hear from my sister, and from other reviews, that his Alex Delaware series is much better. I didn’t dislike this one so much that I wouldn’t be willing to give it another shot. Everyone deserves a second chance. :)
Thank you to Ballantine Press and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
For this and other reviews, visit us at Badass Book Reviews!
slow-paced