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tillymint100's review
4.0
Excellent debut novel, bit gory in parts and not for the squeamish but all in all very good story line.
hayesstw's review
3.0
A psychotherapist, Karen Wiley, receives anonymous notes written
by a psychopath, or a child threatened by a psychopath. This kind of plot has almost become a genre of its own, with some authers, such as [a:Jonathan Kellerman|43626|Jonathan Kellerman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1202527809p2/43626.jpg], seeming to specialise in it. Reading the blurb and the opening chapters of this reminded me of [b:The Analyist] by [a:John Katzenbach|27804|John Katzenbach|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg], which has a very similar theme. At least in this book the protagonist does not behave quite so stupidly as the one in Katzenbach's book. Both books, however, have a motif of the hidden dangers of the Internet.
It's difficult to write about such a book without including spoilers, so perhaps it's easier to write about the genre. One of the things that strikes me about the genre is that it is assumed that there is nothing remarkable about apparently normal people living apparently normal lives to have regular appointments with psychotherapists or psychoanalysts of some kind. If these books are an accurate reflection of American society, it would seem that psychotherapy has become a kind of religion, at least among the upper middle class. In America, in such circles, it seems that people would talk about "my shrink" without the slightest twinge of embarrassment, whereas in South Africa regular visits to such a functionary would be regarded as a shameful secret.
Of course in the book the normality of life is interrupted by the actions of a psychopath, but the solution isn't to be found in psychotherapy, at least not of the paid client/therapist kind. The solution requires police work, and in the story there is plenty of that, as police professionals, semi-professionals and anateurs get involved in trying to track down the psychopath, getting in each other's way and working at cross-purposes as the body count and gruesomeness rises.
But given the existence of such a genre, this book is one of the better examples.
by a psychopath, or a child threatened by a psychopath. This kind of plot has almost become a genre of its own, with some authers, such as [a:Jonathan Kellerman|43626|Jonathan Kellerman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1202527809p2/43626.jpg], seeming to specialise in it. Reading the blurb and the opening chapters of this reminded me of [b:The Analyist] by [a:John Katzenbach|27804|John Katzenbach|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg], which has a very similar theme. At least in this book the protagonist does not behave quite so stupidly as the one in Katzenbach's book. Both books, however, have a motif of the hidden dangers of the Internet.
It's difficult to write about such a book without including spoilers, so perhaps it's easier to write about the genre. One of the things that strikes me about the genre is that it is assumed that there is nothing remarkable about apparently normal people living apparently normal lives to have regular appointments with psychotherapists or psychoanalysts of some kind. If these books are an accurate reflection of American society, it would seem that psychotherapy has become a kind of religion, at least among the upper middle class. In America, in such circles, it seems that people would talk about "my shrink" without the slightest twinge of embarrassment, whereas in South Africa regular visits to such a functionary would be regarded as a shameful secret.
Of course in the book the normality of life is interrupted by the actions of a psychopath, but the solution isn't to be found in psychotherapy, at least not of the paid client/therapist kind. The solution requires police work, and in the story there is plenty of that, as police professionals, semi-professionals and anateurs get involved in trying to track down the psychopath, getting in each other's way and working at cross-purposes as the body count and gruesomeness rises.
But given the existence of such a genre, this book is one of the better examples.
jessdav95's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Torture, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Body horror, and Blood
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