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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
chamjj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated
3.75
april_does_feral_sometimes's review against another edition
3.0
A terrifying case!
'Dead Scared', book two in the series by Sharon Bolton, is another case DC Lacey Flint cannot let go of despite orders! She is supposed to be pretending to be an insecure student to draw out possible bad guys at Cambridge University, but to not investigate. Undercover cops watching her movements would follow up on any suspicious activities she stirs up by pretending to be mentally fragile. There have been dozens of female students who have seemingly committed suicide in a short period of time. Is somebody pushing these girls over the edge?
Flint is a damaged young woman who gets herself involved in hardcore cases because of her past. This book involves suicide, rape and stalking, so sensitive readers should avoid this series. That said, it is a fast-paced and entertaining mystery and a thriller!
'Dead Scared', book two in the series by Sharon Bolton, is another case DC Lacey Flint cannot let go of despite orders! She is supposed to be pretending to be an insecure student to draw out possible bad guys at Cambridge University, but to not investigate. Undercover cops watching her movements would follow up on any suspicious activities she stirs up by pretending to be mentally fragile. There have been dozens of female students who have seemingly committed suicide in a short period of time. Is somebody pushing these girls over the edge?
Flint is a damaged young woman who gets herself involved in hardcore cases because of her past. This book involves suicide, rape and stalking, so sensitive readers should avoid this series. That said, it is a fast-paced and entertaining mystery and a thriller!
jennsie's review against another edition
4.0
I have to stop claiming I don't read mysteries, I guess. Picked this up because it's set in Cambridge (UK) and I'm glad I did - it was great! Fast paced, well written, and actually rather scary! Am going to get get other stuff!
sekilpatrick's review against another edition
5.0
Holy cow! This book was amazing. I stayed up all night finishing it...which means I read it in less than 24 hours.
deepwinterodd's review against another edition
2.0
I... am confused.
What happened to Lacey between [b:If Snow Hadn't Fallen|17137551|If Snow Hadn't Fallen (Lacey Flint, #1.5)|S.J. Bolton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356026216s/17137551.jpg|23539543] and this book? What happened to everything that happened in [b:Now You See Me|9783200|Now You See Me (Lacey Flint, #1)|S.J. Bolton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407439658s/9783200.jpg|14673027]? What happened to that entire world and this series?
Lacey is still Lacey in this book, and that's the story's redeeming characteristic. She's still tough, cynical, smart and distrustful, only she's now apparently in full-on love with Mark Joesbury, which is why I am writing this review from a relaxing position in the middle of a road, what with their romance being even less believable and more ridiculous this time around. He is now apparently in love with her too and making shmoopy noises in his hotel room while she is undercover.
Oh how their romance makes me long for the days of [b:Romeo and Juliet|18135|Romeo and Juliet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327872146s/18135.jpg|3349450].
Anyway, that nonsense is going on while Lacey is undercover at Cambridge, investigating a rash of suicides, which, if you've been paying attention, is perilously close to the events referenced in the plot of [b:The Likeness|1914973|The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad, #2)|Tana French|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348934952s/1914973.jpg|6504351] only much, much ickier.
The truth of what's happening to these girls who kill themselves is painfully obvious around the 75th page, and while there's a smattering of the lovely onion-like plotting from the first two books, it all devolves into Lacey's love life and then gratuitous torturing of the protagonist.
Also: OY, the plotholes.
So many of them, no explanation for, ending COMPLETELY ridiculous and leading to my current prone position in a road, and also totally unsatisfying.
Two stars because the gaslighting sections are creepy and functional. But dassit.
What happened to Lacey between [b:If Snow Hadn't Fallen|17137551|If Snow Hadn't Fallen (Lacey Flint, #1.5)|S.J. Bolton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356026216s/17137551.jpg|23539543] and this book? What happened to everything that happened in [b:Now You See Me|9783200|Now You See Me (Lacey Flint, #1)|S.J. Bolton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407439658s/9783200.jpg|14673027]? What happened to that entire world and this series?
Lacey is still Lacey in this book, and that's the story's redeeming characteristic. She's still tough, cynical, smart and distrustful, only she's now apparently in full-on love with Mark Joesbury, which is why I am writing this review from a relaxing position in the middle of a road, what with their romance being even less believable and more ridiculous this time around. He is now apparently in love with her too and making shmoopy noises in his hotel room while she is undercover.
Oh how their romance makes me long for the days of [b:Romeo and Juliet|18135|Romeo and Juliet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327872146s/18135.jpg|3349450].
Anyway, that nonsense is going on while Lacey is undercover at Cambridge, investigating a rash of suicides, which, if you've been paying attention, is perilously close to the events referenced in the plot of [b:The Likeness|1914973|The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad, #2)|Tana French|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348934952s/1914973.jpg|6504351] only much, much ickier.
The truth of what's happening to these girls who kill themselves is painfully obvious around the 75th page, and while there's a smattering of the lovely onion-like plotting from the first two books, it all devolves into Lacey's love life and then gratuitous torturing of the protagonist.
Also: OY, the plotholes.
So many of them, no explanation for, ending COMPLETELY ridiculous and leading to my current prone position in a road, and also totally unsatisfying.
Two stars because the gaslighting sections are creepy and functional. But dassit.
tawny73's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
o_kaye's review against another edition
4.0
It is my first time to read SJ Bolton. I was really intrigued with the premise of the story about a series of unexplained suicides in a well-known university. It was a page-turner and I finished the whole book in just three days. It loved the book's characters, but I felt some characters were not developed enough. The twists and turns were very engaging. I was just a big disappointed with the ending. I felt the ending left me hanging and wanting for more.
lienwynvarras's review against another edition
2.0
Yes, I am continuing to read Bolton's books because they flow easily and keep me interested. I also have yet to find a pattern that allows me to figure out all the plot points before they happen (that's a genuine concern of mine).
This is the second book in the series and, all in all, I think the first book was better. The scenario is unusually far-fetched, but makes slightly more sense once you get more of the backstory and mechanics behind it, though I remain skeptical. Still, I can't deny that it was twisted as hell and kept me interested.
I have to say that I don't quite like the main character, though. She is very unsympathetic and downright rude to everyone around her which, don't get me wrong, is completely fine — characters can be both good and bad and still be awesome. Lacey has a lot of baggage and I like the fact that she gets to be defensive about it and that you can see that her history has left scars — it makes her a much more believable character. I just don't get why anyone around her would actually like her or, for that matter, fall in love with her. When you remove her inner thoughts and only go by what she says — i.e. what other people in her surroundings see — she is stunningly abrasive and sometimes outright offensive. She also makes very weird decisions, unfitting of a police officer.
I just don't understand why so many men are interested in her and so many women envy her, because her rudeness isn't charming or titillating. It's just rude. I appreciate her for her depth, but I kind of resent her for being such an awful human being. She has very few redeeming qualities and while the book occasionally tries to make her more likeable, I just don't believe it because it's more tell than show. I see no actual proof that I should bother to like this character, abrasive or not.
So while I really wanted to get behind the romantic aspect of this book, I just couldn't. It didn't feel believable considering Lacey's personality and how she and her love interest spoke to each other. This wasn't helped by the changes in POV and switches from first to third person — which is something I personally don't enjoy. Ever.
Also, I'm getting tired of all the rape and sexual abuse. It's not graphic all the time, but in all three books I've read by this author, it's there. I wish there were other themes to explore because ugh. Basically, and whether or not that's handled well in the next book will make or break it for me.
In the end, I guess that I have a lot of issues with this book, which is why I'm going to go for two stars instead of my planned three. The more I talk about it the more I realise that no, I'm not sure I actually liked the experience. It was okay and there are many elements I liked, but what stayed with me were the bad ones — and there were a lot more of those.
This is the second book in the series and, all in all, I think the first book was better. The scenario is unusually far-fetched, but makes slightly more sense once you get more of the backstory and mechanics behind it, though I remain skeptical. Still, I can't deny that it was twisted as hell and kept me interested.
I have to say that I don't quite like the main character, though. She is very unsympathetic and downright rude to everyone around her which, don't get me wrong, is completely fine — characters can be both good and bad and still be awesome. Lacey has a lot of baggage and I like the fact that she gets to be defensive about it and that you can see that her history has left scars — it makes her a much more believable character. I just don't get why anyone around her would actually like her or, for that matter, fall in love with her. When you remove her inner thoughts and only go by what she says — i.e. what other people in her surroundings see — she is stunningly abrasive and sometimes outright offensive. She also makes very weird decisions, unfitting of a police officer.
I just don't understand why so many men are interested in her and so many women envy her, because her rudeness isn't charming or titillating. It's just rude. I appreciate her for her depth, but I kind of resent her for being such an awful human being. She has very few redeeming qualities and while the book occasionally tries to make her more likeable, I just don't believe it because it's more tell than show. I see no actual proof that I should bother to like this character, abrasive or not.
So while I really wanted to get behind the romantic aspect of this book, I just couldn't. It didn't feel believable considering Lacey's personality and how she and her love interest spoke to each other. This wasn't helped by the changes in POV and switches from first to third person — which is something I personally don't enjoy. Ever.
Also, I'm getting tired of all the rape and sexual abuse. It's not graphic all the time, but in all three books I've read by this author, it's there. I wish there were other themes to explore because ugh. Basically,
Spoiler
in this book Lacey was rapedIn the end, I guess that I have a lot of issues with this book, which is why I'm going to go for two stars instead of my planned three. The more I talk about it the more I realise that no, I'm not sure I actually liked the experience. It was okay and there are many elements I liked, but what stayed with me were the bad ones — and there were a lot more of those.
tanja_alina_berg's review against another edition
3.0
Rating 3* out of 5. Barely. This was not at all as good as the previous book and although Lacey is less mysterious here, she's not any more likeable. In this installment she's sent on an underground mission to Cambrigde to pose as a psychology student. The reason is that there have been many bizarre suicides and the Met want to placate on of the members of staff at the college as a favor. Lacy is to pose as the vulnerable Laura Farrow and not investigate anything, the latter of course being impossible. She invariably gets into trouble. The ending is predictable, but then again, since the book started with the ending, it would be. I hope the next book in the series is better.