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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
The TL;DR of my review is that the absolutely bonkers main plot is awesome and is made even better by the rural setting, making this worth a read.
The troubled protagonist is old hat but I thought the author looped in the protagonist's whole family in a more interesting way than usual. The author also seemed to possess two sticks labeled "BIG AG IS BAD" and "THIS IS HAPPENING IN IOWA" and periodically beats the reader over the head with one or both of those sticks. I'm from Iowa and aware that Big Ag is not good, and maybe that's also why all the Iowa name dropping stood out so much. More likely she just overdid it. Show, don't tell (does that apply to books). I read up on the author and was surprised to see she's British and unsurprised to see she'd spent some time here. I do appreciate that - Iowa gets mentioned surprisingly often in books/movies/TV as a place where a main or supporting characters are from, as a kind of shorthand for "This character is very American in an inoffensive way and/or very good in an annoying way". It has always hit me very hard with the message that Iowa is a great place to be from, and not necessarily spend any time in. I am aware of how silly it is to see a white Midwestern male complain of lack of representation.
I have no recollection of where/how I became aware of this book but it's set in IA so that probably had something to do with it. I think I saw somewhere that this has been optioned for a movie or TV series and I think that this would make an amazing adaptation in the right hands. Please just don't film it in British Columbia with mountains in the background - the horror could visually really stand out so much more among the greenery under a bright Midwestern sun.
The troubled protagonist is old hat but I thought the author looped in the protagonist's whole family in a more interesting way than usual. The author also seemed to possess two sticks labeled "BIG AG IS BAD" and "THIS IS HAPPENING IN IOWA" and periodically beats the reader over the head with one or both of those sticks. I'm from Iowa and aware that Big Ag is not good, and maybe that's also why all the Iowa name dropping stood out so much. More likely she just overdid it. Show, don't tell (does that apply to books). I read up on the author and was surprised to see she's British and unsurprised to see she'd spent some time here. I do appreciate that - Iowa gets mentioned surprisingly often in books/movies/TV as a place where a main or supporting characters are from, as a kind of shorthand for "This character is very American in an inoffensive way and/or very good in an annoying way". It has always hit me very hard with the message that Iowa is a great place to be from, and not necessarily spend any time in. I am aware of how silly it is to see a white Midwestern male complain of lack of representation.
I have no recollection of where/how I became aware of this book but it's set in IA so that probably had something to do with it. I think I saw somewhere that this has been optioned for a movie or TV series and I think that this would make an amazing adaptation in the right hands. Please just don't film it in British Columbia with mountains in the background - the horror could visually really stand out so much more among the greenery under a bright Midwestern sun.
DNF'd at 23%
What is it with these detective series books either starting in a weird place or taking forever to get to the actual crime? If I wanted to read a book about agriculture, I would've picked up a book about agriculture. I decided to get the audiobook from my library because I accidentally got the physical copy of the second one at the library and didn't want to feel like I was completely lost. I realize now that wouldn't have mattered because I'm still completely lost. Originally I was going to just suck it up and read the second book, but after reading the reviews of this one and how there is a apparently corn zombies I was like no.. the author officially jumped the shark
What is it with these detective series books either starting in a weird place or taking forever to get to the actual crime? If I wanted to read a book about agriculture, I would've picked up a book about agriculture. I decided to get the audiobook from my library because I accidentally got the physical copy of the second one at the library and didn't want to feel like I was completely lost. I realize now that wouldn't have mattered because I'm still completely lost. Originally I was going to just suck it up and read the second book, but after reading the reviews of this one and how there is a apparently corn zombies I was like no.. the author officially jumped the shark
This book is a strong beginning for a new series. The author doesn't shy away from gory detail. The characters grow as the story progresses and everything ties together nicely at the end. I really felt that things began to come together when I was half way through.
The plot seems to be going in a couple, independent directions, at once. First there is the person history of the main character, Riley, as she struggles with the memories that haunt her, brought fresh to the surface by the murder case she is investigating.
Second, is the murder case itself. Chloe, a childhood friend of Riley, is gruesomely murdered, the body found in a corn field. Soon after another body is found. There appears to be a vicious serial killer starting his career in this farming community and Riley is afraid the FBI behavioral agents consulting on the case, will end up taking it from the local law enforcement.
Third, there is the political corruption fueled by greed. All these loose threads do tie together.
Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron books / MacMillan for the opportunity to enjoy this engaging police procedural e-ARC.
The plot seems to be going in a couple, independent directions, at once. First there is the person history of the main character, Riley, as she struggles with the memories that haunt her, brought fresh to the surface by the murder case she is investigating.
Second, is the murder case itself. Chloe, a childhood friend of Riley, is gruesomely murdered, the body found in a corn field. Soon after another body is found. There appears to be a vicious serial killer starting his career in this farming community and Riley is afraid the FBI behavioral agents consulting on the case, will end up taking it from the local law enforcement.
Third, there is the political corruption fueled by greed. All these loose threads do tie together.
Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron books / MacMillan for the opportunity to enjoy this engaging police procedural e-ARC.
An excellent debut novel. Hopefully, the first of many from Erin Young.
Set against the backdrop of the agricultural industry in Iowa, this book highlights the lengths that large companies are prepared to go to when money is at stake.
The book introduces us to Riley Fisher, a detective, who has demons from her past which still haunt her. A flawed but honest character who, along with her partner, Logan, sets out to find who is killing young women and homeless people in her home town.
A gritty crime novel and you definitely need a strong stomach for some of the more gruesome details. Ideal for readers who love Karin Slaughter.
Looking forward to more Riley Fisher novels.
Set against the backdrop of the agricultural industry in Iowa, this book highlights the lengths that large companies are prepared to go to when money is at stake.
The book introduces us to Riley Fisher, a detective, who has demons from her past which still haunt her. A flawed but honest character who, along with her partner, Logan, sets out to find who is killing young women and homeless people in her home town.
A gritty crime novel and you definitely need a strong stomach for some of the more gruesome details. Ideal for readers who love Karin Slaughter.
Looking forward to more Riley Fisher novels.
I wanted to like this book. I love a good crime/detective novel but the strong political views of the author kind of ruined that.
Grisly. Violent. Amazing. A solid read and I can’t wait to read more Riley Fischer books in the future. Definitely good company for fans of Karin Slaughter, Linda Castillo, and Rene Denfeld.
Unfortunately this book fell a little flat to me. It started off strong in the first couple of chapters gripping you right away, but then everything in the middle was just… kind of convoluted. There was way too many POVs in my opinion and it was hard to follow along with all the characters. There was a lot of name dropping. When everything started coming together in the end I found it hard to remember which character was who. There was also like 3 of 4 different storylines that eventually all came to head in the end, but again, I thought it too much and hard to follow along. The ending was thrilling enough to keep me turning pages. I did do this book on audio, so maybe it would be different actually reading it.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced