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roosmarleen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
congressbaby143's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmm…. there was a part in the novel, when they introduced Dean, that really creeped me out. I think it was when he pretended to be Alan for the first time and sought out Frieda at her house. In a way, it foreshadowed that twist in the end for me. I just had that uneasiness. I’m disturbed by it but also thankful that it happened because it confirmed my suspicions. I just really can’t get over the fact that Carrie couldn’t tell his Alan apart from another person though. Like, doesn’t his breath smell differently? Isn’t Alan soft-natured? I could only suspend my disbelief to a certain extent.
As usual, I enjoyed having a motley crew made up of Reuben, Josef, and Karlsson that our protagonist can go back to. Moreover, I feel like Josef’s presence was so necessary for many parts of this story. I liked that Frieda, as much of a loner as she is, knew moments when she shouldn’t be alone and heeded it. The psychology and science of it all definitely feels like it was conjured out of thin air and there were parts that felt like they were hastily written, but I enjoyed this read. I couldn’t give it more than a 3.5/5 though.
As usual, I enjoyed having a motley crew made up of Reuben, Josef, and Karlsson that our protagonist can go back to. Moreover, I feel like Josef’s presence was so necessary for many parts of this story. I liked that Frieda, as much of a loner as she is, knew moments when she shouldn’t be alone and heeded it. The psychology and science of it all definitely feels like it was conjured out of thin air and there were parts that felt like they were hastily written, but I enjoyed this read. I couldn’t give it more than a 3.5/5 though.
dianawohl's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
3.0
As the family (my mother, my sister and my nice) are reading this in German translation and are all quite fond of the series, I tried it in english.
Not a book for me, ok-ish, and as I have another book by Nicci French, Secret Smile (already bought), I will look into that, but probably not read more by her.
If you are into lots of inner musings by the MC, this might be the book for you, Frida Klein is a rather interesting character and I like her style of living.
The book takes place in the UK (London again, big yawn), with a lot of walking by foot taking place and a few rather good descriptions of places, but somehow that did not grip me as it did in other books taking place in the UK. Also, due to the timeframe (no smartphones) and the MC not even owning a mobile phone, not a lot of technology.
The crime-story is not very suspenseful and the investigation takes too long.
So, 2 nice unexpected twists near the end could not save this for me, barely 3 stars for a first in a series I will not recommend and most probably not visit again.
Not a book for me, ok-ish, and as I have another book by Nicci French, Secret Smile (already bought), I will look into that, but probably not read more by her.
If you are into lots of inner musings by the MC, this might be the book for you, Frida Klein is a rather interesting character and I like her style of living.
The book takes place in the UK (London again, big yawn), with a lot of walking by foot taking place and a few rather good descriptions of places, but somehow that did not grip me as it did in other books taking place in the UK. Also, due to the timeframe (no smartphones) and the MC not even owning a mobile phone, not a lot of technology.
The crime-story is not very suspenseful and the investigation takes too long.
So, 2 nice unexpected twists near the end could not save this for me, barely 3 stars for a first in a series I will not recommend and most probably not visit again.
fernandame's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
laura_corsi's review against another edition
2.0
Ok I was excited to start this new mystery series. People I like, such as Jen Campbell and April from Getting Hygge with It, had recommended it highly. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to get into and Frieda Klein was a little clueless and lost in her head. She missed so many things that were so obvious. Granted she is doing what most of us do at the beginning...assuming everything is normal. However, for a book, by the time things get interesting I had it all figured out and then they let the perp get away!! Disappointing. Not sure if I will continue the series.
redvelvetpenguins's review against another edition
3.0
One star down for being so extraordinarily long. Very interesting and refreshing story telling. I love a messy ending
readingfar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emi_05's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.75