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tasha131's review against another edition
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
4.0
_serena_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I loved the premise of this book. A serial killer that claims to not remember the crimes? Sounds amazing, right?
Unfortunately, I only enjoyed the beginning. I enjoyed the story when it was still a fresh, new mystery. Once they hit the road I thought the story would continue to grow and pick up speed, but it seemed to continuously stall. For a road trip, it sure took a long time to get to the point.
I get that this tried to be haunting and mysterious, but I wanted real suspense. Suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat, not suspense that could put me to sleep. I think there's a big difference between suspense and slow progression. This was slow progression.
While the ending was unexpected, I didn't feel that I was invested enough in the story to get the full impact of the revelation.
Also, I felt that some parts were oddly sexual? The slight moments of Carl touching her felt very strange and out of place. I suppose they were there to build creepy suspense, but it didn't do it for me.
I enjoyed the writing style in the beginning, but it quickly got old. Mixed with the slow pace of this story, the writing style just added to the drag. I read "We are all the Same in the Dark" by Heaberlin and enjoyed it much more than this. Although I didn't have the best time with this one, I would still consider checking out more works by this author.
Unfortunately, I only enjoyed the beginning. I enjoyed the story when it was still a fresh, new mystery. Once they hit the road I thought the story would continue to grow and pick up speed, but it seemed to continuously stall. For a road trip, it sure took a long time to get to the point.
I get that this tried to be haunting and mysterious, but I wanted real suspense. Suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat, not suspense that could put me to sleep. I think there's a big difference between suspense and slow progression. This was slow progression.
While the ending was unexpected, I didn't feel that I was invested enough in the story to get the full impact of the revelation.
I enjoyed the writing style in the beginning, but it quickly got old. Mixed with the slow pace of this story, the writing style just added to the drag. I read "We are all the Same in the Dark" by Heaberlin and enjoyed it much more than this. Although I didn't have the best time with this one, I would still consider checking out more works by this author.
ham_jansen's review against another edition
4.0
After enjoying We Are All the Same In the Dark I found myself dissatisfied with this story as I listened to it. I was pleasantly surprised by an ending that caught my interest after a muddling middle. All told, the authentic Texas locales pushed this story just up to 4 stars.
karlyo83's review against another edition
4.0
My Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ very well written and entertaining!!!
Carl Louis Felman is an old man who was once a celebrated photographer. That was until he was tried for the murder of a young woman. Although acquitted his life has changed drastically, now he is living in a care home for dementia.
Now his only daughter comes to visit him, and shes going to take him on a trip. Only she is not his daughter, and this isn’t just any trip.
The young woman taking Carl on a trip is convinced he is guilty of his crime, and that he has killed more than one woman. She is convinced he killer her sister Rachel. The young woman is going to take Carl on murder trail to see if she can jog his memory (or find out if he’s faking his dementia) and get a confession and finally put her sister to rest.
If Carl is really a serial killer… she is alone, in the Texas wilderness with a very dangerous man.
This is my fourth (I think) book from Julia Heaberlin and she can really put a story together. I really enjoyed this one, although there was a lot of times where I was thinking a lot of nothing is happening… but I was still enjoying the ride. Some people may find this slow and perhaps it is but I thought it was interesting and really well done.
I don’t really have any qualms, I knocked a star off just because it wasn’t as good as her other books that I gave 5 stars to. I liked the atmosphere that the author created. It was daring and claustrophobic and I liked the “daughter’s” character a lot. We don’t find out her name until the very end of the book so I wont spoil it for you.
I liked the weird relationship of non-trust, semi-trust and semi-need for each other that Carl and his fake daughter built over the time of their trip. Carl has you convinced that he is guiltier than sin throughout this book.. but then will go and do something so out of character that it leaves you wondering why…and what could he possibly be up to.
I really enjoyed the dry wit and the matter of fact tone of the book…
I know I’m teetering, that my boots are over the edge of the same pretty precipice as the desert girl in the picture and if I don’t pull back soon, the canyon will slam up to meet me.
But I also know the through. No one else but me will ever carry it this far.
Jack Kevorkian was a lunatic who assisted suicides in the back of his van before it was ever considered humane. A principal contributor to the first Oxford English Dictionary was a patient in an asylum for the criminally insane after killing a father of six. The mathematically genius Pythagoras had an aversion to beans because he thought part of the soul exited the body with every fart.
Crazy people get shit done!!
I am going to keep this one short because I don’t have much to say.
Overall - if you like Julia’s books I would suggest giving this one a shot. If you haven’t read any of her books then I still recommend it although my standing favourite is [b:We Are All the Same in the Dark|49189494|We Are All the Same in the Dark|Julia Heaberlin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592880650l/49189494._SY75_.jpg|74637326]. This is a sad story, and for me it didn’t end how I thought it would, like all Julia’s books this is set in Texas. There is an epilogue at the end and I really liked the way it was put together it wasn’t a coffee catch up play by play with friends or a letter etc. it was a proper epilogue that gave new information and rounded out the story nicely… it wasn’t over the top and it left you hanging with just enough information for what he future held for each of the characters.
Carl Louis Felman is an old man who was once a celebrated photographer. That was until he was tried for the murder of a young woman. Although acquitted his life has changed drastically, now he is living in a care home for dementia.
Now his only daughter comes to visit him, and shes going to take him on a trip. Only she is not his daughter, and this isn’t just any trip.
The young woman taking Carl on a trip is convinced he is guilty of his crime, and that he has killed more than one woman. She is convinced he killer her sister Rachel. The young woman is going to take Carl on murder trail to see if she can jog his memory (or find out if he’s faking his dementia) and get a confession and finally put her sister to rest.
If Carl is really a serial killer… she is alone, in the Texas wilderness with a very dangerous man.
This is my fourth (I think) book from Julia Heaberlin and she can really put a story together. I really enjoyed this one, although there was a lot of times where I was thinking a lot of nothing is happening… but I was still enjoying the ride. Some people may find this slow and perhaps it is but I thought it was interesting and really well done.
I don’t really have any qualms, I knocked a star off just because it wasn’t as good as her other books that I gave 5 stars to. I liked the atmosphere that the author created. It was daring and claustrophobic and I liked the “daughter’s” character a lot. We don’t find out her name until the very end of the book so I wont spoil it for you.
I liked the weird relationship of non-trust, semi-trust and semi-need for each other that Carl and his fake daughter built over the time of their trip. Carl has you convinced that he is guiltier than sin throughout this book.. but then will go and do something so out of character that it leaves you wondering why…and what could he possibly be up to.
I really enjoyed the dry wit and the matter of fact tone of the book…
I know I’m teetering, that my boots are over the edge of the same pretty precipice as the desert girl in the picture and if I don’t pull back soon, the canyon will slam up to meet me.
But I also know the through. No one else but me will ever carry it this far.
Jack Kevorkian was a lunatic who assisted suicides in the back of his van before it was ever considered humane. A principal contributor to the first Oxford English Dictionary was a patient in an asylum for the criminally insane after killing a father of six. The mathematically genius Pythagoras had an aversion to beans because he thought part of the soul exited the body with every fart.
Crazy people get shit done!!
I am going to keep this one short because I don’t have much to say.
Overall - if you like Julia’s books I would suggest giving this one a shot. If you haven’t read any of her books then I still recommend it although my standing favourite is [b:We Are All the Same in the Dark|49189494|We Are All the Same in the Dark|Julia Heaberlin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592880650l/49189494._SY75_.jpg|74637326]. This is a sad story, and for me it didn’t end how I thought it would, like all Julia’s books this is set in Texas. There is an epilogue at the end and I really liked the way it was put together it wasn’t a coffee catch up play by play with friends or a letter etc. it was a proper epilogue that gave new information and rounded out the story nicely… it wasn’t over the top and it left you hanging with just enough information for what he future held for each of the characters.
yani_cross's review against another edition
DN. Hour in and I just couldn't do it anymore.
aettel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sapphiresoul's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
brittaknee's review against another edition
4.25
It took me a while to connect and sink into the story, but I’m glad I stuck with it. It was unexpected in some of the turns it took, but in a way I liked.
sandygx260's review against another edition
3.0
Intriguing premise, fast start, then the story lost steam. Characters began acting horribly inconsistent and the ending feels like a misstep. Still, not a bad read. I will definitely try another of Heaberlin's novels.
mediaqueen86's review against another edition
2.0
An aging photographer with dementia whose photos might be confirmation that he was a serial killer. Did Carl kill these women, including Grace's sister? Grace thinks she has almost all the pieces of the puzzle and feels that she can get Carl to confess if she takes him on a road trip to the sites of his photographs. As the story goes on, you aren't sure who is charge and who might be more mentally stable, Grace or Carl? I wanted to like this book more. The subject matter intrigued me but I found the pace slow and a bit monotonous. I stayed with it to the end as I had some of my own ideas and wanted to see if they played out. The ending was not what I expected and somewhat less than thrilling. But, endings/solutions to mysteries in real life aren't always thrilling either. I would like to read the author's previous work. Maybe this slow burn was just a bit too slow for me.