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nicolehood's review against another edition
3.0
This was a decent crime novel, though it could have used a bit more vigorous editing. I like the way that Landay probes the psychological states of his characters as well as the effort to make the crime genre weightier. I had high hopes after reading "Defending Jacob" but those hopes were overblown for this effort, which in the end felt rather small, the crimes ultimately paltry and common. The end is messy and unsatisfying -despite its "surprise."
pkadams's review against another edition
4.0
After Sarah compared this mystery writer to Tana French, I knew I had to read it. An excellent police procedural reminiscent of Dennis Lehane (okay Landay isn't that great of a writer) with things not being exactly what they appear. Told from the perspective of a small-town chief of police from Maine trying to solve the murder of a Boston DA that occurs off season at a fishing cabin, Truman grapples with small-town law enforcement sensibilities with the compromises big-city cops make to do their job. Of course there are demons everywhere even for Truman who appears to be the least of the tortured law enforcement souls. Very little of the book rings of first-time 'itis, and with a plot that hangs together beautifully, I was engaged the whole way through the book. I am really looking forward to [b:Defending Jacob|11367726|Defending Jacob A Novel|William Landay|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329612158s/11367726.jpg|16298550].
acraig5075's review against another edition
4.0
I was unexpectedly surprised by this one. Quite gripping and a few interesting twists and turns to the story. I'll definitely try another of Landay's books.
kate_elizabeth's review against another edition
3.0
Almost too many plot twists to keep track of, but still a good read.
kkm0112's review against another edition
4.0
I was all set to give this three stars until the last ten pages. What an ending! I had a few quibbles along the way (namely: it dragged at points and would suddenly introduce a theory/suspect and just as quickly cast them aside), and by the end was thinking, okay, this was interesting, but I'm not surprised by the whodunit. I spoke too soon - I was, indeed, surprised. This is a great debut novel for those who love detective/thriller novels. I didn't like it as much his other one I've read, but still enjoyed the journey.
jeanetterenee's review against another edition
4.0
A darned fine rookie effort, written by the guy who gave us Defending Jacob.
enidsorko's review against another edition
2.0
I loved Defending Jacob, so I was looking forward to reading this book. This was quite a letdown. Most of the twists were easy to spot, but the big surprise one came out of the blue and didn't really fit in with the rest of the plot, IMO. I do not like mystery novels where you have no chance of figuring out parts of the story due to the author withholding info or intentionally misleading you- it reminds me too much of the Sherlock Holmes stories where in the final reveal, Holmes tells you how he went out during the night and measured footprints and did other stuff you had no idea about until that point. If not for the final "twist", I would have given this book 3 stars. I probably won't bother with his other pre-Defending Jacob book.
sdownsy's review against another edition
3.0
This one kept me guessing until the end, and I was genuinely surprised at the end! A little awkward as the main character doesn't seem to fit with his own descriptions of himself. But some great lines, including: "There is no absolute beginning to any sotry, after all. There is only the moment you begin watching."
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