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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
I don't usually read this type of crime/mystery novel, so maybe I was more impressed with this book than someone who has read extensively in the genre would be, but I really enjoyed it a lot. Mysteries usually suffer from one of two problems: either the plot is so simple that you can see it coming from a mile away, or else it's so complicated that you still don't understand exactly what happened even when you're done reading. Swanson manages to walk the fine line between these two extremes, giving us a plot that seems plausible and makes perfect sense without seeming too simplistic.
Without giving too much away, this is the story of George Foss, a fairly ordinary bachelor in his late thirties. Although he's tried, he's never been able to forget his first love, who mysteriously vanished from his life twenty years before. When she suddenly appears in his favorite bar and asks for his help with some illegal dealings she's become involved with, he knows he shouldn't give her the time of day, but he does anyway. Over the next week, he gets pulled deeper and deeper into her web of lies until his very life is at stake. The machinations of the plot were all fairly standard stuff, with about as much action and intrigue as you'd get in a typical Mrs. Pollifax novel. What made it stand out for me, besides the clarity of plotting that I've already mentioned, was the depth of George's characterization. He seems like a real person who had a full and interesting life even before the events of the novel took place, and we are treated to plenty of his thoughts and feelings throughout. I know that sometimes the characters in these kinds of books are somewhat two-dimensional, so I was very pleased that Swanson was able to realize him so fully on the page.
(Note: I received an advance reader's edition of this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.)
Without giving too much away, this is the story of George Foss, a fairly ordinary bachelor in his late thirties. Although he's tried, he's never been able to forget his first love, who mysteriously vanished from his life twenty years before. When she suddenly appears in his favorite bar and asks for his help with some illegal dealings she's become involved with, he knows he shouldn't give her the time of day, but he does anyway. Over the next week, he gets pulled deeper and deeper into her web of lies until his very life is at stake. The machinations of the plot were all fairly standard stuff, with about as much action and intrigue as you'd get in a typical Mrs. Pollifax novel. What made it stand out for me, besides the clarity of plotting that I've already mentioned, was the depth of George's characterization. He seems like a real person who had a full and interesting life even before the events of the novel took place, and we are treated to plenty of his thoughts and feelings throughout. I know that sometimes the characters in these kinds of books are somewhat two-dimensional, so I was very pleased that Swanson was able to realize him so fully on the page.
(Note: I received an advance reader's edition of this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.)
2.5/5
This book was just OK. The George from college to present-time George showed no growth and he was naïve the entire length of the book. While some readers might find it endearing, I found it quite unbearable. If there was some character growth in the book, my rating wouldn’t be as harsh.
In psychological thrillers, it’s common to not have a conclusive ending; and that’s fine. But I really didn’t like this ending. It was too abrupt and we don’t know what happens to either George or Liana/Jane/Audrey; which is what I was looking forward to the entire length of the book.
This book was just OK. The George from college to present-time George showed no growth and he was naïve the entire length of the book. While some readers might find it endearing, I found it quite unbearable. If there was some character growth in the book, my rating wouldn’t be as harsh.
In psychological thrillers, it’s common to not have a conclusive ending; and that’s fine. But I really didn’t like this ending. It was too abrupt and we don’t know what happens to either George or Liana/Jane/Audrey; which is what I was looking forward to the entire length of the book.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Thanks to my local library I have finally read this. I have read all of this authors other books.. this one was just as good.
It’s was alright as a thriller, typical person pretending to be someone else. Nothing fantastic or memorable.
Tries too hard. Not as good as ‘The Kind Worth Killing’. Convoluted. I didn’t care about the female lead character. Swanson tried too hard to make her an antiheroine. Meanwhile the male lead comes over as a bit of a clueless wet lettuce.
I don’t know any guys who wouldn’t be skeptical if someone from their past walks back into their life out of the blue… and knowing what he did about her. It just wasn’t that believable for me … which for a Swanson novel is a little disappointing.
I think if he’d tried to be less convoluted about things, it might have helped. I only ended up finishing this because I don’t like DNF’ing a book when I’ve put effort into reading (or listening to) over half of it it. Thankfully, I loaned the audiobook version from my local library on BorrowBox, so I’m not out of pocket at least.
I don’t know any guys who wouldn’t be skeptical if someone from their past walks back into their life out of the blue… and knowing what he did about her. It just wasn’t that believable for me … which for a Swanson novel is a little disappointing.
I think if he’d tried to be less convoluted about things, it might have helped. I only ended up finishing this because I don’t like DNF’ing a book when I’ve put effort into reading (or listening to) over half of it it. Thankfully, I loaned the audiobook version from my local library on BorrowBox, so I’m not out of pocket at least.
This book didn’t take long to read at all. It hooked me quite early on and had me turning the pages (well, pressing the button on my Kindle ;) ) quickly to find out what was going to happen!
I don’t want to say too much about the book as I don’t want to spoil it. It’s fast-paced and the action just keeps on happening!
The main character George isn’t your typical male lead. He actually comes across as very weak and makes some very silly decisions based on his feelings for the female lead Jane (or whatever name she’s going by..). I thought Jane was an interesting character and she certainly holds the story together.
The reason why I haven’t given this book four stars, is because I was let down by the ending. I don’t know if this is going to be a series, but the ending was left incredibly open. I like some sort of closure and this book didn’t have it. The writing and the story are good though, so it doesn’t put me off from reading the author’s next work.
I don’t want to say too much about the book as I don’t want to spoil it. It’s fast-paced and the action just keeps on happening!
The main character George isn’t your typical male lead. He actually comes across as very weak and makes some very silly decisions based on his feelings for the female lead Jane (or whatever name she’s going by..). I thought Jane was an interesting character and she certainly holds the story together.
The reason why I haven’t given this book four stars, is because I was let down by the ending. I don’t know if this is going to be a series, but the ending was left incredibly open. I like some sort of closure and this book didn’t have it. The writing and the story are good though, so it doesn’t put me off from reading the author’s next work.
I'm conflicted about this book. I really liked the story, but I found the writing to be so amateurish that it almost ruined it for me. It really felt like this was someone's creative writing course final project, or that the author couldn't afford to hire an editor, or something like that. But as I said, the story is very intriguing and won out in the end.
I quite enjoyed this, a thriller with a different story line. I did not however understand the title not sure why it fits the book. This was a quick pacy read with well defined characters, enough twists and turns to keep you interested and an ending to make you think