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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
I hated every character and that made what would have been a 4 star book a 3 star book. I almost didn’t finish. Awful. Very disappointed.
Not my favorite Swanson book. I normally love his books...Not a bad book at all, just expected more. Would say 3.5.
It gives me great pleasure to say that Peter Swanson is a favourite living author of mine and someone who I think is absolutely one of the most talented in his field -- which in turn gives me no pleasure to say that I found his first novel The Girl With a Clock For a Heart to be a sluggish mess of cliches, uninteresting plot twists, and prose with all the fluidity of a bone being fed through a sausage grinder ("But he looked extra long at the place where the body had fallen, where the skin had turned the color of not skin" in the prologue, no less).
If this were pretty much any other author I might have given up about halfway through because of how meandering the whole thing felt. I can't really believe that for someone whose other books are absolute masterpieces in modern suspense, almost every wring of tension in this one felt artificial and pointless.
As I said, none of this gives me any pleasure, but then again neither did the book so I guess we're even.
If this were pretty much any other author I might have given up about halfway through because of how meandering the whole thing felt. I can't really believe that for someone whose other books are absolute masterpieces in modern suspense, almost every wring of tension in this one felt artificial and pointless.
As I said, none of this gives me any pleasure, but then again neither did the book so I guess we're even.
Not good but not terrible. I just don’t recommend it.
Another good mystery! Fun read with plenty of twists and that wraps up rather neatly. Not a fan of the title and not even sure what it refers to but I can look past that. Will keep an eye out for his new books for sure.
I had hopes for this book, but somehow.....somewhere.....the protagonist lost me and I wanted to punch him. I'd give it 2.5, but since I can't, I'll give it 3 for plotline and things.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the experience of reading this story, it was very thrilling. However, I found the story to be a bit unbelievable and wasn't the biggest fan of the ending.
I enjoyed this book. It definitely hooked the reader by letting them know just enough about two story lines between the two main characters. The first of which was set in present day, and the other was set 20 years prior. The publisher (or perhaps Swanson) did the reader a favor and changed the font for the book for when they story switched back to the earlier time period so it was incredibly simple to identify what the time setting was for each new chapter. At the end of each chapter, there was just enough information to keep me, as the reader, wanting to find out what happened next.
The only complaint I may have is that the main character, George, had the tendency to make decisions as if he was the main character in a horror movie (i.e. "I guess the best way to get out of this two story house and away from the killer would be to run up the stairs to the attic). There were more than a few times that I noticed myself shaking my head at his stupidity. But, at the same time, perhaps that what kept me more interested. Even the ending had a bit of a horror-movie vibe to it, ending in a perfect cliff-hanger of uncertainty about what really happened.
Again, this wasn't the best book I've ever read, but with how quickly I made it through it along with how hooked I became while reading it, I think it was a pretty solid book.
The only complaint I may have is that the main character, George, had the tendency to make decisions as if he was the main character in a horror movie (i.e. "I guess the best way to get out of this two story house and away from the killer would be to run up the stairs to the attic). There were more than a few times that I noticed myself shaking my head at his stupidity. But, at the same time, perhaps that what kept me more interested. Even the ending had a bit of a horror-movie vibe to it, ending in a perfect cliff-hanger of uncertainty about what really happened.
Again, this wasn't the best book I've ever read, but with how quickly I made it through it along with how hooked I became while reading it, I think it was a pretty solid book.
I kept hoping that this book wouldn't take so long to reach a boiling point but it really dragged on. Also, the plot twist just seemed so out of the blue and far-fetched. I love mysteries involving old flings, where a flame still slightly burns, but this book was about a guy that can't get over a crazy ex from decades ago. I don't feel sorry for his character at all and quite honestly, I was silently hoping the more violent characters of the book would kill him off to make the story a little more interested and a much shorter.