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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
This was my first Val McDermid and I was expecting good things. At first I was a little disappointed with the writing style. It was a little bit pot-boiler thriller style, and there were some rather lazy clichés (I don't believe anyone would really say "There must be some mistake" when told a loved-one has died, but it was used three times in this book). However, once the plot got going I couldn't stop reading. It's the first book in a long time that has made me read irresponsibly late into the night. I felt very smug through the last half of the book as I thought I'd guessed who the murderer was. I was wrong. I don't read a lot of crime fiction - my annual Sara Paretsky is usually enough for me - but I might add a Val McDermid into the mix occasionally from now on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Rape
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found this book far too long, some of the information is repeated several time. But I read on and it turn out to be an interesting read. I would have like a bit more of the cold case and Karen .
Four drunken students find the body of a young woman in a snowy wood at four in the morning. Nobody is charged with the murder but for twenty-five years a cloud of suspicion hangs over the young men. Then the case is reopened, and somebody starts picking them off one by one.
A tense and compelling thriller which had me wanting more at 3 am. I did guess whodunnit quite early on, but that may have been more luck than judgement as the plot twists. But it's the portrayal of the four central characters, how they hold together and pull apart and cope with the shadow each in his own way that makes this book.
A tense and compelling thriller which had me wanting more at 3 am. I did guess whodunnit quite early on, but that may have been more luck than judgement as the plot twists. But it's the portrayal of the four central characters, how they hold together and pull apart and cope with the shadow each in his own way that makes this book.
mysterious
I enjoyed the mystery in this book. It had a satisfying conclusion and there were a few thrills on the way there. I'm surprised that this is the beginning to a series of books about one particular cop, because she's barely there in this story and she doesn't seem particularly effective at her job. Hopefully later books are more flattering to her character.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OMG! What a start to a series.
This wasn’t my first Val McDermid’s book but my first in this series and I was hooked from the beginning. The plot was well made, even though some bits seemed superfluous, it didn’t mar my pleasure and I had a hard time putting the book down. Now, I’m thinking I need to get the other books in this series.
The story of those four boys accused of a crime they didn’t commit seemed a bit strange to begin with but Ms. McDermid managed to make it a great read.
This wasn’t my first Val McDermid’s book but my first in this series and I was hooked from the beginning. The plot was well made, even though some bits seemed superfluous, it didn’t mar my pleasure and I had a hard time putting the book down. Now, I’m thinking I need to get the other books in this series.
The story of those four boys accused of a crime they didn’t commit seemed a bit strange to begin with but Ms. McDermid managed to make it a great read.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced