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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Gripping, a bit gruesome at times but a definite pageturner (but I read it as an audio book commuting)
I almost stopped reading this book, but decided to continue on since I had heard good reviews of this author (new to me). I'm glad I continued, about a third through it I started to really like the book. I ended up really enjoying the story line and characters. I look forward to reading more from Lynda La Plante :)
I read this because I enjoyed Prime Suspect, which is really the same error I made in reading Kathy Reichs because I enjoyed Bones. The writing was seriously mediocre, and it took me a long time to warm to Anna as a heroine. Nevertheless, I found the story quite compelling. A quick, easy read!
I don't usually write reviews on Goodreads, but I disliked this book so much I just had to share...
-The main character was so annoying and inept at her job. Really, you're going on an international trip for work and you're not going to ask about arrangements? You're just going to hire a random taxi driver and tell him you're investigating a murder? I feel like she spent more time being insecure about her appearance and creepily caressing her dad's picture every night before bed than she did actually working the case...
-There was no chemistry between the main character and either of her love interests....are we really supposed to believe that she's attracted to Langton when he's yelling at her all the time?
-Since we essentially know who the murderer is from the beginning of the story (or from the back cover...), the first 100 pages or so were pointless and had no suspense. Why not actually include some scenes of Daniels being creepy since we already know he's the main suspect?
-I guess I can't really complain about this specifically as all the characters were poorly fleshed out, but the way the female characters were written in this book was atrocious. They're all either Anna (mousy but "good" at her job! super-rookie of the year!), abusive to children, prostitutes/drug addicts, gossips, or virginal teenagers. None of these characters actually seemed like a real person.
I had high hopes for this book, as the premise was really intriguing. The author could have done so much with this - I was expecting more, like maybe some observations on how Western society worships celebrities to the point that they can literally get away with murder, or how being a famous actor is the perfect cover for a psychopath, or just ANY intelligent insight on the subject matter. Instead, I got a "mystery"/"thriller" (although if we already know who the killer is from reading the back cover, it shouldn't even be classified as a mystery or a thriller) with no suspense.
-The main character was so annoying and inept at her job. Really, you're going on an international trip for work and you're not going to ask about arrangements? You're just going to hire a random taxi driver and tell him you're investigating a murder? I feel like she spent more time being insecure about her appearance and creepily caressing her dad's picture every night before bed than she did actually working the case...
-There was no chemistry between the main character and either of her love interests....are we really supposed to believe that she's attracted to Langton when he's yelling at her all the time?
-Since we essentially know who the murderer is from the beginning of the story (or from the back cover...), the first 100 pages or so were pointless and had no suspense. Why not actually include some scenes of Daniels being creepy since we already know he's the main suspect?
-I guess I can't really complain about this specifically as all the characters were poorly fleshed out, but the way the female characters were written in this book was atrocious. They're all either Anna (mousy but "good" at her job! super-rookie of the year!), abusive to children, prostitutes/drug addicts, gossips, or virginal teenagers. None of these characters actually seemed like a real person.
I had high hopes for this book, as the premise was really intriguing. The author could have done so much with this - I was expecting more, like maybe some observations on how Western society worships celebrities to the point that they can literally get away with murder, or how being a famous actor is the perfect cover for a psychopath, or just ANY intelligent insight on the subject matter. Instead, I got a "mystery"/"thriller" (although if we already know who the killer is from reading the back cover, it shouldn't even be classified as a mystery or a thriller) with no suspense.
Unsuspenseful and predictable, with an annoying main character and really over-the-top graphic descriptions of the murder victims.
The first in the series and a good read. I really can't stand Langton, although La Plante does a good job developing these characters. Looking forward to the next one.
Gripping, a bit gruesome at times but a definite pageturner (but I read it as an audio book commuting)