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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Macmillian is a solid writer and I enjoyed this book, though I had the sense throughout that I wasn't going to find it very memorable - which is confirmed now that I'm sitting down a week or two later to try to write a review. It was plenty complex, well written, and suspenseful, as was the first book in the series. But although I'd happily read more by this author for a reliably positive reading experience, neither of the books I've read in this series have had much lingering impact for me.
Gilly Macmillan returns following What She Knew and The Perfect Girl with her latest, ODD CHILD OUT —her third highly-charged compelling psychological (literary fiction) suspense.
Set in Bristol, meet two teen boys from different backgrounds: Noah Sadler— a native-born British boy, and Abdi Mahad — a refugee from Somalia.
An opening scene. One boy jumps near a canal at the edge of the water . . . He lands, gets up and begins running. One pleading with the other.
A suicide attempt? What happened? Did someone fall? Was foul play involved?
Two friends. As thick as thieves. They made friends on the first day and became inseparable at the college. One boy winds up in the hospital. An accident?
Detective Jim Clemo (we met in Book #1) returns and is assigned to the case with colleague DC Justin Woodley.
Things become complicated. Social tensions arise from fear and fury. Both parents want to learn the truth.
Noah is dying. Cancer. Terminally ill.
He has a bucket list. Thirteen items. His #1 item. “Don’t tell anybody else I’m dying. Not even Abdi.”
They need Abdi to speak.
A photo exhibit. Images from war and disaster zones. A racially motivated attack?
Neither boy can provide a version of what happened. Noah is in a coma, and Adbi remains mute. Emma, a reporter, stirs up emotions.
Both Noah’s and Abdi’s families are forced to confront emotions and secrets.
Covering five days of the investigation and the day after, the author covers media frenzy and social tensions, as well as emotions of diverse families, in this highly-charged third book.
A story of family, love, loss, illness, and friendship. A realistic and timely storyline, with similar critical issues we are faced with today in our society.
A special thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers and Harper Collins for an early reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
Set in Bristol, meet two teen boys from different backgrounds: Noah Sadler— a native-born British boy, and Abdi Mahad — a refugee from Somalia.
An opening scene. One boy jumps near a canal at the edge of the water . . . He lands, gets up and begins running. One pleading with the other.
A suicide attempt? What happened? Did someone fall? Was foul play involved?
Two friends. As thick as thieves. They made friends on the first day and became inseparable at the college. One boy winds up in the hospital. An accident?
Detective Jim Clemo (we met in Book #1) returns and is assigned to the case with colleague DC Justin Woodley.
Things become complicated. Social tensions arise from fear and fury. Both parents want to learn the truth.
Noah is dying. Cancer. Terminally ill.
He has a bucket list. Thirteen items. His #1 item. “Don’t tell anybody else I’m dying. Not even Abdi.”
They need Abdi to speak.
A photo exhibit. Images from war and disaster zones. A racially motivated attack?
Neither boy can provide a version of what happened. Noah is in a coma, and Adbi remains mute. Emma, a reporter, stirs up emotions.
Both Noah’s and Abdi’s families are forced to confront emotions and secrets.
Covering five days of the investigation and the day after, the author covers media frenzy and social tensions, as well as emotions of diverse families, in this highly-charged third book.
A story of family, love, loss, illness, and friendship. A realistic and timely storyline, with similar critical issues we are faced with today in our society.
A special thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers and Harper Collins for an early reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
3.5-ish? Interesting and well done. Was wanting more suspense, so maybe it’s just my expectations were wrong for the book.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the last one. I felt like things were a bit unwrapped in a few areas the end. However I loved the engaging writing style being told partially from the perspective of a child in a coma. Exciting and I learned a bit more about Somali culture.
3.5 stars. It sucked me in and was a fast read. It was not very suspenseful, but was a solid plot overall.
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The beginning of this book definitely brings me back into the world of Jim Clemo. Granted, it hasn’t been long since I left, so it didn’t take much, but it reminded me of where we left our dear investigator. I love the way that Macmillan breaks down her books by days in this series. It makes the timeline very easy to follow since she switches POVs. And I am a huge fan of multiple POVs in a book, especially in a thriller where it is vital that we learn different things from different people at different times.
I really loved What She Knew and how it showed the power of grief and self-blame and what it can do to a person’s life and mental state. In this book, Macmillan tackles the world of what happens after the world falls apart and you blame yourself for it? How do you come back from that? Macmillan masterfully depicts the way that young adults think and the immaturity of a young adult who hadn’t been able to grow up. The lack of decision-making ability that is shown is incredibly accurate.
The only complaint I have is that there were several threads left without resolution…and I understand why. It is likely so the author can continue the series cohesively. But this book came out in 2017 and I don’t know of any plans for another book. Which makes me sad. But now I feel like I have watched one of those tv shows that is soooooo good in season one and give you this amazing story that purposely has holes in it to get you to come back for season two and the network cancels it with no resolution! Come on Macmillan I need to know about the witness for sure!
I really loved What She Knew and how it showed the power of grief and self-blame and what it can do to a person’s life and mental state. In this book, Macmillan tackles the world of what happens after the world falls apart and you blame yourself for it? How do you come back from that? Macmillan masterfully depicts the way that young adults think and the immaturity of a young adult who hadn’t been able to grow up. The lack of decision-making ability that is shown is incredibly accurate.
The only complaint I have is that there were several threads left without resolution…and I understand why. It is likely so the author can continue the series cohesively. But this book came out in 2017 and I don’t know of any plans for another book. Which makes me sad. But now I feel like I have watched one of those tv shows that is soooooo good in season one and give you this amazing story that purposely has holes in it to get you to come back for season two and the network cancels it with no resolution! Come on Macmillan I need to know about the witness for sure!
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
