Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
Another installment of the Strangelings Book Club that I was actually able to finish as the discussion began. A win for me!
Creepy combination of "And then there were none" and "Gone Girl" type books.
Highly recommend.
Creepy combination of "And then there were none" and "Gone Girl" type books.
Highly recommend.
UNCLE. This is a DNF for me. It started slow, was good for awhile, then came to a screeching halt. You know the writing rule of "show, don't tell"? This slides into nothing but telling. There are difficult -to-follow, disjointed conversations, with very little exposition. That's fine if I can get to know the characters organically so I'm invested in the story. At 40% in, there is very little to like or even make me care about any of these people. There's a character introduced at the beginning who seems to be possibly crucial to the story, but just kind of disappeared. There is SO. MUCH. BICKERING. between the main characters! I know this is such a shitty question, but I have to ask it: Where was the copy editor? I acknowledge that editing a book has to be really difficult. But, for the love of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, somebody needed to rein this in. I get it. It's a thriller. But there has to be something to keep me interested. This book doesn't have it.
This book is being compared to Agatha Christie (particularly 'And Then There Were None') and while I definitely see the similarities the difference was one that made the ending a frustrating, disappointing read.
Christie's villains may not be obvious, but they are at least *present* throughout the story
The characters are interesting, and the sense of dread is well written- there are lots of twists and turns! This one ultimately didn't hold up for me, but I know it will be satisfying for many others.
This advanced copy was provided by the publisher for review consideration. All thoughts are my own.
The characters are interesting, and the sense of dread is well written- there are lots of twists and turns! This one ultimately didn't hold up for me, but I know it will be satisfying for many others.
This advanced copy was provided by the publisher for review consideration. All thoughts are my own.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
They Did Bad Things is a whodunit mystery with a few twists.
Synopsis
In 1995, six university students moved into the house at 215 Caldwell Street. Months later, one of them was found dead on the sofa the morning after their end-of-year party. His death was ruled an accident by the police. The remaining five all knew it wasn’t, and though they went on with their lives, the truth of what happened to their sixth housemate couldn’t stay buried forever.
20 years later all 5 of them are lured separately to an old mansion. They are given a chance to confess or die.
•
This book started out kinda slow for me. I almost gave up on it a few times.
There was enough mystery to keep me entertained and wondering who did what.
I liked the book. I just wasn’t blown away by it.
•
I couldn’t get past the awful characters and the story was all over the place for me that it almost made it hard to keep right.
•
This is good for people that don’t read thrillers all that often. It was a short book so it’s a quick read.
Synopsis
In 1995, six university students moved into the house at 215 Caldwell Street. Months later, one of them was found dead on the sofa the morning after their end-of-year party. His death was ruled an accident by the police. The remaining five all knew it wasn’t, and though they went on with their lives, the truth of what happened to their sixth housemate couldn’t stay buried forever.
20 years later all 5 of them are lured separately to an old mansion. They are given a chance to confess or die.
•
This book started out kinda slow for me. I almost gave up on it a few times.
There was enough mystery to keep me entertained and wondering who did what.
I liked the book. I just wasn’t blown away by it.
•
I couldn’t get past the awful characters and the story was all over the place for me that it almost made it hard to keep right.
•
This is good for people that don’t read thrillers all that often. It was a short book so it’s a quick read.
The story had a lot of potential, but I kept getting lost in the differing POVs/time periods. There was nothing to indicate if it was a flashback or current day. And with such a large cast of characters, it was hard to keep track on their personality traits. I really enjoyed the story itself and was interested to read to the end.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Trigger warning for violence, and gory scenes.
What a RIDE! This book had me guessing up until the last page.
They Did Bad Things by Lauren. A Forry, is about a group of people invited to a vacation bed and breakfast. What they’re unaware of is the sinister plans one of them has in store. “And Then There Were None meets The Last Time I Lied” is such a good description of what your going to get yourself into.
I really enjoyed how the book held my attention in its vice-like grip. While the story line jumped from past to present, I could follow along easily.
Although I enjoy suspense, I feel like the book could’ve got to the point a lot sooner. I kept waiting for the big reveal but that didn’t occur until the last couple of pages.
What a RIDE! This book had me guessing up until the last page.
They Did Bad Things by Lauren. A Forry, is about a group of people invited to a vacation bed and breakfast. What they’re unaware of is the sinister plans one of them has in store. “And Then There Were None meets The Last Time I Lied” is such a good description of what your going to get yourself into.
I really enjoyed how the book held my attention in its vice-like grip. While the story line jumped from past to present, I could follow along easily.
Although I enjoy suspense, I feel like the book could’ve got to the point a lot sooner. I kept waiting for the big reveal but that didn’t occur until the last couple of pages.
A pretty good whodunit; don't look at the author photo until after you finish the book.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No