You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This latest effort by Wendy Walker didn't hit the way they usually do for me. This one is big on suspense, and you will be working it out in your head how this will all conclude....but this one just didn't hole a lot of water for me. Our protagonist is this trained investigator who teaches criminology (shades of How to get Away with Murder) who also works cold cases. However, most of the book she goes totally all rogue because "this time its personal" and acts like a rookie investigator with her every misstep. I couldn't get with the plot but as always, I really like how she crafts a story
Thank you to Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing for accepting my arc request.
If you like crime thrillers/psychological thrillers and investigations, this book is for you.
This book revolves around Elise, a cold case detective ,and a man she saved in a department store shooting. Though she is announced as a hero, Elise is consumed by guilt because of the person she killed in an attempt to save the man. What makes the crux of the story is her discovering the man she saved, his actions and her efforts to save herself and the people she loves.
The story is told in dual perspectives, one by Elise and the other by a male narrator describing a crime/murder investigation in 'the kill room'. I found the dual perspectives quite suspenseful and it definitely kept me on my toes.
Another thing I liked about the book was the psychological aspect. I love books that have plots where characters are mentally disturbed or have dangerous tendencies. I also liked that mental health was not portrayed wrongfully, just to grab attention or to make it dramatic.
The only reason why I am giving this a 4 star is because listening to the audio sometimes became cumbersome. There were lots of investigative elements, and it was just hard to follow sometimes. I think it would have been a better experience if I had a physical book to follow along. The narration was well-done.
If you like crime thrillers/psychological thrillers and investigations, this book is for you.
This book revolves around Elise, a cold case detective ,and a man she saved in a department store shooting. Though she is announced as a hero, Elise is consumed by guilt because of the person she killed in an attempt to save the man. What makes the crux of the story is her discovering the man she saved, his actions and her efforts to save herself and the people she loves.
The story is told in dual perspectives, one by Elise and the other by a male narrator describing a crime/murder investigation in 'the kill room'. I found the dual perspectives quite suspenseful and it definitely kept me on my toes.
Another thing I liked about the book was the psychological aspect. I love books that have plots where characters are mentally disturbed or have dangerous tendencies. I also liked that mental health was not portrayed wrongfully, just to grab attention or to make it dramatic.
The only reason why I am giving this a 4 star is because listening to the audio sometimes became cumbersome. There were lots of investigative elements, and it was just hard to follow sometimes. I think it would have been a better experience if I had a physical book to follow along. The narration was well-done.
Read Completed 6/17/23 | 3.25 stars
Usually, I really click with Wendy Walker but this one just didn't seem to come together for me. I enjoyed the first half of the book and wondered how things would come together. There were many tense moments as Elise is gaining a dangerous stalker and he begins to threaten her and her family. There are also side moments (with a different audiobook narrator) that shows another plot point and readers wait to see how these two stories will come together.
The conclusion felt a little garbled to me, and also a bit out of character. Be warned that this does involve "rogue cop" things where Elise goes off on her own and takes matters into her own hands, partially to protect people and partially to get around the law. Mostly for protection, as she sees it. I don't always mind the "rogue cop" thing but it also has to fit with the character. Elise felt very by the book and I just didn't see her actions in the end being something that fit, or I guess the author/book didn't convince me that it made sense.
I enjoyed most of the story, but the ending didn't do it for me. The two story lines did come together but it felt a little loose, confusing, and I wasn't invested enough in the second story line for it to feel satisfying. I felt like it was a little forced, especially putting Elise in the middle of all of this? I don't know, I just didn't click with it.
Usually, I really click with Wendy Walker but this one just didn't seem to come together for me. I enjoyed the first half of the book and wondered how things would come together. There were many tense moments as Elise is gaining a dangerous stalker and he begins to threaten her and her family. There are also side moments (with a different audiobook narrator) that shows another plot point and readers wait to see how these two stories will come together.
The conclusion felt a little garbled to me, and also a bit out of character. Be warned that this does involve "rogue cop" things where Elise goes off on her own and takes matters into her own hands, partially to protect people and partially to get around the law. Mostly for protection, as she sees it. I don't always mind the "rogue cop" thing but it also has to fit with the character. Elise felt very by the book and I just didn't see her actions in the end being something that fit, or I guess the author/book didn't convince me that it made sense.
I enjoyed most of the story, but the ending didn't do it for me. The two story lines did come together but it felt a little loose, confusing, and I wasn't invested enough in the second story line for it to feel satisfying. I felt like it was a little forced, especially putting Elise in the middle of all of this? I don't know, I just didn't click with it.
What Remains by Wendy Walker
★★★☆ 3.5 / 5 stars
▷ Synopsis:
When cold-case detective Elise Sutton stops at a department store on a whim to pick up some pink towels for her daughters, she has no idea what chaos her future holds. She finds herself face to face with an active shooter. Her instincts & training kick in, & she is forced to make a terrible choice: to save one life, she will have to take another. Elise is hailed as a hero, but she doesn't feel like one. Steeped in guilt & on a leave of absence from work, she's numb, until she connects with the tall man whose life she saved. Elise’s intuition tells her there's something off about this man. When he begins to stalk her, she must use everything she's every learned about getting into a perpetrators’s mind before he harms those closest to her.
▷ My Thoughts:
This book started out strong & had me hooked right off the bat. I enjoyed the premise of what happens to the “hero” as the aftermath of trauma unfolds. The writing was sharp & the characters were well
developed, but unfortunately I had a hard time connecting to Elise. I was frustrated by many of her choices & I had a hard time accepting the decisions made by a supposedly smart, experienced cop. Her lone-wolf behavior put people she cared about in danger which didn't jive with her devotion to her family and colleagues.
Also, The Kill Room POV & all the emphasis on Elise’s personal life didn't seem completely necessary. But there was a good twist at the end I didn't see coming, & I appreciated the focus on mental health.
Many other readers have really loved it this one, so take my review with a grain of salt. It was a quick one to listen to & I wasn’t bored for one second, it just was more frustrating than enjoyable to me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC ◡̈
Detective Elise Sutton went to buy pink towels for her two daughters. That’s when the shooting began that changed her life and took someone else’s. The trauma of that alone has shaken her to her core, but little could she have anticipated how the act of saving a life could begin a nightmare that threatens her own and others she loves.
This was intense! I’m not sure what’s happened to me, but apparently I’m onboard with a little action in my thrillers now. Who knew? Wendy Walker delivers with a psychological/crime thriller that is really a cover-to-cover cat-and-mouse game between Elise and a new “admirer” from the store shooting. How that psychological chess match gets started was gripping reading, even if I had to suspend a bit of disbelief!
The strongest and most compelling part of the story is seeing how Elise’s stalker gets inside her head. Is it always realistic? No… but is it visceral and nerve-wracking? Definitely. This book made me feel all kinds of vulnerable! I did want to scream at her a lot for her unwise choices, but Walker did a great job of getting the reader into her headspace so I could understand her reasoning, even if I didn’t agree with it.
I liked Elise’s partner, Rowan, and even her husband, Mitch, despite his past affair. That story thread felt a little unnecessary, but I guess it made it easier to believe some aspects of her actions. The only thing I didn’t love was a separate story thread involving an investigation at a hunting cabin. It ties in ultimately, but was the least interesting part of the story. In the author’s note, Walker mentions her passion for discussing the impact of trauma, and that’s very evident and well explored in the pages as well.
After loving Don’t Look for Me, this is another excellent thriller from Wendy Walker and I highly recommend it!
★★★★ ½
Thanks to Edelweiss, Blackstone Publishing, and author Wendy Walker for this ARC to review honestly. It’s due to be published June 13, 2023.
This was intense! I’m not sure what’s happened to me, but apparently I’m onboard with a little action in my thrillers now. Who knew? Wendy Walker delivers with a psychological/crime thriller that is really a cover-to-cover cat-and-mouse game between Elise and a new “admirer” from the store shooting. How that psychological chess match gets started was gripping reading, even if I had to suspend a bit of disbelief!
The strongest and most compelling part of the story is seeing how Elise’s stalker gets inside her head. Is it always realistic? No… but is it visceral and nerve-wracking? Definitely. This book made me feel all kinds of vulnerable! I did want to scream at her a lot for her unwise choices, but Walker did a great job of getting the reader into her headspace so I could understand her reasoning, even if I didn’t agree with it.
I liked Elise’s partner, Rowan, and even her husband, Mitch, despite his past affair. That story thread felt a little unnecessary, but I guess it made it easier to believe some aspects of her actions. The only thing I didn’t love was a separate story thread involving an investigation at a hunting cabin. It ties in ultimately, but was the least interesting part of the story. In the author’s note, Walker mentions her passion for discussing the impact of trauma, and that’s very evident and well explored in the pages as well.
After loving Don’t Look for Me, this is another excellent thriller from Wendy Walker and I highly recommend it!
★★★★ ½
Thanks to Edelweiss, Blackstone Publishing, and author Wendy Walker for this ARC to review honestly. It’s due to be published June 13, 2023.
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes