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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I cannot imagine being a teacher in today's world and I commend all who are. This is an almost too-popular topic, but so important to have an awareness of. This protagonist, a high school English teacher (who I pictured as Bryan Cranston the whole time reading lol), hero at the onset, got blasted with tragic mishaps on repeat. Several characters to follow throughout the story, but in the end all tied up with a bow. Kinda guessed the ending early though...
I stopped reading it when Richard's life unjustly fell apart. I didn't enjoy the anxiety of watching him be vilified--in part because that could all too easily happen. I'm glad I continued because Barclay chose to take the book in a different direction.
I can't say that I liked the lack of communication between Bonnie and Richard, especially once Richard finally told her the truth. Wouldn't they be more likely to communicate after that?
I enjoyed the book much more after Barclay had wound the threads between all of the suspects and the book became more about the unraveling of his web.
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Richard Boyle is an English Teacher. One day a former student comes to the school with dynamite strapped on himself and an intent to hurt the people who hurt him. Boyle is able to talk him down only to have an accident happen.
Now he has to suffer the consequences. He’s a hero in some eyes, a would-be villain to others. Not only that but problem after problem seems to come from nowhere and pile up on his plate.
The twists and turns towards the end of the book are pretty good and the spoiler? You just don’t know who to suspect. Well, sort of. Good quick read.
Now he has to suffer the consequences. He’s a hero in some eyes, a would-be villain to others. Not only that but problem after problem seems to come from nowhere and pile up on his plate.
The twists and turns towards the end of the book are pretty good and the spoiler? You just don’t know who to suspect. Well, sort of. Good quick read.
3.5 Stars.
I’ve had this book on my list to read for years and I’m glad I finally read it. I enjoy Linwood Barclay’s stories and this was another solid one. Not my favorite but it was still an entertaining journey.
I’ve had this book on my list to read for years and I’m glad I finally read it. I enjoy Linwood Barclay’s stories and this was another solid one. Not my favorite but it was still an entertaining journey.
I loved this book. I picked this up at the library in their new releases section on a whim. I hadn’t heard of Linwood Barclay yet but immediately was invested in this book from page 1.
Overall I really like the writing style of this book. There was a lot of character dialogue which I enjoy, but balanced out with enough description of the scenes and enough inner dialogue of the different characters. The main story was told from the main character’s POV and some chapters were told from a third person point of view to follow along with the non-main characters. This was still easy to follow in the way that Linwood wrote the story.
Now for the good stuff. If I didn’t have to work or sleep I would have read this in one sitting. This book kept me guessing and invested the entire time. An excellent crime thriller that I would recommend to everyone (aside from those who have trigger warnings on school shootings - no it’s not a spoiler). I really liked Linwoods character development.
So far this is my favorite book of 2024. I can’t wait to check out some of his earlier books!
Overall I really like the writing style of this book. There was a lot of character dialogue which I enjoy, but balanced out with enough description of the scenes and enough inner dialogue of the different characters. The main story was told from the main character’s POV and some chapters were told from a third person point of view to follow along with the non-main characters. This was still easy to follow in the way that Linwood wrote the story.
Now for the good stuff. If I didn’t have to work or sleep I would have read this in one sitting. This book kept me guessing and invested the entire time. An excellent crime thriller that I would recommend to everyone (aside from those who have trigger warnings on school shootings - no it’s not a spoiler). I really liked Linwoods character development.
So far this is my favorite book of 2024. I can’t wait to check out some of his earlier books!
medium-paced
“I Will Ruin You”, by William Barclay
a generous 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have a hard time believing that Mr. Barclay has written this book, because the writing felt quite amateurish, especially the dialogues (this book was just a tad better than “I Will Find You”).
The plot wasn’t too original, in my opinion (another innocent man being accused of a crime and trying to prove his innocence through out the book) with lots of side stories that I thought I had read before.
The characters are brainless and
the conclusion was very disappointing.
Anyways… I really did not care about this book. I only ready because it was the recommended title of the month by a book club that I follow.
But that’s my opinion. There are plenty of positive reviews. Perhaps this author is not for me or perhaps I should be reading his earlier works.
e-book (Kobo): 309 pages (default), 96k words (the “F” word was used 111 times and “God” 39), 64 chapters.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced