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brandiberry66's review against another edition
2.0
I find it hard to push through novels where most everyone is irredeemably awful.
gailm's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
An outcome you weren't expecting
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
There was a decent plot to this book but I felt that the pace and focus wasn't quite right and I struggled to maintain interest, though I did want to make it to the end.
None of the characters were likeable which would have been fine if there had been more plot and less repetitive conversations and descriptions of them all just eating and drinking for 200 odd pages. Instead it dragged, and became a series of releated conversations to make Ed seem like a pervert, or to emphasise how angry Barry was, to make Dave seem like an evil genius. In fact it was so set up that it was one of these three behind the murders that the ending was in no way a surprise to me.
The only POV that really progressed the plot was Jenny, and even she was a bit unlikeable, or at least it was hard to connect with her. But at least she did some investigation which led to new evidence and leads.
I also didn't like that they all just constantly talked about their weight, or the others weight. I've never thought of my friends or people that I know as Fat so and so or skinny whoever. It was all so cliche as well. Fat Angie, the friendly, jolly one. Skinny Sue, the sophisticated one. Marina who was neither but wanted to be skinny bevause doesn't everyone. Even Fat Jenny the biscuit eating PC who everyone thinks is gay because she is a fat police officer... they were just all so focused on weight that it felt like it should have led to something. It just made them all sound s shallow.
I don't know.
I kind of wanted to know how this one ended because I liked the idea, but I didn't enjoy the journey.
None of the characters were likeable which would have been fine if there had been more plot and less repetitive conversations and descriptions of them all just eating and drinking for 200 odd pages. Instead it dragged, and became a series of releated conversations to make Ed seem like a pervert, or to emphasise how angry Barry was, to make Dave seem like an evil genius. In fact it was so set up that it was one of these three behind the murders that the ending was in no way a surprise to me.
The only POV that really progressed the plot was Jenny, and even she was a bit unlikeable, or at least it was hard to connect with her. But at least she did some investigation which led to new evidence and leads.
I also didn't like that they all just constantly talked about their weight, or the others weight. I've never thought of my friends or people that I know as Fat so and so or skinny whoever. It was all so cliche as well. Fat Angie, the friendly, jolly one. Skinny Sue, the sophisticated one. Marina who was neither but wanted to be skinny bevause doesn't everyone. Even Fat Jenny the biscuit eating PC who everyone thinks is gay because she is a fat police officer... they were just all so focused on weight that it felt like it should have led to something. It just made them all sound s shallow.
I don't know.
I kind of wanted to know how this one ended because I liked the idea, but I didn't enjoy the journey.
brandie_abbie19's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Vomit
clairesirett's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
paulabrandon's review against another edition
2.0
Three couples meet while on holiday. On the last day, they learn of the disappearance of a girl with special needs, putting a strange twist on their travels. Back in England, they have a series of dinners to catch up. When another girl with special needs go missing, it seems one of them may be responsible.
This was all very "meh" for me! None of the characters are particularly likable, and there's not enough plot for the length of the book. We learn a lot about the day-to-day lives of Ed, Sue, Marina, Dave, Barry and Angie, but not much of it really pertains to what is going on. This is a very padded out story! There are also chapters from the perspective of a British trainee detective, and an experienced American detective, and the mother of the first missing girl. We even get the standard chapter giving us the life story of a couple of people who exist solely to discover a dead body, and are never heard from again! The latter particularly grates on me! Why does this happen so much in crime fiction?
This was just never as exciting or interesting as it should have been. Mark Billingham is known for his police procedural thrillers, and despite his afterword saying he was going out of his comfort zone for this one, it still feels a lot like a police procedural, because nothing of much interest was happening in the three couples' lives. The ultimate resolution was predictable and less than satisfactory.
This was all very "meh" for me! None of the characters are particularly likable, and there's not enough plot for the length of the book. We learn a lot about the day-to-day lives of Ed, Sue, Marina, Dave, Barry and Angie, but not much of it really pertains to what is going on. This is a very padded out story! There are also chapters from the perspective of a British trainee detective, and an experienced American detective, and the mother of the first missing girl. We even get the standard chapter giving us the life story of a couple of people who exist solely to discover a dead body, and are never heard from again! The latter particularly grates on me! Why does this happen so much in crime fiction?
This was just never as exciting or interesting as it should have been. Mark Billingham is known for his police procedural thrillers, and despite his afterword saying he was going out of his comfort zone for this one, it still feels a lot like a police procedural, because nothing of much interest was happening in the three couples' lives. The ultimate resolution was predictable and less than satisfactory.
ladyreading365's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
panicatthebookstore's review against another edition
4.0
Three couples from England all become friends when on holiday at the same resort. A young girl with special needs goes missing, and after being questioned, all three couples go home, promising to remain friends and meet up regularly. All six people are extremely flawed and putting on a front, trying to show everyone that they and their lives are perfect.
This was a great whodunit that keeps you guessing from start to finish. And even when you think you've got the answer, you're hit with another twist.
This was a great whodunit that keeps you guessing from start to finish. And even when you think you've got the answer, you're hit with another twist.
charf47's review against another edition
4.0
'Rush of Blood' is the story of three British couples who meet while on holiday in Florida. As their holiday draws to a close, the daughter of another holiday maker, staying at the same resort, goes missing and is later found, murdered. The three couples return home to England and maintain a somewhat fraught and tenuous friendship, partly maintained by their shared proximity to the crime. As more is revealed about these six people, each flawed or damaged in some way, the reader begins to suspect each one in turn and even entertains the thought that perhaps more than one of these people may be guilty of this terrible crime. These suspicions are intensified when another young girl goes missing under similar circumstances, this time in England. The final outcome of the book is astonishingly unexpected. A gripping story that is difficult to put down. Thanks to Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley for the ARC.