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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a very good mystery with lots of satisfying twists and turns. The relationships and character development are poignant and believable. The ending felt a little bit overdone - I think we could have gotten the point in a few less pages, but it didn't really detract from the story overall. It may be my favorite of Tana French's books.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book could have easily been a 5 star. It is the second most interesting story from Tana French, the best being her debut novel In the Woods. However, the lack of a satisfying conclusion to this book really took the power and intrigue out of the book for me.
I love Tana French and I was so excited to catch up on this series. This was a good mystery. Messed up but good. I’d forgotten how French can get me to physically react to what’s happening on those pages. Loved the writing, the exchanges between Detectives Mikey and Richie. I like how French gives all the time in the world for the conversations to flow, and naturally, also for the details to develop. The ending was unsettling but they usually are. Still I’m hooked on this series and want more!
French sets this book beautifully in a half-built development on the ocean abandoned by all but the unlikely few who bought just before the crash. Scorcher, the lead detective is breaking in a rookie on this sensational case. Patrick Spain and his two children are dead while his wife is in intensive care in what at first seems like a murder/suicide, but then becomes complicated by the evidence. The procedural part of the novel is fantastic. The internal dialogue is great in the beginning, but French needed to transition away from it once we became familiar with the characters and plot lines. The mystery was terrific; lots of twists that kept me engaged. The psychological stuff about Scorcher and his family really was unnecessary and distracting from the novel. By now I should be accustomed to French having the secondary plot line, but it keeps surprising me. I also found Scorcher's behavior at the end out of character as well. I liked [b:Faithful Place|7093952|Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #3)|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1291165900s/7093952.jpg|7350661] the best and expected this novel to be closer to that one than it was.
Best crime novel I’ve ever read, so gripping and truly chilling
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
This was an amazing read. I got so caught up in it I definitely stayed awake when I should have been sleeping for work, the one complaint I have is the constant back and forth between scorcher and his partner about who the murderer is. It feels like this book could have been about 50 pages shorter if some of these pointless arguments had been cut or shortened. While I didn't "see it coming," the ending definitely took an insanely long time to get to. Exhausting but still an incredibly detailed and engaging book.