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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One thing I have to say about this novel is that its plot caught me and I was hooked on reading it. And that, I would say, is quite surprising, because while the premise of the story was very suspenseful, the way the plot unfolded, wasn’t. I mean it was, and it wasn’t. What I’m trying to say it’s that a lot gets revealed as you read, as a consequence of the two different points of view, and also because I guess it was a choice of the author. I couldn’t believe myself wanting to read more and more while the main mysteries that surrounded the story were uncovered quite soon and one could infer the rest. Still, like I keep repeating, this was an enthralling read.
I liked the character of David Beck, and this time the first person narration from his point of view didn’t annoy me as it tends to happen with this kind of narrator. As secondary characters go, I also liked Shauna and Tyrese, maybe because they had more to offer to the plot, the rest of the characters kind of blurred in the background.
I can’t help feeling that this novel is comprise of two different novels: the first part it’s a mystery novel, very climatic and tense; and the second part is more of an action thriller. I enjoyed way more the “investigative” side of the novel, and in this I include the mystery of the emails. The part were Beck has to run for his life was interesting and accelerated the plot, but also killed the well-crafted atmosphere of the first half of the novel and was less impactful for me. In fact, the moment we know for sure that Elizabeth it’s alive, I started to lose interest in the novel. After everything I expected the messages to be some kind of ploy, even when Elizabeth appeared, I hoped that that side of the narration was done by an unreliable narrator and that she was someone else.
The ending felt rushed to me and left some plot holes that weren’t there for most of the novel, aka Beck being Brandon’s murderer. Maybe if he had known about how his father died before Brandon’s murder or there was a hint of him having committed the murder (beyond the fact that he wanted to talk to Elizabeth at the lake), it would have made more sense. I mean, the moment he knows the Scope were behind everything, he should have at least considered that Elizabeth’s murder might have been related to what he did; but that idea never crossed his mind.
To sum it up, I really enjoyed reading this novel but at the same time the ending disappointed me; still it’s a novel I would recommend.
I liked the character of David Beck, and this time the first person narration from his point of view didn’t annoy me as it tends to happen with this kind of narrator. As secondary characters go, I also liked Shauna and Tyrese, maybe because they had more to offer to the plot, the rest of the characters kind of blurred in the background.
I can’t help feeling that this novel is comprise of two different novels: the first part it’s a mystery novel, very climatic and tense; and the second part is more of an action thriller. I enjoyed way more the “investigative” side of the novel, and in this I include the mystery of the emails. The part were Beck has to run for his life was interesting and accelerated the plot, but also killed the well-crafted atmosphere of the first half of the novel and was less impactful for me. In fact, the moment we know for sure that Elizabeth it’s alive, I started to lose interest in the novel. After everything I expected the messages to be some kind of ploy, even when Elizabeth appeared, I hoped that that side of the narration was done by an unreliable narrator and that she was someone else.
The ending felt rushed to me and left some plot holes that weren’t there for most of the novel, aka Beck being Brandon’s murderer. Maybe if he had known about how his father died before Brandon’s murder or there was a hint of him having committed the murder (beyond the fact that he wanted to talk to Elizabeth at the lake), it would have made more sense. I mean, the moment he knows the Scope were behind everything, he should have at least considered that Elizabeth’s murder might have been related to what he did; but that idea never crossed his mind.
To sum it up, I really enjoyed reading this novel but at the same time the ending disappointed me; still it’s a novel I would recommend.
A decent story line. Characters were a bit bland, too many tough guys.
Quite possibly the most interesting thriller I’ve read in a while. From the beginning the book hit the ground running and you experienced multiple perspectives. Also got to jump between the past and future which was great. Overall great plot and story, would recommend to a friend
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had a deja vu feeling while reading this one then realised I had seen the movie. It flowed great and I liked the characters so completed it in two sittings.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm new to Harlan Coban and can't believe I've never read his books before. I lives how this was written and the build up was excellent!