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catherine_t's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Then Fin, Estelle's husband, shows up, and a meddling neighbour interferes, and suddenly Anna's past is roaring back like an express train. She and Fin find themselves on the run, whilst simultaneously investigating Leon's death and podcasting about it.
This was my first Denise Mina, but it won't be my last. I was hooked from the beginning. I loved the whole premise. I thought the characters were great: Anna especially really leapt off the page, but all the characters were exceptional. And I totally didn't expect the twist at the end, even though, in retrospect, all the clues were there. Highly recommended.
Moderate: Alcohol, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death of parent and Rape
crystalleighwrites's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Car accident, Rape, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Death, Murder, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide, and Death of parent
gracepf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide, Addiction, Suicide attempt, and Stalking
Minor: Domestic abuse, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Blood, Car accident, Body shaming, and Death of parent
jdesk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Addiction, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Suicide
keirahelena_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent
jesscoast's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
The set up is mysterious and set my expectations high, maybe a little too high, which led to disappointment as the story dragged on in what felt like was a sloppy, confusing, too convenient wrap up. I also found the character's personalities, decisions, and dialogue unrealistic to the point of being silly and eye-roll inducing. Her attempt at making a quirky, diverse set of characters made them unrelatable and impossible to predict (and not in a fun mysterious way, in a frustrating way where everyone felt disconnected and forced). The problem was that I found Mina really couldn't deliver on all she promised.
<Spoiler>I have many unanswered questions that I'm still annoyed by. I feel like there was never a clear answer about why Anna was so intrigued by Leon's story she felt she had to pause her life and put her children at risk to investigate. No further details about their relationship ever emerge, and Lillys character seemed like a pointless throw away. The climax at Gretchen's compound in Paris was far too fast and impossible to imagine in any realistic sense. The big twist wasnt fully explained and left a lot of doubt about whether Gretchen was the mastermind she was described as. Fin was unrealistically stupid, and his podcast made no sense to listeners who didn't know what was going on. I find it hard to believe he'd compromise everyone's safety without thinking twice over and over and over. He only made good decisions when it saved the day and they had no other escape, which I find lazy and undeveloped writing. Overall the second half of the book needed a much better edit, a more thought through plot, and less pages wasted on logistics with more pages dedicated to logical decisions and explaining motivations and intentions.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Murder, Violence, and Infidelity
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
sawyer_reads_stuff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Eating disorder, Death, Suicide, Animal death, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts