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A review by book_concierge
Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts
2.0
2.5**
From the book jacket: It was a typical summer evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine – until the shooting began. For eight minutes the chaos and carnage spread – eight minutes that transformed the lives of everyone in its wake. Some had their futures stolen from then, while others would discover their true calling. But for one person, it would be the start of a far more calculated plan, one that would force the survivors to face an even greater test in the years to come.
My reactions
Well that blurb is certainly full of hyperbole. Roberts, best known as a romance writer, turns her attention to the thriller genre, and she fills it will all the stereotypical characters of that genre. A seemingly fragile, but really strong-as-steel heroine. A big, strong, handsome hero cop who will save the day. A devious, brilliant psychopath intent on killing as many people as possible.
An eccentric, “just a little bit psychic” grandmother full of new-age advice to heal the soul. (And in case you didn’t pick up on this key trait, Roberts reminds us of Cici’s “little bit psychic” talent about every other time she appears in the novel … and she appears OFTEN.)
She fills out the plot with a lot of soul searching as Simone becomes an artist, scenes of her close friendship with a girl who shared the horror at the mall, and some family drama between the heroine and her bratty sister Natalie. Talk about a bridezilla! Of course, one key event (and the love of a good man) will repair this sisterly bond practically overnight. It’s a side plot that is totally unnecessary to the main story line. In fact, Roberts (or her editor) could have cut about 150 pages of this book and still had the basic plot.
There wasn’t much suspense as I could see the end coming practically from the beginning of the novel. Still, it was a pretty fast read and mostly held my attention.
From the book jacket: It was a typical summer evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine – until the shooting began. For eight minutes the chaos and carnage spread – eight minutes that transformed the lives of everyone in its wake. Some had their futures stolen from then, while others would discover their true calling. But for one person, it would be the start of a far more calculated plan, one that would force the survivors to face an even greater test in the years to come.
My reactions
Well that blurb is certainly full of hyperbole. Roberts, best known as a romance writer, turns her attention to the thriller genre, and she fills it will all the stereotypical characters of that genre. A seemingly fragile, but really strong-as-steel heroine. A big, strong, handsome hero cop who will save the day. A devious, brilliant psychopath intent on killing as many people as possible.
An eccentric, “just a little bit psychic” grandmother full of new-age advice to heal the soul. (And in case you didn’t pick up on this key trait, Roberts reminds us of Cici’s “little bit psychic” talent about every other time she appears in the novel … and she appears OFTEN.)
She fills out the plot with a lot of soul searching as Simone becomes an artist, scenes of her close friendship with a girl who shared the horror at the mall, and some family drama between the heroine and her bratty sister Natalie. Talk about a bridezilla! Of course, one key event (and the love of a good man) will repair this sisterly bond practically overnight. It’s a side plot that is totally unnecessary to the main story line. In fact, Roberts (or her editor) could have cut about 150 pages of this book and still had the basic plot.
There wasn’t much suspense as I could see the end coming practically from the beginning of the novel. Still, it was a pretty fast read and mostly held my attention.