twotoes's reviews
552 reviews

In the Midst of Death: A Matthew Scudder Novel by Lawrence Block

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The Moonshine War by Elmore Leonard

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

The Killer's Christmas List by Chris Frost

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

I would describe this as a middle of the road book except the child pov portions are bad. 

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Sun Gone Down: The True Story of the Harvey Family Murder, and an Inquiry into the True Crime Story, The Music Industry and the American Dream by Chris Orlet

dark fast-paced

3.0

There isn't much here. 

Dog Eat Dog by Edward Bunker

adventurous dark fast-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

4.75

A straightforward crime thriller that doesn't let up. 

Good-Looking Ugly by Rob D Smith

adventurous dark fast-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

3.25

This book needs an editor. The errors took me out of the story regularly. The author refers to one of the characters as "his cousin" (even when the "his" isn't involved) so many times it becomes laughable.

But the story isn't horrible. There is one major flaw in the plot that made me want to quit reading but sticking it out was probably the right choice. I wouldn't say there is anything here that stood out to me as exceptional but it is solid. 

1984 by George Orwell

challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Oppression seems to be very time consuming. 

Malpertuis by Jean Ray
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.

Just not my cup of tea

Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor

dark funny sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I held off on listening to this because I wasn't a fan of the movie when I saw it years ago. But that was a mistake. This is amazing. It is much funnier than I was expecting although it is extremely dark. The only (extremely) minor issues I had was "wise blood" being used in the text and her using the word cadaverous twice (it is a great word but once per novel is enough - it loses its effectiveness with multiple uses). Bronson Pinchot did an incredible job with the audio.