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booksandcoffee00's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
shai3d's review
5.0
Wow! I am still trying to come up with the words to describe this book. It has to be one of the more unusual books that I have ever read. And one that will suck you in from the very first scene.
This book focuses on two women, Detective Vanessa Alba and Marly Shaw. Vanessa is investigating the discovery of two sets of bones that were discovered in California in 2013. Marley is trying to overcome her past and provide safety for herself and her family. Her story begins back in 2000 in a tiny town in New York.
In Charon Springs, everything depends on who you are and who you are related too. It's a poor town known locally for its crime and brutality to the extent that even the police are afraid to get on the wrong side of the reigning Harris family. Marly has dreams of escaping to college if she survives that long. I will admit to being horrified at the things the Harris family was able to get away with.
In an attempt to find out just why the bones of a couple of the members of the Harris family was found in California, Vanessa and her partner travel to Charon Springs. They uncover bits and pieces of what Marly went through to survive.
Incredible writing! Each page is inundated with a sense of dread and horror which will have the reader shuddering while crossing their fingers for Marly. And for Vanessa as she feels rather threatened when she is investigating in New York. It's hard to believe that there are still places like Charon Springs in this century while at the same time, it all too easy to see these events occurring. That both saddens and enrages me. No one should go through what Marly and others did just to live let alone thrive.
I really recommend A SHORT TIME TO DIE to any of my readers who enjoy suspense. There are scenes of violence against both adults and children so be forewarned.
*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.
This book focuses on two women, Detective Vanessa Alba and Marly Shaw. Vanessa is investigating the discovery of two sets of bones that were discovered in California in 2013. Marley is trying to overcome her past and provide safety for herself and her family. Her story begins back in 2000 in a tiny town in New York.
In Charon Springs, everything depends on who you are and who you are related too. It's a poor town known locally for its crime and brutality to the extent that even the police are afraid to get on the wrong side of the reigning Harris family. Marly has dreams of escaping to college if she survives that long. I will admit to being horrified at the things the Harris family was able to get away with.
In an attempt to find out just why the bones of a couple of the members of the Harris family was found in California, Vanessa and her partner travel to Charon Springs. They uncover bits and pieces of what Marly went through to survive.
Incredible writing! Each page is inundated with a sense of dread and horror which will have the reader shuddering while crossing their fingers for Marly. And for Vanessa as she feels rather threatened when she is investigating in New York. It's hard to believe that there are still places like Charon Springs in this century while at the same time, it all too easy to see these events occurring. That both saddens and enrages me. No one should go through what Marly and others did just to live let alone thrive.
I really recommend A SHORT TIME TO DIE to any of my readers who enjoy suspense. There are scenes of violence against both adults and children so be forewarned.
*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.
urlphantomhive's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Deep in Central New York in village ruled by a crime family, Marly escaped her stepfather and his father, but she is nowhere to escaping their grasp. When some bodies turn up almost fifteen years later, Marly's story will slowly start to unravel.
I found the story of Marly quite interesting, and also the murder mystery itself was quite nice. I thought I had figured it out quite early on, but some questions remained unanswered for some time. All female characters, both good and evil, were particularly strong characters. In the end, I thought the conclusion came a bit quick compared to the rest of the story, but all in all it was a very nice mystery book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Deep in Central New York in village ruled by a crime family, Marly escaped her stepfather and his father, but she is nowhere to escaping their grasp. When some bodies turn up almost fifteen years later, Marly's story will slowly start to unravel.
I found the story of Marly quite interesting, and also the murder mystery itself was quite nice. I thought I had figured it out quite early on, but some questions remained unanswered for some time. All female characters, both good and evil, were particularly strong characters. In the end, I thought the conclusion came a bit quick compared to the rest of the story, but all in all it was a very nice mystery book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
ceeemvee's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Well, once again I am definitely in the minority in my review. Everyone seems to think this was a 4 or 5 star read. I found it interesting, the characters were well-developed, and the main character, Marley, shows a lot of ingenuity. The story is told from two perspectives, Marley’s through the years, and a detective’s present point of view. Marley’s step-family is deep into corruption in a small town, and Marley is hunted for what they think she might know. Without giving anything away, Marley escapes but is continuously chased by her step-family and later two detectives.
The story was predictable and didn’t hold much surprise. I think if you are looking for real thrills and suspense, there are better books out there. In addition, there were so many characters it was hard to keep track of who was who. This made the beginning of the story hard to follow, which is unfortunate because that’s where most of the action takes place. There are a lot of dysfunctional families and an ineffective police force to keep her on her toes, yet there is a happy ending. It’s a solid book, yet it’s a bit formulaic without a lot of surprises along the way.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
Well, once again I am definitely in the minority in my review. Everyone seems to think this was a 4 or 5 star read. I found it interesting, the characters were well-developed, and the main character, Marley, shows a lot of ingenuity. The story is told from two perspectives, Marley’s through the years, and a detective’s present point of view. Marley’s step-family is deep into corruption in a small town, and Marley is hunted for what they think she might know. Without giving anything away, Marley escapes but is continuously chased by her step-family and later two detectives.
The story was predictable and didn’t hold much surprise. I think if you are looking for real thrills and suspense, there are better books out there. In addition, there were so many characters it was hard to keep track of who was who. This made the beginning of the story hard to follow, which is unfortunate because that’s where most of the action takes place. There are a lot of dysfunctional families and an ineffective police force to keep her on her toes, yet there is a happy ending. It’s a solid book, yet it’s a bit formulaic without a lot of surprises along the way.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
vesper1931's review
3.0
Marly Shaw, of Charon Springs, New York, has missed her lift home and is now being chased by two men.
Detectives Vanessa Alba and Jack Wong, are investigating why two members of the Harris criminal clan ended dead up in California, thirteen years later, a long way from Charon Springs.
The story tales what happened between these two dates.
An interesting thriller with a lot of unlikeable characters but it still made for a good read.
A Netgalley Book
Detectives Vanessa Alba and Jack Wong, are investigating why two members of the Harris criminal clan ended dead up in California, thirteen years later, a long way from Charon Springs.
The story tales what happened between these two dates.
An interesting thriller with a lot of unlikeable characters but it still made for a good read.
A Netgalley Book
supernova's review
5.0
This book surprised me, honestly. It's well written and went far beyond my expectations. While I typically don't enjoy most books like these, this seems to be an exception!
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