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mrsbooknerd's review
2.0
Actually this book was a 2.5 because while parts of it were awful other parts had me thinking about the characters and plot while I wasn't reading, so it must have been interesting me on some level.
Plot: The plot was actually very sturdy and with all its subplots and characters it was quite complex and with a couple of twists. The central plot was the release of Randall Gyre, a serial rapist and his impact on those involved in his case. Will he rape again? Will he kill? Etc etc And it is psychologist Karen's job to find out and stop him. Fine. Lovely. Sturdy.
So I felt that the introduction of her love life, of her decorating her new home, of the private lives of other characters etc etc actually diminished the importance of the murders and this ruined the fludity and urgency in the whole novel. Therefore it was actually really slow paced because it was interupted SO MUCH by these insignificant plots.
Characters: Karen was okay as a character though I struggled to relate to her. We were supposed to feel her urgency over Gyre's escape but I didn't, more importantly we were suppoesd to feel her frustration in her relationship with Will and with the Robert Downey Jnr Look-alike Charlie. I had no interest in it at all!
Will was a workaholic who obviously gave more importance to his job as a surgeon than he did to Karen, and their relationship was stale. But Charlie, the supposedly dark and dangerous policeman who was trying to steal her heart, was an arse, plain and simple. There was no evidence that he liked her, more that he tolerated her. He was always telling her to shut up, mocking her and ignoring her findings despite asking her to be there. I didn't want Karen with either of them, so I generally skipped those parts.
I think part of the problem in this book was the dialogue. Everything was so stilted and wooden, it felt as though they were reading a script instead of feeling anything. Oh and if I read the word 'must' once more I was going to scream. "I MUST phone Charlie." "I Must go!" My god.
Overall there was the underlying, solid plotline but the characterisation and dialogue ruined it for me. The big conclusion at the end, which should have been an urgent hunt for the murderer, was rushed because for the last few chapters I was reading huge sections about how she was going to decorate her house instead of how she was going to stop the serial killer! The plotline was undermined by other aspects in the book.
Plot: The plot was actually very sturdy and with all its subplots and characters it was quite complex and with a couple of twists. The central plot was the release of Randall Gyre, a serial rapist and his impact on those involved in his case. Will he rape again? Will he kill? Etc etc And it is psychologist Karen's job to find out and stop him. Fine. Lovely. Sturdy.
So I felt that the introduction of her love life, of her decorating her new home, of the private lives of other characters etc etc actually diminished the importance of the murders and this ruined the fludity and urgency in the whole novel. Therefore it was actually really slow paced because it was interupted SO MUCH by these insignificant plots.
Characters: Karen was okay as a character though I struggled to relate to her. We were supposed to feel her urgency over Gyre's escape but I didn't, more importantly we were suppoesd to feel her frustration in her relationship with Will and with the Robert Downey Jnr Look-alike Charlie. I had no interest in it at all!
Will was a workaholic who obviously gave more importance to his job as a surgeon than he did to Karen, and their relationship was stale. But Charlie, the supposedly dark and dangerous policeman who was trying to steal her heart, was an arse, plain and simple. There was no evidence that he liked her, more that he tolerated her. He was always telling her to shut up, mocking her and ignoring her findings despite asking her to be there. I didn't want Karen with either of them, so I generally skipped those parts.
I think part of the problem in this book was the dialogue. Everything was so stilted and wooden, it felt as though they were reading a script instead of feeling anything. Oh and if I read the word 'must' once more I was going to scream. "I MUST phone Charlie." "I Must go!" My god.
Overall there was the underlying, solid plotline but the characterisation and dialogue ruined it for me. The big conclusion at the end, which should have been an urgent hunt for the murderer, was rushed because for the last few chapters I was reading huge sections about how she was going to decorate her house instead of how she was going to stop the serial killer! The plotline was undermined by other aspects in the book.
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