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a_clancy's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
illusie's review
4.0
Some parts are a bit far fetched, especially at the ending. I really enjoyed it despite that though. Great characters and a good suspenseful plot.
thevagabondlawyer's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ridiculous and contrived plot? Yep, that’s this book! It’s my first Linwood Barclay read, and I have to say, it’s not that great. I did enjoy it in a way because it’s fast-paced, and I forced myself to suspend my disbelief. But honestly, how long can you do that without losing your sanity? On the bright side, this book has enough thrills to make 400 plus pages fly by. ✨️
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
Pure popcorn entertainment. The characters didn't have a great deal of depth, but there was an interesting mix here. The plot was contrived and pretty over-the-top, but that didn't bother me so much here because of the way the book was set up. Too many thrillers strive to be deep but then expect readers to suspend all disbelief once they start sending preposterous twists their way, whereas this book was more the action movie equivalent of a thriller. The fast pace and large cast meant I couldn't quite figure out what was going on until just before the big reveal.
litwithleigh's review
4.0
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 4/5 | Ending: OTT but what's new/5
SYNOPSIS
Tech millionaire Miles finds out he has Huntington's, a rare terminal illness with a 50% chance of being passed down to the next generation. Cue the panic: Miles finds out he has a gaggle of kids from a despo-for-cash sperm donation years ago. And when his heirs start getting picked off one-by-one, Miles has to figure out wassup while he still can.
MY OPINION
Ok so IYKYK, I'm not a big fan of male authors. They usually annoy the shit outta me by 1) writing about women as if they're only mounds of flesh 2) throwing in some CIA/underground mafia/KGB storyline in a crime book that takes place in Boise, Idaho. PLS SIR. Linwood Barclay is on the few exceptions; his male gaze is minimal, and he doesn't go too crazy with the John Wick subplots.
I really like his writing style: sharp prose, short chapters. I've read [b:Take Your Breath Away|58735545|Take Your Breath Away|Linwood Barclay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643832602l/58735545._SX50_.jpg|92414258] and [b:A Noise Downstairs|36339629|A Noise Downstairs|Linwood Barclay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524840527l/36339629._SY75_.jpg|58019576] which had their strengths, but kinda fell apart at the end and landed in 3-star territory. This book is my fave so far; in fact I hurried my ass out to the secondhand store and scored two more books of his. Just helping the economy ya know.
AnywayZZZ let's talk about the book. I should add that if you are adopted or your parent(s) used a sperm donor, you may feel very differently about this story as you're coming at it through a different lens. For me, I thought the premise was interesting; I'm always curious about sperm donor because personally I couldn't live knowing that I my DNA may be walking and talking on this earth unbeknownst to me.
Maybe this is common knowledge but it's clear that Barclay was inspired by Jeffrey Epstein when writing Jeremy Pritkin LOL. The parallels are hard to miss but entertaining. In his other books that I read, I felt he included too many unnecessary POVs, but in this case I actually enjoyed the lil background stories into Miles' kids. I thought he did a good job exploring the father-daughter relationship with Chloe and Miles was a well-developed character with a clear redemption arc.
All in all, an enjoyable read. I was hankering for this one, so I'm glad it didn't let me know. Excited to read more from Barclay.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: well-written, interesting and layered plot, developed and distinct characters, juicy ass premise
Cons: could be offensive to individuals who are adopted or their parent(s) used a sperm donor so proceed with caution if this applies to you, ending was doing thee most but what's new boo
SYNOPSIS
Tech millionaire Miles finds out he has Huntington's, a rare terminal illness with a 50% chance of being passed down to the next generation. Cue the panic: Miles finds out he has a gaggle of kids from a despo-for-cash sperm donation years ago. And when his heirs start getting picked off one-by-one, Miles has to figure out wassup while he still can.
MY OPINION
Ok so IYKYK, I'm not a big fan of male authors. They usually annoy the shit outta me by 1) writing about women as if they're only mounds of flesh 2) throwing in some CIA/underground mafia/KGB storyline in a crime book that takes place in Boise, Idaho. PLS SIR. Linwood Barclay is on the few exceptions; his male gaze is minimal, and he doesn't go too crazy with the John Wick subplots.
I really like his writing style: sharp prose, short chapters. I've read [b:Take Your Breath Away|58735545|Take Your Breath Away|Linwood Barclay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643832602l/58735545._SX50_.jpg|92414258] and [b:A Noise Downstairs|36339629|A Noise Downstairs|Linwood Barclay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524840527l/36339629._SY75_.jpg|58019576] which had their strengths, but kinda fell apart at the end and landed in 3-star territory. This book is my fave so far; in fact I hurried my ass out to the secondhand store and scored two more books of his. Just helping the economy ya know.
AnywayZZZ let's talk about the book. I should add that if you are adopted or your parent(s) used a sperm donor, you may feel very differently about this story as you're coming at it through a different lens. For me, I thought the premise was interesting; I'm always curious about sperm donor because personally I couldn't live knowing that I my DNA may be walking and talking on this earth unbeknownst to me.
Maybe this is common knowledge but it's clear that Barclay was inspired by Jeffrey Epstein when writing Jeremy Pritkin LOL. The parallels are hard to miss but entertaining. In his other books that I read, I felt he included too many unnecessary POVs, but in this case I actually enjoyed the lil background stories into Miles' kids. I thought he did a good job exploring the father-daughter relationship with Chloe and Miles was a well-developed character with a clear redemption arc.
All in all, an enjoyable read. I was hankering for this one, so I'm glad it didn't let me know. Excited to read more from Barclay.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: well-written, interesting and layered plot, developed and distinct characters, juicy ass premise
Cons: could be offensive to individuals who are adopted or their parent(s) used a sperm donor so proceed with caution if this applies to you, ending was doing thee most but what's new boo
dianelaw's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
garete62's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
nreyno's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Gun violence, Infertility, Confinement, Death, Murder, and Violence