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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
A semi-predictable thriller. I had hoped to enjoy this more than the other book of hers I read, and I did but it still wasn't spectacular. I likely won't pick up a book of hers again, as I don't enjoy them that much. I found the villain to be easy to spot.
The characters were quite unlikeable and hard to sympathize with. This made it harder to enjoy the book.
The writing did keep me engaged and there were some twists I didn't see coming.
Narrator(s) Rating: 4.5 stars
All the narrators did an excellent job, though the one who did Emma's voice was a bit flat. They were the only reason I bothered to finish the book.
The characters were quite unlikeable and hard to sympathize with. This made it harder to enjoy the book.
The writing did keep me engaged and there were some twists I didn't see coming.
Narrator(s) Rating: 4.5 stars
All the narrators did an excellent job, though the one who did Emma's voice was a bit flat. They were the only reason I bothered to finish the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death, Gun violence, Cursing, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Infertility, Deportation, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Trafficking, Alcohol, Police brutality, Suicide, Drug use, and Pandemic/Epidemic
abicaro17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A tale of a missing girl, corruption, and parents who love their kids. This story follows Julia, a detective investigating a a girl who vanished in a dead end alleyway, Lewis, a father who's daughter is missing, and Emma, who's son is a suspect. I have only read Wrong Place Wrong Time by this author but, like that book this is incredibly well thought out and mysterious. It is incredibly slow in the middle. The fact that the only povs are of the parents of the main characters in this mystery makes it hard to connect to the actual story. It's also a tad hard to like any of them. I think the last 25% was much more intriguing than the first 75%.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Infidelity, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
gohan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Another brilliant mystery from Gillian McAllister. Great writing and twists and turns you won’t see coming. A book you can’t put down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
bookishchaos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Mixed feelings about this one... Some of the twists were really good, but the overall conclusion to the story was messy. I liked it until 70%, then I was over it. When it was revealed what was going on, I was like "really? that's it?".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Trafficking and Stalking
Minor: Infidelity
booksandladders's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I really liked Wrong Place, Wrong Time and thought I would pick this one up as well. It was pretty good, but there were elements of it I didn't quite enjoy. I thought it was a decent follow-up to a spectacular book, but it definitely didn't have the same hold on me that Wrong Place, Wrong Time did.
I didn't see the majority of the twists coming, and that made me continue reading it, but I wasn't as interested in it and thought it would hook me more than it ended up doing. I didn't think the switch in perspective or the storytelling in those perspectives was as impactful as I would have liked. It took too long for me to get into, even as I listened to it in audiobook format.
I was hoping for more out of this but am still pleased with what I read. I will definitely still read more that Gillian McAllister puts out and think she is a strong voice in the thriller genre.
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I didn't see the majority of the twists coming, and that made me continue reading it, but I wasn't as interested in it and thought it would hook me more than it ended up doing. I didn't think the switch in perspective or the storytelling in those perspectives was as impactful as I would have liked. It took too long for me to get into, even as I listened to it in audiobook format.
I was hoping for more out of this but am still pleased with what I read. I will definitely still read more that Gillian McAllister puts out and think she is a strong voice in the thriller genre.
Like my reviews? Buy me a Ko-Fi!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Violence, Death, Gun violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Drug use, and Police brutality
Minor: Infidelity
lynnmiy's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Injury/Injury detail
notlikethebeer's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My first Gillian McAllister! What probably stood out to me most from this was the setting: we love a bit of West Country representation! It was definitely gripping, from start to finish I'd completed it in a day, and it was the kind of book that I took a lunch break at work for. I found Julia really interesting as a character, and it was interesting to think what I might have done in her situation. Very very twisty, to the point of being a bit 'trippy', I definitely found myself confused but did work it out in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, and Kidnapping
kcrockford's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Stalking
cc_shelflove's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was straight fire. 🔥 Right off the bat, I knew it was going to be good after reading McAllister’s dedication to a former police officer who she consulted in writing this book. She is clearly a woman who wanted to do her story right, and she succeeded! McAllister offers multiple points of view. We follow three adults who all have one thing in common: the absolute desire to protect their children from harm, no matter the cost. I am not a mother, but it was so easy to imagine and feel a mother’s love inside of me while reading this book. That is some spectacular writing, and what’s more is that her acknowledgments share the following: “This year, I write them at thirty-seven weeks pregnant, about to find out whether this parenthood business I’ve been writing about for so long is all I thought it would be.” Like me, she must have already had some dogs she loved more than life or something, because I felt it! McAllister also served up a few unique twists, including two that I did not guess and which were entirely believable. This is not a thriller that will have you rolling your eyes; it is one that you will have you scared of the people around you. 🤣 Well done. Let’s go read her backlist now. 🤪
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Suicide
javafenn's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was so fun to listen to! The only reason for the 4 stars is because the end is just a little too unbelievable. I’ll let you listen and figure out if that’s good or bad. It’s a typical suspense novel, a little predictable but dark and mysterious all culminating in flash and a total resolution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Death