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maya_kaur's review against another edition
3.0
A very easy read and should be able to get through the book fairly quickly if given the time. It was not as character driven as the author's note mentions it is. You feel as if you are going from one scene to the next without much depth to the character's frame of mind/emotions. It's one of those books that gives just enough to keep your interest and nothing more beyond that. In that sense, it is quite forgettable.
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this thriller and rate it 4 out 5 stars. The book starts with Jared Barnett, a truly evil, twisted killer being released from prison. He was convicted of a brutal murder, but his defense attorney has persuaded the only witness to recant his testimony and a judge orders a new trial. The prosecutor declines to prosecute with only circumstantial evidence. Jared then enlists his sister and her son in his new crime spree. There is a bank robbery where 4 people are killed, plus other murders, and a crime author taken hostage. The book builds to a satisfying climax, with a surprise ending.
The author lives in Nebraska, and based part of the book on an actual bank robbery, in Norfolk, Nebraska, in 2002, in which 5 people were killed. The bank, US Bancorp, responded with sensitivity. The physical branch location was torn down, a new branch built and a memorial erected in the shape of a star with five points (one for each of the victims).
I am counting this book for Nebraska in my US state challenge.
The author lives in Nebraska, and based part of the book on an actual bank robbery, in Norfolk, Nebraska, in 2002, in which 5 people were killed. The bank, US Bancorp, responded with sensitivity. The physical branch location was torn down, a new branch built and a memorial erected in the shape of a star with five points (one for each of the victims).
I am counting this book for Nebraska in my US state challenge.
holly_gilbreath's review against another edition
Melanie Starks and her son, Charlie, have been running petty con jobs for as long as either can remember. Now, just as Melanie is ready to pull out and settle down, her brother, Jared Barnett, reenters their lives with a ballsy plan for the ultimate heist. Recently released after serving live years of a life sentence for murder, Jared is frighteningly high on the feeling o...more
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 STARS
"Kava takes a break from her successful series featuring FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell with this psychological thriller about the fallout from an abortive bank robbery. The principal players are Jared Barnett, just released by his shady attorney's machinations from a life sentence for murder; his docile sister, Melanie Starks; and her 17-year-old son, Charlie, to whom Jared is a father figure. Just as their lives seem to be approaching normalcy, Jared scopes out a bank heist and bullies his sister and nephew into helping him. Mel is designated driver in the high-risk chase that begins right after Jared and Charlie, empty-handed, flee the bank. In a remote state park cabin, Andrew Kane, a writer, happens to be alone when they appear and Mel, shocked, learns from his TV that four people were killed in the holdup. Then she remembers the childhood that she and Jared were cheated out of—a mother who washed down pills with vodka while their father mercilessly beat the children until Jared took matters into his own hands. Victims accumulate as fast as the escape route changes, while abbreviated chapters and truncated dialogue signal the approaching explosive climax." (From Amazon)
A great stand alone suspense novel. Not as good as Maggie tho ;)
"Kava takes a break from her successful series featuring FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell with this psychological thriller about the fallout from an abortive bank robbery. The principal players are Jared Barnett, just released by his shady attorney's machinations from a life sentence for murder; his docile sister, Melanie Starks; and her 17-year-old son, Charlie, to whom Jared is a father figure. Just as their lives seem to be approaching normalcy, Jared scopes out a bank heist and bullies his sister and nephew into helping him. Mel is designated driver in the high-risk chase that begins right after Jared and Charlie, empty-handed, flee the bank. In a remote state park cabin, Andrew Kane, a writer, happens to be alone when they appear and Mel, shocked, learns from his TV that four people were killed in the holdup. Then she remembers the childhood that she and Jared were cheated out of—a mother who washed down pills with vodka while their father mercilessly beat the children until Jared took matters into his own hands. Victims accumulate as fast as the escape route changes, while abbreviated chapters and truncated dialogue signal the approaching explosive climax." (From Amazon)
A great stand alone suspense novel. Not as good as Maggie tho ;)
little_book_witch's review against another edition
2.0
a little bit predictable, a little bit unrealistic but still a very good read. I loved the parts that read from the killer's point of view. Each thread of the story lead into each other with unconvincing and neat convenience, nevertheless, still worth the time taken to read
boleary30's review against another edition
2.0
disappointing effort after really liking some of her other stuff
annyeongnica's review against another edition
3.0
Can't say that it kept me on edge the whole time, but I did enjoy that last page. And I did enjoy the human-ness of our characters here. :)
I loved what Melanie's character stood for in the story: sometimes, we really do have to face difficult dilemmas in our lives. Sometimes, we react by way of denial—we back away and avert our eyes, pretending it's not happening to us. But sometimes, these decisions that we have to make just... drives us over the edge, and it scars us forever.
I loved how the author decided to resolve things with Jared Barnett, because, surprise surprise: life isn't fair.
I loved what Melanie's character stood for in the story: sometimes, we really do have to face difficult dilemmas in our lives. Sometimes, we react by way of denial—we back away and avert our eyes, pretending it's not happening to us. But sometimes, these decisions that we have to make just... drives us over the edge, and it scars us forever.
I loved how the author decided to resolve things with Jared Barnett, because, surprise surprise: life isn't fair.
bougainvillea's review against another edition
3.0
I'm being generous. I would like to give this 2.5 stars. The pace was good and the story interesting enough to keep me reading, but I was disappointed in the end. There were too many things left unexplained, too many loose ends left dangling. I definitely prefer the O'Dell books.
lisiewiczka's review against another edition
4.0
Przyjemna lektura, prosta fabuła i całkiem szybko przebiegająca akcja. Alex Kava oczywiście jest w stanie stworzyć o niebo lepsze rzeczy, jednak mimo wszystko nie żałuję czasu spędzonego na czytaniu tej książki