Scan barcode
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.5
Finished reading: May 31st 2016
"I guess in the end our lives are nothing more than dates and numbers on a scrap of paper," Joje said. "All that blank space on the page? The details of our lives between the numbers? No one remembers that. They're just locked up in some forgotten vault."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
Since I haven't been reading enough thriller/horror stories lately and I always enjoy discovering new authors, I immediately said yes when I was approached to read and review Housebroken. And this book was definitely just as good as I was hoping for: creepy, disturbing, messed up, but without doubt a great horror story. The plot itself is really interesting and has a mystery/thriller kind of feel, but the gruesome details transform the story into a proper horror read. The pace is fast, the plot full of action and the story had me hooked right from the beginning. The characters themselves might not be exactly likeable, but the focus of this story is on the actions and the mayority of the scenes are so intense you will most likely forget about the character background anyway. There are quite a few plot twists as well and I can't say I could see the ending coming (which is a good thing). Without doubt a very interesting read: if you enjoy a good and scary horror story, make sure to check out this book by The Behrg. I wouldn't advice reading this book if you don’t like intense and potentially scary/gruesome scenes though...
Housebroken is without doubt a really intense, messed up and action-packed story, but only in the best possible way. The plot feels mostly like a mystery/thriller read and reads in a fast pace; it's the gruesome details that turns it into a horror story. I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy a good thriller/horror story and don't mind the gruesome details. It's really intense!
paperbackstash's review against another edition
4.0
Thrillers can be a dime a dozen. I’ve read so many over the years that I hesitate half the time to start a new one, fearing it will be the same old rehash as the last one. Housebroken looked different enough to be promising, holding something fresh and twisted, so I hopped on it with hope, and let me say that I’m glad I did, because I haven’t read anything quite like this one.
It almost feels like a lifetime is covered in this novel, so much happens in so little time, yet it doesn’t quite cross the boundary of being overwhelming. So, pacing? A big thumbs-up.
Even though the plot is event filled, it’s a character driven book as it focuses more on psychological torment and jabbing than anything else. Blake is a …strange lead. I liked him well enough at first, even if he didn’t stand out in any unique light, but for some reason ended up turning against him later. There’s just something weak and unlikeable about the man. There’s no telling what tragedy and stress will bring out of people, but with him it was always there, just shown more clearly when faced in these situations.
Adam interested me the most out of the family of victims. He had enough about him that was different to keep from being too mainstream, his edginess helped push the story forward as they battled their captors. All three had strong personalities but with their own focuses – Blake’s was his drive in business and his intellect, his capacity for technology and advancement; Jenna’s seems to be her motivation to ignore the bad to survive the present, to come out on top somehow and someway; Adam just left me fascinated as he didn’t always act the way most would.
Overall this was a great book that was hard to put down and, despite all that was happening, the pace kept up with the busy story. The family goes through hell as the blazingly violent psychos go as far as they threaten to go when rules are broken. Several surprising twists in store for the family kept me on my toes, and there are mysteries here that the reader doesn’t even know are supposed to be mysteries until later on.
I would have thrown in the five star rating, but I wasn’t completely happy with the very ending. Small squabbles aside, this book is highly recommended.
I received this for review from Maxine at Booklover Catlady Book Reviews & Publicity
maggietoussaint55's review
4.0
This book provides insight into the underbelly of human behavior. Two home invaders capture a family new to California. The family is instructed to go about their normal routine, with the added codicil of following three rules. The penalty for disobedience is torture.
Gripping and horrifying in its own way. Not for the faint of heart.
Maggie Toussaint aka Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
Gripping and horrifying in its own way. Not for the faint of heart.
Maggie Toussaint aka Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
petra_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Housebroken is like a non-stop action movie. It is fast and relentless. There is a lot of graphic violence so much so I nearly stopped reading at one stage (that pool scene at the beginning, that's still in my mind even now). If you are sensitive, this may not be the book for you. However, the writing was so refined and totally awesome, and there were so many intriguing developments, I just had to keep going to find out what exactly was going on and why. The storyline and all the characters are extremely well developed, and as the plot thickens you get enough of the characters' histories that you feel emotionally involved. While I didn't find any of the characters redeeming, they were fascinating in a sick sort of way. The most mesmerizing character though was neither the protagonist nor the vicious villain but the protagonist's son. I loved the little hints that gave you just enough to carry on reading to find out what exactly the deal was. Not my usual type of book, but well worth reading, and I would certainly read more by this author simply because I liked his style of writing.
Thanks to the author and his publicist for my copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Thanks to the author and his publicist for my copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
bibliophilebookclub's review against another edition
3.0
Also on bibliophilebookclub.wordpress.com
I was given a copy of Housebroken to review by Maxine over at BookLover Catlady.
I have no idea where to start with this book! I started it on Friday at lunchtime, and I finished it last night (Saturday) after spending the most part of the evening racing through it. I guess that's a good sign.
Goodreads describes Housebroken as follows:
"It was a kidnapping, but in all the wrong ways. No ransom, no demands; there was nothing they wanted--other than to observe."
When Blake Crochet and his family are taken hostage in their own home, they are forced to act out their everyday lives under the observance of two psychotic kidnappers. Each moment Blake must pit the decision to follow their captors' rules against the potential catastrophe of a failed escape.
He soon learns that the consequences of both action and inaction are more terrifying than he imagined. As Blake's life erodes beneath him, secrets come to light that threaten to destroy his family before their kidnappers have a chance.
Secrets carry consequences too.
As the motives behind the kidnapping are revealed, Blake must sacrifice everything to hold on to the ever-shifting definition of what his family has become. In his battle for survival, he will face the ultimate consequence: for to fight a devil, you may have to become one yourself.
I hadn't heard of this book before I started it so I had no idea what the premise of the book was. Once I started reading it, it quickly became evident that it wasn't your run of the mill kidnapping book. Imagine being housebound by two maniacs, just to be observed!
Blake and his wife Jenna, along with their son Adam have recently moved into a beautiful mansion in LA, however, happiness hasn't followed. There is obvious strain in the marriage, and this begins to become more evident as you get into the book. A stranger appears at their door, and their life is changed forever.
I don't want to go into the plot, but the only way I can describe this book is that it's one of the most brutal, screwed up books that I have read in a long time. There is violence (serious violence!!!), murder, torture, psychological abuse and so much more in Housebroken. For want of a better phrase, it's an assault of the senses!
12 hours after finishing it, and I'm still thinking about it! Housebroken is adrenaline pumping action mixed with the creepiest of psychological torture and then some! Don't even get me started on the last 10% of the book! Most of that time was spent with my mouth open and going "huh?! What just happened!!!!". I gave it three stars on Goodreads. Well worth a read if you want something different to the usual kidnapping story.
I was given a copy of Housebroken to review by Maxine over at BookLover Catlady.
I have no idea where to start with this book! I started it on Friday at lunchtime, and I finished it last night (Saturday) after spending the most part of the evening racing through it. I guess that's a good sign.
Goodreads describes Housebroken as follows:
"It was a kidnapping, but in all the wrong ways. No ransom, no demands; there was nothing they wanted--other than to observe."
When Blake Crochet and his family are taken hostage in their own home, they are forced to act out their everyday lives under the observance of two psychotic kidnappers. Each moment Blake must pit the decision to follow their captors' rules against the potential catastrophe of a failed escape.
He soon learns that the consequences of both action and inaction are more terrifying than he imagined. As Blake's life erodes beneath him, secrets come to light that threaten to destroy his family before their kidnappers have a chance.
Secrets carry consequences too.
As the motives behind the kidnapping are revealed, Blake must sacrifice everything to hold on to the ever-shifting definition of what his family has become. In his battle for survival, he will face the ultimate consequence: for to fight a devil, you may have to become one yourself.
I hadn't heard of this book before I started it so I had no idea what the premise of the book was. Once I started reading it, it quickly became evident that it wasn't your run of the mill kidnapping book. Imagine being housebound by two maniacs, just to be observed!
Blake and his wife Jenna, along with their son Adam have recently moved into a beautiful mansion in LA, however, happiness hasn't followed. There is obvious strain in the marriage, and this begins to become more evident as you get into the book. A stranger appears at their door, and their life is changed forever.
I don't want to go into the plot, but the only way I can describe this book is that it's one of the most brutal, screwed up books that I have read in a long time. There is violence (serious violence!!!), murder, torture, psychological abuse and so much more in Housebroken. For want of a better phrase, it's an assault of the senses!
12 hours after finishing it, and I'm still thinking about it! Housebroken is adrenaline pumping action mixed with the creepiest of psychological torture and then some! Don't even get me started on the last 10% of the book! Most of that time was spent with my mouth open and going "huh?! What just happened!!!!". I gave it three stars on Goodreads. Well worth a read if you want something different to the usual kidnapping story.
charshorrorcorner's review
5.0
4.5/5 stars!
A home invasion story which differs in the fact that in this case, the invaders are actually moving in for a week or so.
I've been wanting to read something from The Behrg, and since I pre-ordered his latest book, I was eligible for a free download of one of his previous books-I chose HOUSEBROKEN, and here we are.
This story had so many twists and turns I had a hard time keeping up. This villain stood apart from the many hundreds of villains I've read about previously-that and the extremely fast pace had me hanging on until the final words were spoken.
Other than perhaps being a bit too long, this book was excellent. The narrator wasn't very skilled with female voices in my opinion, but his voicing of the villain was very good.
Recommended!
A home invasion story which differs in the fact that in this case, the invaders are actually moving in for a week or so.
I've been wanting to read something from The Behrg, and since I pre-ordered his latest book, I was eligible for a free download of one of his previous books-I chose HOUSEBROKEN, and here we are.
This story had so many twists and turns I had a hard time keeping up. This villain stood apart from the many hundreds of villains I've read about previously-that and the extremely fast pace had me hanging on until the final words were spoken.
Other than perhaps being a bit too long, this book was excellent. The narrator wasn't very skilled with female voices in my opinion, but his voicing of the villain was very good.
Recommended!
lauriereadslohf's review
4.0
This is a book that is absolutely not for everyone. Honesty, I feared it wasn’t for me because I have a weak spot when it comes to animals being harmed but I kept going because my friends' reviews convinced me not to be a quitter. I’m going to warn you though if you cannot handle dog death please be very careful when picking this up. I nearly put the audio down forever after a certain scene because it was graphic and it hurt me to the very core.
With that said, this book turned out to be a very surprising and brutal, horrific thriller. It is not for the squeamish but if you can handle the rougher stuff you might not be sorry you read it.
Blake is a wealthy guy who has started a new job and relocated his family to Malibu. He gets up one morning and steps in dog poo. The poor dog is a little out of sorts with the move but Blake, being the awful person he is, rubs the dog's nose in it and leaves the poop sitting there on the floor for his wife to clean up! FOR HIS WIFE TO CLEAN UP!!. AFTER HE STEPPED IN IT! I apologize for screaming but damn what a jerk! He is totally deserving of death from the get-go. I hoped it would happen soon but then there wouldn’t be much of a story then, I suppose. Soon after a stranger rings the doorbell asking for an interview and everything goes sideways from that moment on.
This book takes some wild and unexpected turns and no one here is exactly as they present and I liked that best about this story. The characterization and tension are so well done. It kept me guessing and it has some secrets! It’s violent and cruel and it will make you cringe. It gave me some major Funny Games vibes at times and trust me there is nothing funny about that movie! As I listened, I kept thinking “why am I doing this to myself?” and I still cannot answer that question properly. In the end, I would not reread this book but it was a compelling and horrifying story that surprised me and I’m glad I saw it through to the very end.
As for the audio? The narration was absolutely excellent and spot-on when it came to the men but oh sweet Satan the lady voice! The lady voice will send shivers down your spine with its unidentifiable accent and piercing falsetto but it does break up the tension, so there’s that.
I’m going with a four here, I think. I hate number ratings but they’re a necessary evil. Read this story only if you want to give all bell ringing people a hard side-eye for the rest of your life.
With that said, this book turned out to be a very surprising and brutal, horrific thriller. It is not for the squeamish but if you can handle the rougher stuff you might not be sorry you read it.
Blake is a wealthy guy who has started a new job and relocated his family to Malibu. He gets up one morning and steps in dog poo. The poor dog is a little out of sorts with the move but Blake, being the awful person he is, rubs the dog's nose in it and leaves the poop sitting there on the floor for his wife to clean up! FOR HIS WIFE TO CLEAN UP!!. AFTER HE STEPPED IN IT! I apologize for screaming but damn what a jerk! He is totally deserving of death from the get-go. I hoped it would happen soon but then there wouldn’t be much of a story then, I suppose. Soon after a stranger rings the doorbell asking for an interview and everything goes sideways from that moment on.
This book takes some wild and unexpected turns and no one here is exactly as they present and I liked that best about this story. The characterization and tension are so well done. It kept me guessing and it has some secrets! It’s violent and cruel and it will make you cringe. It gave me some major Funny Games vibes at times and trust me there is nothing funny about that movie! As I listened, I kept thinking “why am I doing this to myself?” and I still cannot answer that question properly. In the end, I would not reread this book but it was a compelling and horrifying story that surprised me and I’m glad I saw it through to the very end.
As for the audio? The narration was absolutely excellent and spot-on when it came to the men but oh sweet Satan the lady voice! The lady voice will send shivers down your spine with its unidentifiable accent and piercing falsetto but it does break up the tension, so there’s that.
I’m going with a four here, I think. I hate number ratings but they’re a necessary evil. Read this story only if you want to give all bell ringing people a hard side-eye for the rest of your life.
rebeccacarter's review
5.0
As I was reading this book, I couldn't imagine where it was going to lead me. It seems preposterous at first. Why would a complete stranger inflict so much torture on a family? And yes, some of it is quite graphic. However, as I neared the end, the story has twists that bring it all into focus, and the ending is just right for the horror to continue.
bibliophilebookclub's review
3.0
Also on bibliophilebookclub.wordpress.com
I was given a copy of Housebroken to review by Maxine over at BookLover Catlady.
I have no idea where to start with this book! I started it on Friday at lunchtime, and I finished it last night (Saturday) after spending the most part of the evening racing through it. I guess that's a good sign.
Goodreads describes Housebroken as follows:
"It was a kidnapping, but in all the wrong ways. No ransom, no demands; there was nothing they wanted--other than to observe."
When Blake Crochet and his family are taken hostage in their own home, they are forced to act out their everyday lives under the observance of two psychotic kidnappers. Each moment Blake must pit the decision to follow their captors' rules against the potential catastrophe of a failed escape.
He soon learns that the consequences of both action and inaction are more terrifying than he imagined. As Blake's life erodes beneath him, secrets come to light that threaten to destroy his family before their kidnappers have a chance.
Secrets carry consequences too.
As the motives behind the kidnapping are revealed, Blake must sacrifice everything to hold on to the ever-shifting definition of what his family has become. In his battle for survival, he will face the ultimate consequence: for to fight a devil, you may have to become one yourself.
I hadn't heard of this book before I started it so I had no idea what the premise of the book was. Once I started reading it, it quickly became evident that it wasn't your run of the mill kidnapping book. Imagine being housebound by two maniacs, just to be observed!
Blake and his wife Jenna, along with their son Adam have recently moved into a beautiful mansion in LA, however, happiness hasn't followed. There is obvious strain in the marriage, and this begins to become more evident as you get into the book. A stranger appears at their door, and their life is changed forever.
I don't want to go into the plot, but the only way I can describe this book is that it's one of the most brutal, screwed up books that I have read in a long time. There is violence (serious violence!!!), murder, torture, psychological abuse and so much more in Housebroken. For want of a better phrase, it's an assault of the senses!
12 hours after finishing it, and I'm still thinking about it! Housebroken is adrenaline pumping action mixed with the creepiest of psychological torture and then some! Don't even get me started on the last 10% of the book! Most of that time was spent with my mouth open and going "huh?! What just happened!!!!". I gave it three stars on Goodreads. Well worth a read if you want something different to the usual kidnapping story.
I was given a copy of Housebroken to review by Maxine over at BookLover Catlady.
I have no idea where to start with this book! I started it on Friday at lunchtime, and I finished it last night (Saturday) after spending the most part of the evening racing through it. I guess that's a good sign.
Goodreads describes Housebroken as follows:
"It was a kidnapping, but in all the wrong ways. No ransom, no demands; there was nothing they wanted--other than to observe."
When Blake Crochet and his family are taken hostage in their own home, they are forced to act out their everyday lives under the observance of two psychotic kidnappers. Each moment Blake must pit the decision to follow their captors' rules against the potential catastrophe of a failed escape.
He soon learns that the consequences of both action and inaction are more terrifying than he imagined. As Blake's life erodes beneath him, secrets come to light that threaten to destroy his family before their kidnappers have a chance.
Secrets carry consequences too.
As the motives behind the kidnapping are revealed, Blake must sacrifice everything to hold on to the ever-shifting definition of what his family has become. In his battle for survival, he will face the ultimate consequence: for to fight a devil, you may have to become one yourself.
I hadn't heard of this book before I started it so I had no idea what the premise of the book was. Once I started reading it, it quickly became evident that it wasn't your run of the mill kidnapping book. Imagine being housebound by two maniacs, just to be observed!
Blake and his wife Jenna, along with their son Adam have recently moved into a beautiful mansion in LA, however, happiness hasn't followed. There is obvious strain in the marriage, and this begins to become more evident as you get into the book. A stranger appears at their door, and their life is changed forever.
I don't want to go into the plot, but the only way I can describe this book is that it's one of the most brutal, screwed up books that I have read in a long time. There is violence (serious violence!!!), murder, torture, psychological abuse and so much more in Housebroken. For want of a better phrase, it's an assault of the senses!
12 hours after finishing it, and I'm still thinking about it! Housebroken is adrenaline pumping action mixed with the creepiest of psychological torture and then some! Don't even get me started on the last 10% of the book! Most of that time was spent with my mouth open and going "huh?! What just happened!!!!". I gave it three stars on Goodreads. Well worth a read if you want something different to the usual kidnapping story.
More...