Scan barcode
carlaabra's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The first ~100 pages were very engaging, but after that I had to skim. The newspaper subplot slowed down the tension unfortunately. There were way too many names to keep track of-eg if a character is only shown for 2 pages, I don’t think they need a first and last name.
The plot was thrilling but the pacing towards the middle/end was a little off. By the middle, clues were being revealed but interspersed with lots of useless details (hence the skimming). Then at the climax everything happened really fast, so much so that it seemed anticlimactic given how the whole book was building towards a moment that was over in a few pages. I also disliked how the aftermath only got a few pages too. It felt unfinished given how much psychological fallout there should’ve been.
Minor flaw: Claire is totally fine with her husband never speaking a word about his divorce or his childhood? That was unbelievable for me.
I think with some intense editing and paring down this could work a lot better.
The plot was thrilling but the pacing towards the middle/end was a little off. By the middle, clues were being revealed but interspersed with lots of useless details (hence the skimming). Then at the climax everything happened really fast, so much so that it seemed anticlimactic given how the whole book was building towards a moment that was over in a few pages. I also disliked how the aftermath only got a few pages too. It felt unfinished given how much psychological fallout there should’ve been.
Minor flaw: Claire is totally fine with her husband never speaking a word about his divorce or his childhood? That was unbelievable for me.
I think with some intense editing and paring down this could work a lot better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Death of parent, Infertility, Kidnapping, Murder, and Stalking
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, and Sexual assault
Nothing is excessively graphic imo but this is about a serial killer. His crimes are described.amandat's review
2.0
I actually won this book through a Good Reads contest back in 2013. I read the first 100 pages, set it down, then lost of the book and recently found it again. Finished it this time.
1 star for finishing the book, 1 star for the writing, zero for the plot.
Who would have thought a book with a serial killer as it's main character would be so... dull?
Nothing of interest happens until the last 20 pages, and by then I could see the ending coming a mile away. Which was too bad, because Rick Mofina writes well and this could have been better had he focused more on character development and less on attempting to copy famous real life serial killers. It's a mashup between Dexter, the real Zodiac and BTK (which actually referred to his method of killing and not a name he gave to himself). Which sounds like it should be exciting, right?
Nope.
1 star for finishing the book, 1 star for the writing, zero for the plot.
Who would have thought a book with a serial killer as it's main character would be so... dull?
Nothing of interest happens until the last 20 pages, and by then I could see the ending coming a mile away. Which was too bad, because Rick Mofina writes well and this could have been better had he focused more on character development and less on attempting to copy famous real life serial killers. It's a mashup between Dexter, the real Zodiac and BTK (which actually referred to his method of killing and not a name he gave to himself). Which sounds like it should be exciting, right?
Nope.
blackcatbibliophile's review
3.0
I received this from a first reads giveaway.
This was a page turner, but also very predictable. You knew who the serial killer was from the beginning, but I still wanted to know when or if he would get caught and if he would kill anyone else. It was obvious how it was going to end, but if you are looking for a quick easy fast paced read this book is for you. On the other hand, if you are going to think about how all these intricate plot lines just happened to all come together at the perfect time, then this is not the right novel for you.
This was a page turner, but also very predictable. You knew who the serial killer was from the beginning, but I still wanted to know when or if he would get caught and if he would kill anyone else. It was obvious how it was going to end, but if you are looking for a quick easy fast paced read this book is for you. On the other hand, if you are going to think about how all these intricate plot lines just happened to all come together at the perfect time, then this is not the right novel for you.
More...