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jnupponen's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
fran17's review
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
too much cold-blooded brutality, character stereotypes
noveldeelights's review
4.0
First off, let me say this. As a reader, we often get asked if we judge a book by its cover. The answer is yes, yes we do. Let's be honest. However I, as a reader, also sometimes judge a book by its title. I did it with this one and disregarded it as I really didn't want to read yet another book about a girl who's gone, on a train or a plane, or any other mode of transportation. But I kept seeing great reviews around the blogging community and I trust my blogger buddies so I got curious and decided to check this one out. I'm so glad I did because I would have missed out on something truly great otherwise. By the end of the first chapter, I settled down on my comfy sofa in the knowledge that this was going to be one heck of a ride.
Vicki is trying to recapture the happiness she felt before her college graduation by inviting her old roommate Laurie to come stay with her for a while. Laurie books a bus ticket online but never arrives at her destination. Vicki tries to report her friend missing but the police don't take her seriously. When weeks later, Laurie still hasn't shown up, Vicki turns to newly retired detective Leighton Jones for help.
I really enjoyed this highly unusual pairing. What was really interesting was not only are they investigation this intriguing case but they also both grow as people. Excellent character development throughout.
And then there's the bus. I can't say much more about that. It drives. Not on its own, obviously. That would have been a whole other level of weird. Throughout the book, I kept telling myself I'd never get on a bus again. Then the ending happened and I laughed. Not because it's funny but because it's just insanely brilliant and really got the point across. Well played, sir!
The Girl On The Bus is a well crafted, gripping and engrossing thriller that I couldn't put down. I was hooked from the very first page and couldn't turn the pages quick enough. I can't wait to see what Norman M. Brown comes up with next!
Vicki is trying to recapture the happiness she felt before her college graduation by inviting her old roommate Laurie to come stay with her for a while. Laurie books a bus ticket online but never arrives at her destination. Vicki tries to report her friend missing but the police don't take her seriously. When weeks later, Laurie still hasn't shown up, Vicki turns to newly retired detective Leighton Jones for help.
I really enjoyed this highly unusual pairing. What was really interesting was not only are they investigation this intriguing case but they also both grow as people. Excellent character development throughout.
And then there's the bus. I can't say much more about that. It drives. Not on its own, obviously. That would have been a whole other level of weird. Throughout the book, I kept telling myself I'd never get on a bus again. Then the ending happened and I laughed. Not because it's funny but because it's just insanely brilliant and really got the point across. Well played, sir!
The Girl On The Bus is a well crafted, gripping and engrossing thriller that I couldn't put down. I was hooked from the very first page and couldn't turn the pages quick enough. I can't wait to see what Norman M. Brown comes up with next!
sarahs_bookish_life's review
5.0
This book had me right from the start. It's one of those books that once started you are seriously going to struggle to put back down again.
Leighton is a retired detective who is a bit of a loner. He chances on Vicki when leaving the police station one day. Vicki takes to the kindly ex detective as he seems to be the only one genuinely taking her seriously. there on in, the pair decide to take matters into their own hands and look into Laura's disappearance themselves.
I liked the relationship that builds through out the story between the two main characters. In a way I think they both are gaining something from the other person being there and I don't mean just the case. It's almost like a father/daughter relationship as well as them both having a strong respect for each other. It was something that by the end of the story made me really emotional.
I don't want to say to much about the story itself as I think the less you know the better as there were certainly a few omg moments as well as parts that made the hairs on my arms stand up.
The Girl On The Bus is a great story full of suspense and intrigue. It would make a belter of a film. It made me think of The Hitch Hiker though it is a very different story line. There certainly is a mixture of genres, as in crime, suspense, thriller and horror. It was the perfect blend and I am dying to read more by the author.
Leighton is a retired detective who is a bit of a loner. He chances on Vicki when leaving the police station one day. Vicki takes to the kindly ex detective as he seems to be the only one genuinely taking her seriously. there on in, the pair decide to take matters into their own hands and look into Laura's disappearance themselves.
I liked the relationship that builds through out the story between the two main characters. In a way I think they both are gaining something from the other person being there and I don't mean just the case. It's almost like a father/daughter relationship as well as them both having a strong respect for each other. It was something that by the end of the story made me really emotional.
I don't want to say to much about the story itself as I think the less you know the better as there were certainly a few omg moments as well as parts that made the hairs on my arms stand up.
The Girl On The Bus is a great story full of suspense and intrigue. It would make a belter of a film. It made me think of The Hitch Hiker though it is a very different story line. There certainly is a mixture of genres, as in crime, suspense, thriller and horror. It was the perfect blend and I am dying to read more by the author.
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