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jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
Simon Kernick's books are reliable page turners. They hook you in quickly and have you flicking the pages until late in the night. This one is no exception, and the fact that I gave it only three stars doesn't mean that it's not relentlessly readable - it is! However it's not one of the strongest plots that Kernick has delivered, relying too much on coincidences and the reader's willingness to overlook logic as the body count mounts. And while the protagonists are very likeable, their behaviour stretches credibility too far.
The plot focuses on Matt Barron, recovering from a car accident which has given him amnesia. His sister is looking after him and has hired both a nurse and a psychiatrist to help him recover his memories. However he has a nagging suspicion that things aren't what they appear to be and when two very nasty killers turn up one day, he finds himself on the run for his life, while at the same time desperate to make sense of the vague memories that he has and find out why so many people are after him.
Like all of Kernick's books, some familiar characters will make an appearance along the way, including Tina Boyd and DCI Mike Bolt. As we will also learn, Matt Barron has himself been a major character in a previous book (if you don't want to know which it was because that would constitute a spoiler, stop reading this review now - but if you do want to know, it's the eigthth Simon Kernick book, with the number ten in the title).
The plot focuses on Matt Barron, recovering from a car accident which has given him amnesia. His sister is looking after him and has hired both a nurse and a psychiatrist to help him recover his memories. However he has a nagging suspicion that things aren't what they appear to be and when two very nasty killers turn up one day, he finds himself on the run for his life, while at the same time desperate to make sense of the vague memories that he has and find out why so many people are after him.
Like all of Kernick's books, some familiar characters will make an appearance along the way, including Tina Boyd and DCI Mike Bolt. As we will also learn, Matt Barron has himself been a major character in a previous book (if you don't want to know which it was because that would constitute a spoiler, stop reading this review now - but if you do want to know, it's the eigthth Simon Kernick book, with the number ten in the title).
mpr2000's review against another edition
4.0
A man wakes up with a scary nightmare, two bodies and the feeling that he killed them... He had no memories of the bodies or his life before the accident, just what his sister and doctor had told him, but is it the truth or they are hiding something from him?
Tina Boyd is a PI investigating the disappearance of a young girl, she has been missing for a few months now...
Could it be that these two successes are related somehow? We'll see...
This is my first Simon Kernick book, I haven't participated in any of the Tina and Boyd books before, but it seems that they have some history together, good and bad, I will have to take look at the other Simon books!
This is a non-stop thriller; with killers, mafia and some political issues mixed. You will not be able to stop running until you know where are the bodies hidden, and why they are so important!
Can you imagine waking up in a hospital with no memories? I would be so scared... don't know if the person you are trusting is telling the truth... this book has some similitude with Before I Go To Sleep from S.J. Watson. Both of them trapped in a blank page with some scary dreams and no one to help them!
If you are planning to read this book, remember that you will need 24 hours free, because this book will hook you till the end!
Ready to remember your worst nightmare?.
Tina Boyd is a PI investigating the disappearance of a young girl, she has been missing for a few months now...
Could it be that these two successes are related somehow? We'll see...
This is my first Simon Kernick book, I haven't participated in any of the Tina and Boyd books before, but it seems that they have some history together, good and bad, I will have to take look at the other Simon books!
This is a non-stop thriller; with killers, mafia and some political issues mixed. You will not be able to stop running until you know where are the bodies hidden, and why they are so important!
Can you imagine waking up in a hospital with no memories? I would be so scared... don't know if the person you are trusting is telling the truth... this book has some similitude with Before I Go To Sleep from S.J. Watson. Both of them trapped in a blank page with some scary dreams and no one to help them!
If you are planning to read this book, remember that you will need 24 hours free, because this book will hook you till the end!
Ready to remember your worst nightmare?.
snoakes7001's review against another edition
5.0
I do love a Simon Kernick - they rattle along at juggernaut pace. The characterisation is excellent, the plotting tight and the short chapters with alternating first and third person narrative put you right into the centre of the action.
All in all if you like a good thriller then these are some of the best. I can't believe no-one's ever filmed them - Tina Boyd would make an fantastic TV series. Or maybe they have and I was too busy with my nose in a book to notice!
All in all if you like a good thriller then these are some of the best. I can't believe no-one's ever filmed them - Tina Boyd would make an fantastic TV series. Or maybe they have and I was too busy with my nose in a book to notice!
mattobee's review against another edition
5.0
I've read half a dozen Kernick books and this is almost certainly my favourite so far. It's got the same relentless pace and thrilling twists and turns that keep you guessing to the end, together with fascinating characters like Tina Boyd.
snazzybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Book reviews and other book-related stuff: www.snazzybooks.com
The Final Minute by Simon Kernick is a fast paced novel with a wide range of different, interesting characters that combines action with suspense.
The novel is really easy to read and although a lot happens it wasn’t too hard to follow, and so I raced through it!
The story seems to focus more on Matt Barron, the guy who has lost his memory and is being chased down by ‘questionable’ characters, than Tina Boyd who is the main detective that this new series is about.
The character development was really good; I actually didn't feel like we really learnt much about Tina Boyd as a detective, only snippets from her past but I suppose this is setting the future books up to reveal more about her character as the series goes on. I also gather that she has appeared in previous books by Simon Kernick and so is semi-established, and therefore I imagine those who have read these novels already know a little more about her, but she now has her own series (of which this is the first book!). Tina seems like quite a maverick and continues to help Matt even though she knew his history and that he had done questionable things, and it was quite refreshing to read about a dynamic, talented female ex-detective.
Also interesting is the way the novel makes you doubt the main character Matt, who seems to have had a shady past. Kernick makes you wonder sometimes if he’s actually a good guy or not, but ultimately you are rooting for him to survive until the end of the novel, which at times seems less than certain! Kernick makes you think though about the fact that people can make mistakes but if they've served their time the question is whether you should just forget about their past issues?
You read the story from different perspectives which I really enjoyed; it jumps mainly between Matt and Tina’s narratives but we also see some of what the ‘baddies’ are doing which really keeps the reader on their toes throughout.
I would recommend this novel to those who already love thrillers and also to anyone wanting to get into this genre- it’s fast paced and exciting whilst also being well-written; it doesn’t veer into trashy like (in my opinion) many other books in this genre tend to do an awful lot!
The Final Minute by Simon Kernick is a fast paced novel with a wide range of different, interesting characters that combines action with suspense.
The novel is really easy to read and although a lot happens it wasn’t too hard to follow, and so I raced through it!
The story seems to focus more on Matt Barron, the guy who has lost his memory and is being chased down by ‘questionable’ characters, than Tina Boyd who is the main detective that this new series is about.
The character development was really good; I actually didn't feel like we really learnt much about Tina Boyd as a detective, only snippets from her past but I suppose this is setting the future books up to reveal more about her character as the series goes on. I also gather that she has appeared in previous books by Simon Kernick and so is semi-established, and therefore I imagine those who have read these novels already know a little more about her, but she now has her own series (of which this is the first book!). Tina seems like quite a maverick and continues to help Matt even though she knew his history and that he had done questionable things, and it was quite refreshing to read about a dynamic, talented female ex-detective.
Also interesting is the way the novel makes you doubt the main character Matt, who seems to have had a shady past. Kernick makes you wonder sometimes if he’s actually a good guy or not, but ultimately you are rooting for him to survive until the end of the novel, which at times seems less than certain! Kernick makes you think though about the fact that people can make mistakes but if they've served their time the question is whether you should just forget about their past issues?
You read the story from different perspectives which I really enjoyed; it jumps mainly between Matt and Tina’s narratives but we also see some of what the ‘baddies’ are doing which really keeps the reader on their toes throughout.
I would recommend this novel to those who already love thrillers and also to anyone wanting to get into this genre- it’s fast paced and exciting whilst also being well-written; it doesn’t veer into trashy like (in my opinion) many other books in this genre tend to do an awful lot!
velsbooknook's review against another edition
dark
tense
5.0
What a beautiful and thrilling read! This book got me from start to finish. The story is about Matthew Barron who woke up from a coma and can't remember a single thing about his past. He is haunted by nightmares. After not making much progress in psychotherapy he is contacting ex Met cop, turned private detective, Tina Boyd. He needs her to find out who he really is and where those nightmares are coming from.
Tina is a great character and I love to see her back! If you read other books by Kernick you will know her all too well. As I said before the book just had me and especially the last 70 pages were so thrilling I couldn't put my book down! A big recommendation from me to you. I loved every page of it.
Tina is a great character and I love to see her back! If you read other books by Kernick you will know her all too well. As I said before the book just had me and especially the last 70 pages were so thrilling I couldn't put my book down! A big recommendation from me to you. I loved every page of it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Rape, and Violence
suvida's review against another edition
2.0
It had a decent amount of suspense but that's about it. I was grossed out by the perverted protagonist and the general perversion which seems to hang in the air involving everyone but Tina Boyd, who is just about the only decent character in the story.
nehailism's review against another edition
4.0
I'm left feeling bittersweet after the end.
My bookish senses were telling me something wrong will happen towards the finish but at least the damage wasn't half as bad as I had anticipated. I'm just feeling sad, that's all. I had good hopes for our main guy Matthew Barron/Sean Egan and the ex-cop Tina Boyd but you don't get everything you want in life.
My bookish senses were telling me something wrong will happen towards the finish but at least the damage wasn't half as bad as I had anticipated. I'm just feeling sad, that's all. I had good hopes for our main guy Matthew Barron/Sean Egan and the ex-cop Tina Boyd but you don't get everything you want in life.
darnays's review against another edition
The way this man speaks about women - even dead ones, especially dead ones - absolutely disgusts me.
scottish_kat's review against another edition
2.0
the most boring action adventure I've ever read. convoluted and improbable plot.
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