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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Heartbreaking tale of a serial killer of young boys and how trauma effects everyone differently. Lots of suspense and finger pointing with a great plot.
This is pretty run of the mill stuff - with the added bonus of being inspired by actual events. It’s like a bloated episode of Law & Order, complete with the police violently accosting an innocent man at the 3/4 mark. The character should have been named Red Herring, it was so obvious. Now, I’m not a big fan of Law & Order but it’s entertaining and so is The Monsters We Make. Clunky but entertaining, three stars.
The narrative voice sounds like it’s from 2020. There’s very little to cement its place in the mid 80s. It feels very much like someone talking about the 80s instead of living in them.
One of the main characters has a disability but it never seems like more than a superficial application to make them special. The young woman is intelligent, driven, caring and something about the narrative seems to say of she wasn’t nearly blind, she’d be just a girl.
No spoilers, so I’ll only say the conclusion is a cacophony of coincidence.
The narrative voice sounds like it’s from 2020. There’s very little to cement its place in the mid 80s. It feels very much like someone talking about the 80s instead of living in them.
One of the main characters has a disability but it never seems like more than a superficial application to make them special. The young woman is intelligent, driven, caring and something about the narrative seems to say of she wasn’t nearly blind, she’d be just a girl.
No spoilers, so I’ll only say the conclusion is a cacophony of coincidence.
An intense and gripping story that I couldn't put down.
I loved the vivid descriptions, how well the author described the atmosphere and developed the characters.
It's one of those story that keeps you on the edge till the end and makes you turn pages as fast as you can.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I loved the vivid descriptions, how well the author described the atmosphere and developed the characters.
It's one of those story that keeps you on the edge till the end and makes you turn pages as fast as you can.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars
I happened upon this book and when I realized it was based on true crime, I had to read it. The pacing of the story was on point and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book.
I happened upon this book and when I realized it was based on true crime, I had to read it. The pacing of the story was on point and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book.
I don't know how to rate a fiction book that took the story from real life. Also, how can you rate a book that solemnly talks about missing young boys? I do remember the case from tv though... cases. It's chilling and scary...
Suburban thriller set in the 80's... what can I say except I'm here for it! The Monsters We Make was creepy & heartbreaking. The writing was great. There were moments that made my skin crawl and my blood boil.
At times it was predictable, but I enjoyed the true crime aspects. Made me want to listen to more and hopefully find more explosive and captivating prose.
Any child of the ‘80’s remembers the heightened awareness of stranger danger and the missing kids that lined our milk cartons.
This smart and chilling thriller is a work of fiction, but relies heavily on a true life case of three paper boys that disappeared, all within a few years of each other, while out on their morning deliveries.
This page-turner is told from alternate perspectives that include the officer assigned to the case, the sister of a fellow paper boy, and a 12-year-old boy that is carrying around a secret that haunts his every waking minute.
I could not put this book down and recommend it, in particular, for fans of Rene Denfeld.
The author spent hundreds of hours researching these missing person cases and conducted numerous interviews with reporters and officers that covered these past cases. This read is absolutely solid from start to finish.
Triggering warnings: child sexual abuse
This smart and chilling thriller is a work of fiction, but relies heavily on a true life case of three paper boys that disappeared, all within a few years of each other, while out on their morning deliveries.
This page-turner is told from alternate perspectives that include the officer assigned to the case, the sister of a fellow paper boy, and a 12-year-old boy that is carrying around a secret that haunts his every waking minute.
I could not put this book down and recommend it, in particular, for fans of Rene Denfeld.
The author spent hundreds of hours researching these missing person cases and conducted numerous interviews with reporters and officers that covered these past cases. This read is absolutely solid from start to finish.
Triggering warnings: child sexual abuse
If you don’t like open-ended endings, you probably won’t like this book. But since it was based on true events, I was able to accept it because it made sense and fit the tone of the story.
The Monsters We Make was an atmospheric thriller that reeked of ‘80s nostalgia, which I enjoyed. It told the story of Crystal and Sammy Cox, siblings living in Des Moines during a time when paperboys were being kidnapped. After a second boy disappeared from the same street, Crystal began noticing Sammy behaving oddly and secretively. She was in her last year of high school, an ambitious and inquisitive-minded girl who was determined to go to journalism school in Miami, but her single mother wasn’t able to afford it. I really liked her—she was a caring and bossy sister and daughter with a mind of her own.
Next up was Dale, a cop struggling with panic attacks and other psychological issues. He worked the case of the first kidnapped paperboy and was now tasked with investigating the second. It was clear right away that he himself was also a victim of childhood abuse. We see him decline as pressure mounts on the police force to solve the case. I felt bad for him—he was utterly alone and couldn’t talk to anyone about his troubles.
Overall, the story was well paced and effectively created a sense of foreboding. I was sufficiently creeped out till the very end. And for those who are concerned about the subject matter, there weren’t any graphic or explicit scenes.
The Monsters We Make was an atmospheric thriller that reeked of ‘80s nostalgia, which I enjoyed. It told the story of Crystal and Sammy Cox, siblings living in Des Moines during a time when paperboys were being kidnapped. After a second boy disappeared from the same street, Crystal began noticing Sammy behaving oddly and secretively. She was in her last year of high school, an ambitious and inquisitive-minded girl who was determined to go to journalism school in Miami, but her single mother wasn’t able to afford it. I really liked her—she was a caring and bossy sister and daughter with a mind of her own.
Next up was Dale, a cop struggling with panic attacks and other psychological issues. He worked the case of the first kidnapped paperboy and was now tasked with investigating the second. It was clear right away that he himself was also a victim of childhood abuse. We see him decline as pressure mounts on the police force to solve the case. I felt bad for him—he was utterly alone and couldn’t talk to anyone about his troubles.
Overall, the story was well paced and effectively created a sense of foreboding. I was sufficiently creeped out till the very end. And for those who are concerned about the subject matter, there weren’t any graphic or explicit scenes.