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kaisersozee's review against another edition
5.0
Another Lee Child recommendation, FBI behavioral analyst Caitlin Hendrix battles serial killers in this suspense filled series. Thrilling stuff indeed!!
mari_is_reading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
litwithleigh's review against another edition
No rating for this one due to personal reasons. I DNFed it last night but I had less than 100 pages to go so I just powered through this morning.
One sentence review: Criminal Minds, but make it a fictional novel
SYNOPSIS
The Prophet is back and it's up to Caitlin Hendrix to stop what her father, the lead detective on the original case, failed to do.
MY OPINION
Lol. So, I'm not rating this because of this lil racist razzle dazzle: "The kid is just a kid. Chinese, or Korean maybe. But American." And to answer your questions: no, the kid is not a significant character whatsoever. No, this was not dialogue used to demonstrate another character's narrow-mindedness. Yes, this was 100% unnecessary. This book was published in 2017 with a Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Randomhouse. This is a total failure on the editor's behalf to let this slip through, especially when it has ZEROOOOO bearing on the story or context for that matter. Sorry, but I've heard enough "jokes" in my lifetime that "all Asians look the same." Thank you, next.
Anyways, if you're look for a book with OTT Criminal Minds drama that gives you nothing emotionally, doesn't develop or flush out any character backstories (which for a series debut is odd), or have an overarching themes/greater messages, THIS IS FOR YOU. And this isn't shade. Different strokes for different folks. However, I like my drivel to at least have one extra layer to it. This is a case where I'd rather just turn on the TV to get the full impact in 30/60 mins, than slog through a book for hours.
And because this book was giving me NOTHING else but TV-worthy dramaction (drama + action), all I could think of was the mechanics of The Prophet's attacks and how unrealistic they were. See, I don't get caught up in these details when watching TV because my other senses are stimulated. But when it comes to a book, where the reader has to do the heavy lifting with their imagination, I couldn't figure out how tf this mans (or woman... no spoilies lol) k!lled and then transported a car-full worth of crows and then somehow sourced a random assortment of doll heads to shove onto the crows before sticking them in the victim's car. And then how did he rig the victim's cell phone so quickly?
I know, I know, yeetage of disbelief, but again, since this book was serving up absolutely nothing else, it was all my swiss cheese brain could focus on. Recently I read Ragdoll, which also required yeetage of disbelief, but since there was solid character development/backstories, conflict, and an overarching theme/message, I had other things to think about. Does this make sense? Probably not. Welcome to my brain.
Anyways, another insignificant line that I couldn't get past was: "The lid popped off and coffee slurped onto my shirt." HUH??? Slurped... onto my shirt???? Sorry, did I miss that slurp can also mean splash? I am confusion. Again, editor, where art thou? This was a case of where I was so shook by such a simple mistake, I second guessed myself and looked it up in the dictionary. It's kinda like when you're taking a math test and use your calculator to make sure 7+7 is indeed 14 LOL.
Again, if you're looking for a mindless read full of dramaction, this is the one for you. And if you're not really into police procedurals, no worries. This is pretty much a citizen gone rogue masquerading as a detective.
One sentence review: Criminal Minds, but make it a fictional novel
SYNOPSIS
The Prophet is back and it's up to Caitlin Hendrix to stop what her father, the lead detective on the original case, failed to do.
MY OPINION
Lol. So, I'm not rating this because of this lil racist razzle dazzle: "The kid is just a kid. Chinese, or Korean maybe. But American." And to answer your questions: no, the kid is not a significant character whatsoever. No, this was not dialogue used to demonstrate another character's narrow-mindedness. Yes, this was 100% unnecessary. This book was published in 2017 with a Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Randomhouse. This is a total failure on the editor's behalf to let this slip through, especially when it has ZEROOOOO bearing on the story or context for that matter. Sorry, but I've heard enough "jokes" in my lifetime that "all Asians look the same." Thank you, next.
Anyways, if you're look for a book with OTT Criminal Minds drama that gives you nothing emotionally, doesn't develop or flush out any character backstories (which for a series debut is odd), or have an overarching themes/greater messages, THIS IS FOR YOU. And this isn't shade. Different strokes for different folks. However, I like my drivel to at least have one extra layer to it. This is a case where I'd rather just turn on the TV to get the full impact in 30/60 mins, than slog through a book for hours.
And because this book was giving me NOTHING else but TV-worthy dramaction (drama + action), all I could think of was the mechanics of The Prophet's attacks and how unrealistic they were. See, I don't get caught up in these details when watching TV because my other senses are stimulated. But when it comes to a book, where the reader has to do the heavy lifting with their imagination, I couldn't figure out how tf this mans (or woman... no spoilies lol) k!lled and then transported a car-full worth of crows and then somehow sourced a random assortment of doll heads to shove onto the crows before sticking them in the victim's car. And then how did he rig the victim's cell phone so quickly?
I know, I know, yeetage of disbelief, but again, since this book was serving up absolutely nothing else, it was all my swiss cheese brain could focus on. Recently I read Ragdoll, which also required yeetage of disbelief, but since there was solid character development/backstories, conflict, and an overarching theme/message, I had other things to think about. Does this make sense? Probably not. Welcome to my brain.
Anyways, another insignificant line that I couldn't get past was: "The lid popped off and coffee slurped onto my shirt." HUH??? Slurped... onto my shirt???? Sorry, did I miss that slurp can also mean splash? I am confusion. Again, editor, where art thou? This was a case of where I was so shook by such a simple mistake, I second guessed myself and looked it up in the dictionary. It's kinda like when you're taking a math test and use your calculator to make sure 7+7 is indeed 14 LOL.
Again, if you're looking for a mindless read full of dramaction, this is the one for you. And if you're not really into police procedurals, no worries. This is pretty much a citizen gone rogue masquerading as a detective.
karlyo83's review against another edition
5.0
My rating system: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ticked all the boxes LOVED IT!!!!
The Prophet is back and it’s worse than ever before!!
After 20 years dormant the serial killer known only as ‘The Prophet’ has crawled out of wherever he has been and is on the prowl. Committing heinous crimes and leaving cryptic messages at each scene no one has been able to catch him.
Caitlin Hendrix has been in a detective with the narcotics division for 6 months has been called in to assist on this case. It is very close to home for her because her dad was the original detective on the case in the 90s and it almost destroyed him and their family. Caitlin is determined to be on the team that catches him this time around.
Inspired by the never-caught Zodiac Killer this hair raiser is not for the feint of heart. Will Caitlin and the team be able to catch the Prophet or will be manage to destroy the Hendrix family forever…
Well…. This was like saying hello to an old friend. A serial killer fiction is really my jam and this one was a doozy!!! As you can see from my 5 star rating and the fact that I devoured in in under 24 hours I am left wondering why I have had it on my TBR list for 2 years!!!
The Prophet is back and it’s worse than ever before!!
After 20 years dormant the serial killer known only as ‘The Prophet’ has crawled out of wherever he has been and is on the prowl. Committing heinous crimes and leaving cryptic messages at each scene no one has been able to catch him.
Caitlin Hendrix has been in a detective with the narcotics division for 6 months has been called in to assist on this case. It is very close to home for her because her dad was the original detective on the case in the 90s and it almost destroyed him and their family. Caitlin is determined to be on the team that catches him this time around.
Inspired by the never-caught Zodiac Killer this hair raiser is not for the feint of heart. Will Caitlin and the team be able to catch the Prophet or will be manage to destroy the Hendrix family forever…
Well…. This was like saying hello to an old friend. A serial killer fiction is really my jam and this one was a doozy!!! As you can see from my 5 star rating and the fact that I devoured in in under 24 hours I am left wondering why I have had it on my TBR list for 2 years!!!
popsiwinkle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
capercaillie's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Meh. It was...fine. I wasn't expecting anything amazing as I was looking for a quick procedural thriller for a lazy beach read, but I had hoped for something a bit more engaging based on the hype.
It largely felt like a sort of Criminal Minds fanfic, except the characters didn't really seem to have much character, which let down what otherwise might have been a decent thriller. The writing is flat enough that I assumed this was maybe the author's first book. It's largely a collection of police procedural tropes that would work well for a TV episode, but less so for a book that really takes its time getting anywhere.
The random chapter 2/3 through from the killer's perspective managed to completely quash any tension or mystique so far built up around the antagonistsince he was actually just a lame techbro with mommy issues rather than the sophisticated, Machiavellian villain he'd been built up to be.
The action was decent, but I didn't really care about the main character because there wasn't really much character to care about, and the ending was extremely fanfictiony - despite barely even having become a detective and only having worked a single homicide case, she is suddenly invited into theCriminal Minds' FBI's behavioural analysis team because she's that special. OK...
It largely felt like a sort of Criminal Minds fanfic, except the characters didn't really seem to have much character, which let down what otherwise might have been a decent thriller. The writing is flat enough that I assumed this was maybe the author's first book. It's largely a collection of police procedural tropes that would work well for a TV episode, but less so for a book that really takes its time getting anywhere.
The random chapter 2/3 through from the killer's perspective managed to completely quash any tension or mystique so far built up around the antagonist
The action was decent, but I didn't really care about the main character because there wasn't really much character to care about, and the ending was extremely fanfictiony - despite barely even having become a detective and only having worked a single homicide case, she is suddenly invited into the
shennelleinez's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
achay91's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Torture, Blood, Cursing, Gore, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual content
cutenanya's review against another edition
5.0
More like 4.5 stars.
This book is by far the best I have read in 2020 and I really liked it though, of course, there are some illogical parts in the book but overall, I'm satisfied.
The father-daughter setup is awesome and I really liked both Mack and Caitlin. Both are extremely intelligent and can see through the intricate patterns woven by the "unsub" (as the title of the book). It's a bit tragic that a dutiful and diligent cop was reduced to the state Mack was but I'm glad there's an explanation for everything in the book.
The plot itself is also intriguing and make you want to read (or listen as I prefer audiobooks) in one go and the romance is not the focus of the book (which is perfect as the plot is so complex there is really little room for romance). The development of a stable relationship between Sean and Caitlin makes more sense and suits the story perfectly.
My complaint with the book is how Caitlin so easily became a profiler in the end of the first novel. I get how her experience and her dad being the lead investigator in the original crimes allowed her to join the team investigating the Prophet's killings but I don't buy how she could just transfer to the FBI like that. There's very strict training protocol within the FBI, and more so in the BAU. You need to have psychological training and relevant education to create profiles (that I have a graduate degree in criminology). Thus I don't buy her transfer to FBI but everything else in this book, I liked, especially the plot twist in the end.
Side note: I hate the word by the way and thought it became popular after Criminal Minds but I might be wrong as I don't know what terminology the FBI really uses but I have a feeling that before Criminal Minds, most people refer to serial killers as, well simply, killer and I'm way more comfortable with that but who am I to judge
This book is by far the best I have read in 2020 and I really liked it though, of course, there are some illogical parts in the book but overall, I'm satisfied.
The father-daughter setup is awesome and I really liked both Mack and Caitlin. Both are extremely intelligent and can see through the intricate patterns woven by the "unsub" (as the title of the book). It's a bit tragic that a dutiful and diligent cop was reduced to the state Mack was but I'm glad there's an explanation for everything in the book.
The plot itself is also intriguing and make you want to read (or listen as I prefer audiobooks) in one go and the romance is not the focus of the book (which is perfect as the plot is so complex there is really little room for romance). The development of a stable relationship between Sean and Caitlin makes more sense and suits the story perfectly.
My complaint with the book is how Caitlin so easily became a profiler in the end of the first novel. I get how her experience and her dad being the lead investigator in the original crimes allowed her to join the team investigating the Prophet's killings but I don't buy how she could just transfer to the FBI like that. There's very strict training protocol within the FBI, and more so in the BAU. You need to have psychological training and relevant education to create profiles (that I have a graduate degree in criminology). Thus I don't buy her transfer to FBI but everything else in this book, I liked, especially the plot twist in the end.
Side note: I hate the word by the way and thought it became popular after Criminal Minds but I might be wrong as I don't know what terminology the FBI really uses but I have a feeling that before Criminal Minds, most people refer to serial killers as, well simply, killer and I'm way more comfortable with that but who am I to judge
whatbookishannahreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book sucked me right in! The premise is that our FMC’s father was a detective on the case of a serial killer when she was a child and they never caught him. Now, she’s a detective herself and similar killings have begun - is it a copycat, or is he back?
I finished this in a day because I just had to know what happened! I don’t want to take away the thrills, so check it out! I read the audiobook and loved the narrator.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” - Friedrich Nietzsche