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duparker's review against another edition
4.0
This started out a bit dry and convoluted, and then it actually moved in the right direction and became an interesting and well-meaning thriller. The twists and turns worked the overall flow was interesting.
dantastic's review against another edition
2.0
Catherine "Cay" Morgan travels to Mazatlan looking for The Trader, a jewel smuggler who carved a T into her forehead for dealing on his turf five years earlier. Cay is aided by PI George Hodd, and Walter Kilmer, a fisherman. In her quest for vengeance, Cay learns of a fortune in buried gold. Only nothing is as it seems...
First off, I almost liked this but there was definitely some blandness to it. While the plot was good, Cay was unsympathetic sometimes and I found it hard to care what happened to her. Other times, I just didn't believe the way she was acting was consistent with her character. I knew the Trader was in her midst early on but didn't figure out who it was until it was too late. I'd say my favorite part was the cat fight between Cay and Concha. It was about the only memorable part of the book other than the end.
I'm giving this a 2.75. It's not bad but not great either.
First off, I almost liked this but there was definitely some blandness to it. While the plot was good, Cay was unsympathetic sometimes and I found it hard to care what happened to her. Other times, I just didn't believe the way she was acting was consistent with her character. I knew the Trader was in her midst early on but didn't figure out who it was until it was too late. I'd say my favorite part was the cat fight between Cay and Concha. It was about the only memorable part of the book other than the end.
I'm giving this a 2.75. It's not bad but not great either.
boesgesicht's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
nghia's review against another edition
2.0
To be honest, I didn't finish this book. It wasn't bad but it was a pretty mediocre, by-the-numbers, uninspiring revenge story. Two things really stand out:
1. The motive for the revenge is ridiculous to any modern audience. There are two characters (the main character and a secondary character) who are an all-consuming rage and desire for revenge on a brutal international criminal. Both of them had double-crossed or stolen from this crime lord and the crime lord had exacted a terrible price. What did the crime lord do that would cause someone to spend years seeking revenge? Did he murder their entire family? Did he chop off fingers, arms, and feet?
Nope, he branded them. Think, like a tattoo but permanent. One was branded on his hand -- something he apparently found so disfiguring he wears a glove constantly. Which is just....ridiculous to a modern audience.
2. The relationship between the main character and her muscle-for-hire is kinda refreshing. There's no romance. He's competent. It is kind of ironic that his death (for a villain who let others live for far less) is basically an example of "fridging". His death serves no story purpose other than to make the main character mad (or, madder). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Refrigerators
Anyway, I eventually gave up reading when, one night, when I was going to pick up the book and start reading, I realised I just didn't care. I didn't really care if what's-her-name got revenge. Or didn't get revenge. I didn't care who the mysterious crime lord was. I didn't care whether anyone got the gold.
In the right mood, I might have made another choice. That's the thing with these run-of-the-mill genre books. The line between "familiar & entertaining" and "familiar & repetitive" can be awfully thin.
1. The motive for the revenge is ridiculous to any modern audience. There are two characters (the main character and a secondary character) who are an all-consuming rage and desire for revenge on a brutal international criminal. Both of them had double-crossed or stolen from this crime lord and the crime lord had exacted a terrible price. What did the crime lord do that would cause someone to spend years seeking revenge? Did he murder their entire family? Did he chop off fingers, arms, and feet?
Nope, he branded them. Think, like a tattoo but permanent. One was branded on his hand -- something he apparently found so disfiguring he wears a glove constantly. Which is just....ridiculous to a modern audience.
2. The relationship between the main character and her muscle-for-hire is kinda refreshing. There's no romance. He's competent. It is kind of ironic that his death (for a villain who let others live for far less) is basically an example of "fridging". His death serves no story purpose other than to make the main character mad (or, madder). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Refrigerators
Anyway, I eventually gave up reading when, one night, when I was going to pick up the book and start reading, I realised I just didn't care. I didn't really care if what's-her-name got revenge. Or didn't get revenge. I didn't care who the mysterious crime lord was. I didn't care whether anyone got the gold.
In the right mood, I might have made another choice. That's the thing with these run-of-the-mill genre books. The line between "familiar & entertaining" and "familiar & repetitive" can be awfully thin.
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