This one is especially ... erm ... special, because of the stories behind this story (read the Acknowledgements too, please). It's a great medium to discuss PTSD and TBI which has been causing a bit of buzz in the social media. A bit as in it's not enough especially for those involved/suffering from it.
If in fairy tales we don't know what happens after the prince marries the princess, in crime books we don't know what happens to victims after they've been rescued. Or not. In crime books, readers are often focused on solving the puzzle and finding out who the evil serial killer is. What happens after the fact is no longer relevant. This is the story that decides it IS relevant.
Storytelling-wise, it's a classic Tami Hoag so (for me) it got a bit predictable. It doesn't make me love her any less lol. There's just one minor detail that bugs me. SPOILER ALERT: When Dana woke up she was told she was in a car accident then -- what? I thought since she's behaving unpredictably she would've made a big deal out of it ... but I guess forgot to do that? Sorry, I'm a stickler for unimportant things.
Four stars.
I had such high hopes for this book because 1) i like mystery thrillers, 2) i like small towns that were made for vacations and 3) most of the reviews I saw were okay. I was left with a lot of questions after reading it, though. In some cases, that can be a good thing ... but not here. The thing that got me through this book is the character development. It was pretty good. But then it kept going and going and going that it dragged and I forgot what the story was all about ... like ... i forgot what I'm supposed to say now.
2 Stars
I've always wondered whether authors ever get "competitive" to the point of being catty. This book might have answered that question but it's kind of funny in a way that I expected it from a female author and obviously John isn't a woman's name. Okay, I'm stereotyping but ... work with me here, k?
I picked this book up partly because it's a mystery crime, partly because it's cheap (think I got it for 30php on a second-hand book shop) and partly (but also mostly) because it's a book about books (and I later realized book scouts who I didn't know exists). This edition has a foreword of some sort from the author himself. I didn't read the whole thing but gist is that he was talking about book scouts and about how he himself is one, etc. Let's just say that it gives us (or at least me) an inkling that the author put a LOT of his personality in this book (maybe even the whole series). That being said, I would say that the author is a book snob. Nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying. Lol. It was funny how the character would say he wouldn't pick up a book by so and so or how so and so's books are a dime a dozen compared to so and so. I guess when writing something you always put yourselves on whatever it is but what I'm trying to say is that this is based in a world that he (used to?) live in so he already knows how things work and only has to do (maybe) a little research. So ... yeah, he put a lot of himself in it. I had to chuckle when one of the characters mentioned how Stephen King is too nice he always builds up other authors and their books but never his own. Lol.
Story-wise, I think the world Mr Dunning created using this series is an interesting one. One that book lovers *coughhoarderscough* like me would like to live in-- if you take away the murder parts. Lol. In general, I liked this first book of the series and I might even hunt down the rest of them. I only gave 3 stars, however, because I couldn't ... feel ... for the character Janeway and it's not because he's a guy. I liked that he's a book man, I liked that he's persistent as an investigator ... I don't know if I like to know him more than that. I particularly didn't care about his involvement with that woman (please read the book as I do not want to say more in case it's a spoiler), it's like it was put there for the Hollywood effect. There has to be a leading lady of some sort. I don't know if I like his personality and most people need to "like" another person for them to follow-up on said person, right? I guess I'm "most people" in that regard. He is arrogant, yes but what protagonist isn't? You wouldn't want to read about a meek character. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that there is something off about the character but I can't place it lol.
So yeah, overall this is an interesting read for book lovers.
Kids are very impressionable. Their future and the length of their childhood depends on how they are raised or how susceptible they are to the elements around them.
In summary, this book started out as a psychological ... thriller (?) and ended as a crime novel. The story and events all fit but I read between the lines a lot so ... heh. I find it disturbing that a kid can read through a serial killer's letters and get his hidden messages so easy. I just keep telling myself that he is obsessed about the issue so he did a lot of research which is how anyone is like, no matter what age, when obsessing about something. It's just that their correspondence is like a recipe for a serial killer in the making. He doesn't seem to be a victim but a protege. The fact that they understand each other means they think alike. Here's a kid that's so disturbed about how not "normal" his family is so he finds answers and he thinks he will find them through the root of all the bitterness of the adults in his family. From the beginning, the author built an image of a kid who grew up too fast. But then halfway through the book he forgot about all of his troubles because someone significant came back into their lives which goes to show somewhere in his troubled personality, there's a kid just craving for normalcy and everything that comes with it. And then the crime novel began. Which is how crime novels usually are. For something so dark I liked that the ending gave me some sort of closure.
 |
| This part made me cry |
Sadly over-hyped. It had so much potential but that potential stopped at time-traveling-serial-killer.
The book had such a great concept and although the execution was fine, it failed to make the right ... pull for a serial murder novel fan. This one lacks suspense. I only felt it towards the end of the story. Like the last five pages. I guess I was expecting too much from it.
[It got filled with so many unnecessary characters and I just got lost. At times the story portrays Harper (the serial killer) as a ruthless psycho and sometimes as someone stuck and wants to get out of the cycle. I mean, how and when did he become tired of what he was doing? The story points at Alice but it's inconsistent. And when was the circle-that-had-to-be-closed introduced? Eh.
Well that was a rough ending. I wasn't expecting a fairy tale one but that was cruel.
Now,
I already knew that the main character has a series of books written
about him but I didn't realize he was going to have some sort of ... an
arch nemesis. Oh, was that a spoiler?
Anyhoo, three stars
because I learned a bit of history and politics about Germany and
although I probably won't be able to use that knowledge a little fact
won't really hurt. Kee-hee.
Read: September 30 - October 4 of 2012
The
thing that I loved about this book is how the author carefully built
each character and events so that they somehow cross paths along the
way. Like how the problem was with the two brothers having the same
eyes, for example. Overall, this is a brutal and violent book. A lot of
swearing, which might actually be entertaining (not that I can ever even
imagine myself, or anyone, swearing as much as these characters did)
for the sarcastic minded but might be too much for the faint at heart.
The
thing that I didn't like, however, are a couple of minor
inconsistencies in the story. I wouldn't say I'm over analyzing since I
found these instances very obvious.
One, Digger can drive.
Somehow. I mean, yes, he's 18 (or almost) but there is no mention in the
book that he ever held a car before especially in juvie and especially
since a kid with his record would probably not be trusted with such a
task as driving. I thought perhaps Earl Sheridan taught him how to, that
was the closest explanation I could imagine. It's just odd.
Second
was when Earl Sheridan mentioned Clay's real name (Clarence) which they
never really used. He always called Digger, Digger. And Digger always
called Clay, Clay. And if it was Digger who introduced them both then he
would've said his name was Clay because he was the one who said
Clarence is too feminine of a name. Or something like that.
Okay, maybe now I'm over analyzing.
Read: September 18-20 of 2012
This
was "so-so" bordering on "meh". I got it on a second hand book shop and
I don't even think my money was worth it. I thought it was dragging
especially in the beginning. It took me forever to finish it and only
picked up the pace after I got past chapter 3.
What I liked
about it is the twist towards the end. Discovering who the killer is and
the motive and how everything was done. Just because it was
interesting. But really that's on the last 50-100 pages and this has
what? 500? I also liked Detective Littlemore who is a minor character. I
didn't even enjoy reading the parts about Freud and Young and they're
given the limelight in the plot on the book cover. So that was kind of
misleading. Some of the arguments on psycho analysis are okay too. I
didn't agree with all of the arguments but that was fine.
So now
I'm kinda wondering what "Best Read" meant for Richard and Judy's Book
Club in the UK because it has that award according to the cover.
Read: October 22-November 02 of 2012
