Scan barcode
amethyst_hearts_books's review
1.0
I had so, so many problems with this book. I picked it to fulfill a book set in the wilderness category, but I do enjoy thrillers/mysteries, so it's not that it just wasn't my genre.
- The characters were done in a very lazy fashion. Stereotypes all around, especially Spud.
- Did we really need a love triangle? Is it a love triangle when two men are interested in the same woman, but she can't seem to make a decision? And for most of the book, she can't have a scene without one (or both!) of them being present, or her thinking of one of them more than what she's actually doing. There's also at least 3 scenes where Trey just drives by, or looks in a window, or shows up where Lizzie is for no reason.
- The wildnerness scenes were not at all realistic. How was the van so deep in the woods? If there was a road, why didn't the cops take it? Why did they go in just before a storm? What happened to the storm?
- Lizzie is a homicide detective. From Boston. Why on Earth did she hire Spud without a background check?
- Did Rascal really need to be there? After a while, it felt like he was just there so there would be something to break up the dialogue.
- There was so much exposition at the start about who Lizzie is and what she's about, it reminded me of the Sweet Valley High books I read when I was a kid. SVH is mostly about 2 beautiful twin sisters from, I think, California, and every book starts with about 4 pages talking about them and their personalities, and how they're twins but different. It's not a good sign when the opening of a mystery/suspense novel reminds of fluff for teenagers.
- The characters were done in a very lazy fashion. Stereotypes all around, especially Spud.
- Did we really need a love triangle? Is it a love triangle when two men are interested in the same woman, but she can't seem to make a decision? And for most of the book, she can't have a scene without one (or both!) of them being present, or her thinking of one of them more than what she's actually doing. There's also at least 3 scenes where Trey just drives by, or looks in a window, or shows up where Lizzie is for no reason.
- The wildnerness scenes were not at all realistic. How was the van so deep in the woods? If there was a road, why didn't the cops take it? Why did they go in just before a storm? What happened to the storm?
- Lizzie is a homicide detective. From Boston. Why on Earth did she hire Spud without a background check?
- Did Rascal really need to be there? After a while, it felt like he was just there so there would be something to break up the dialogue.
- There was so much exposition at the start about who Lizzie is and what she's about, it reminded me of the Sweet Valley High books I read when I was a kid. SVH is mostly about 2 beautiful twin sisters from, I think, California, and every book starts with about 4 pages talking about them and their personalities, and how they're twins but different. It's not a good sign when the opening of a mystery/suspense novel reminds of fluff for teenagers.
muddypuddle's review
3.0
You have to like the protagonist in order to like the book, usually, and I didn't like this protagonist. Lizzie Snow has quit her detective job on the Boston Police force to come to Bearkill, Maine to be some sort of deputy-side-kick to the long-time sheriff. Small town Aroostook County, way up in the willy wacks of Maine. She has an ulterior motive: to find her niece - her only living relative - who's been missing (abducted?) for the last eight-or-so years and for some reason Snow thinks she's in northern Maine. No backstory, no further information...... Her ex-boyfriend, another cop (and for me, another not-really-likable character), appears on her doorstep. One incongruous mishap leads to another; there's really no mystery because it's all laid out for you and what isn't is quite easy to figure out; and it all leads up to one trek through the woods in your typical blizzard and then many pages of "a week later" explanation, tying up all the leftover questions within a conversation or two. This appears to be the first in a series. Will I read another? Perhaps - I did like the setting very much....Graves, who lives in Maine, nailed that part of it as well as many of the characters you might run into.
marceelf's review
3.0
http://www.anurseandabook.com/2015/02/winter-at-door-by-sarah-graves.html
This book was definitely a winter book. The thing that I always struggle with winter books is the description of the weather, and the bleakness of the cold. I grew up in that kind of cold, and after four years in Arizona, I still have a very emotional reaction to cold weather. It depresses me and creates an instant bad mood.
However depressing the weather was, and the rural area was equally awful, this was a good mystery. I definitely wish I had read earlier books where Lizzie was featured, because I don't feel like I ever understood why her sister's daughter disappeared, or why they would think this child would suddenly appear in the rural wilderness with a total stranger.
In Spud, the author captured the feeling of hopelessness that kids growing up in a poverty stricken rural area feel. Lizzie was giving Spud the chance to go the right way, but the mystery man offered him another path, which he apparently was a lot more familiar with than we knew in the beginning.
The book left off paving the way for the next Lizzie Snow book. I grew to dislike the Eve series by Iris Johansen, so I hope they don't drag on the search for the missing niece through too many books.
This book was definitely a winter book. The thing that I always struggle with winter books is the description of the weather, and the bleakness of the cold. I grew up in that kind of cold, and after four years in Arizona, I still have a very emotional reaction to cold weather. It depresses me and creates an instant bad mood.
However depressing the weather was, and the rural area was equally awful, this was a good mystery. I definitely wish I had read earlier books where Lizzie was featured, because I don't feel like I ever understood why her sister's daughter disappeared, or why they would think this child would suddenly appear in the rural wilderness with a total stranger.
In Spud, the author captured the feeling of hopelessness that kids growing up in a poverty stricken rural area feel. Lizzie was giving Spud the chance to go the right way, but the mystery man offered him another path, which he apparently was a lot more familiar with than we knew in the beginning.
The book left off paving the way for the next Lizzie Snow book. I grew to dislike the Eve series by Iris Johansen, so I hope they don't drag on the search for the missing niece through too many books.
sarahs_readingparty's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and am anticipating the next in the series already! It was a great book to listen to in the car--very engaging and put together well. I loved that it was so plot driven with strong characters. Lizzie is great and I look forward to learning more about her. I did feel the beginning was a little confusing but there doesn't seem to be a prequel or anything, I guess we are just thrown into the story. I loved the author's sense of humor and ability to interject witty remarks and anecdotes into an otherwise serious, nail-biting tale.
taisie22's review
4.0
Lizzie Snow has moved from Boston to the County (northern Maine) to become a deputy sheriff. She has an ulterior motive as she's received a tip that her kidnapped niece might be hidden up there. Meanwhile, she has her hands full with a number of retired policemen suddenly dying; they appear to be suicides, but her new boss thinks they're murders. She also has to contend with her ex, a State policeman who seems to be hanging around a lot.
I enjoyed this novel. The author captures life in Aroostook County pretty well, touching on potato picking, moose, and some meth dealing. Lizzie, Dylan, Cody, and the rest of the characters were enjoyable to read about, and I look forward to the next book in the series. The author writes well though I found a few things just a bit too coincidental to help solve various mysteries. The main reason that Cody brought Lizzie to Maine, the murders of the retired lawmen, was dealt with more as an afterthought.
Still, it was a good read in the vein of Paul Doiran and James Hayman, and I recommend it.
I enjoyed this novel. The author captures life in Aroostook County pretty well, touching on potato picking, moose, and some meth dealing. Lizzie, Dylan, Cody, and the rest of the characters were enjoyable to read about, and I look forward to the next book in the series. The author writes well though I found a few things just a bit too coincidental to help solve various mysteries. The main reason that Cody brought Lizzie to Maine, the murders of the retired lawmen, was dealt with more as an afterthought.
Still, it was a good read in the vein of Paul Doiran and James Hayman, and I recommend it.
jennybeastie's review
3.0
Unusual, in that we have a fairly ambivalent/favorable character who turns out to be a serial killer, and that there are 3 large mysteries here that end up connecting. I found the connections to be plausible and firmly grounded in contemporary reality. I found the romantic stuff to be awkward and annoying, but that does seem to be how the character feels, too, so there's that. I'm having a hard time with Lizzie's quest to find her niece -- I'm just not sure why it's plausible that her niece is traceable in some way, nine years after the fact. Unless she DNA tests every nine year old blonde in Maine, I don't see how she's likely to find her. And why wouldn't the person who took the child move out of state? It's just a weird and unlikely premise, given how realistic and grounded the rest of the book is. Pretty interesting community, pretty interesting cop, interested to see where it goes next.
tuff517's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bibliovore's review against another edition
2.0
Not a huge hit for me - a quick read, but the choppy writing style grated after a bit. Also too many coincidences and plot points wrapped up at the last minute.