Reviews

A Simple Plan, by Scott Smith

erdnerd's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense

4.0

nia_guy's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

isumit's review against another edition

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5.0

I just love this book. I have read many mystery books before and after reading this one, but this is simply unmatched so far. I hope to find a mystery novel as good as this one.

Guys, I request you to please suggest similar books if you know any.

ghostinthepages's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

aebru25's review against another edition

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5.0

The ending was not super satisfying, but the rest of the book was great!! I wish he would write more books.

martyfried's review against another edition

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4.0

On the cover is a quote from Stephen King: "Read this. It is better than any suspense novel since Silence of the Lambs."

I don't know if I agree with King's comment. Personally, I had mixed feelings about the book. The main characters were not very likeable, so it was hard to care what happened to them. I am pretty certain I would have reported everything and hope for an honest reward; but if Jacob and Lou insisted, I might be afraid to report it. In that case, I would get away as soon as possible and if the law ever discovered that I was there and didn't report it, I'd explain that I was afraid to report it because of possible revenge by Lou and possibly even Jacob. But aside from that, if I were Hank, I would not have gotten involved with Jacob and Lou in anything risky.

Some of the things that happened were so obviously stupid that I almost quit reading, especially in the beginning, as it was pretty slow and a little boring other than the stupidity. But it had good ratings, so I was curious enough to continue, and overall, I'm glad I did. Yes, it was like watching a train wreck, but it gave me much to think about. How could seemingly good, honest people so some of the things they did? As it happened, I could almost understand how someone might do this, although it was way too extreme to forgive. Still, in spite of the extent of their crimes, it was hard not to feel some sympathy for their problems - at least up to a point.

I suspect there is a lot of realism in the story. A lot of criminals ended up where they are by a series of bad decisions. Somehow, they manage to dig themselves deeper and deeper, until they are unable to figure out how to get out, and think it's best to just keep digging because that's all they know how to do. I suppose a lot of them are too drugged out, but that was the start of their bad decisions.

mollycharlie_18's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

k4ylee's review against another edition

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mysterious sad medium-paced

1.0

katejones's review against another edition

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1.0

Liked the writing style. Pretty simple straightforward plot. Minus 2 stars for way too gruesome and detailed killing scenes (and a mc who goes from normal person to someone who seems to actually enjoy killing in a nanosecond..)

bookbabe222's review against another edition

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5.0

This book gets 5 stars from me because it was thought provoking and also extremely gripping. This was one of those books I stayed up until the early hours reading.
The basic plot is fascinating and I had a good time posing the question to some friends and family members what they would do in a similar situation. My opinion of what I would do changed drastically by the end of the book and actually had an impact in my life about the relationship between money and happiness

Did I agree with all of the choices made by the main characters? NO - but I just went with it and had fun along the journey. It was a little dark but nothing too disturbing (I am sensitive to books that are too graphic/dark in tone)