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americaspoolboy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
dorabertha0's review against another edition
It's badly written or just boring, i don't really know. Probably both.
reading_w_dee's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
hb_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
full disclosure: I just finished reading a copy of this book from my library, but I just got an email saying I won a copy in the giveaway! I think I would have eventually bought this when it came out in paperback, so I'm happy.
I'm a big fan of Harris' Hannibal books, having read and reread them several times. I think a lot of his successes in those books are also successes here - a capable female protagonist who fights real monsters, good research put into details of the story, and excellent pacing of a climactic action scene. The setting in this book feels really lived-in, which makes sense given that Miami has been Harris' home for many years. Reading one of his rare interviews, I thought it was interesting that he's volunteered at the same bird rescue Cari works at.
At first I struggled to keep up with the revolving-door cast of characters, but after finishing I do like the little flavor of each character we got throughout the book. While in the Hannibal books we deep dive into our main villains, I liked the contrast of just seeing hints of horror and everyday cruelties from the different players in the cast. I liked getting to know Cari and I genuinely cared about her fulfilling her dreams, but she's still a little more removed from us than Clarice Starling or Will Graham. This definitely is more of a standalone book than a series, and I like it for what it is. I enjoyed the familiarity of coming back to a Thomas Harris book after the years between this and the Hannibal series, and I'm glad I'll have a copy of my own now to put on my shelf next to his other works.
I'm a big fan of Harris' Hannibal books, having read and reread them several times. I think a lot of his successes in those books are also successes here - a capable female protagonist who fights real monsters, good research put into details of the story, and excellent pacing of a climactic action scene. The setting in this book feels really lived-in, which makes sense given that Miami has been Harris' home for many years. Reading one of his rare interviews, I thought it was interesting that he's volunteered at the same bird rescue Cari works at.
At first I struggled to keep up with the revolving-door cast of characters, but after finishing I do like the little flavor of each character we got throughout the book. While in the Hannibal books we deep dive into our main villains, I liked the contrast of just seeing hints of horror and everyday cruelties from the different players in the cast. I liked getting to know Cari and I genuinely cared about her fulfilling her dreams, but she's still a little more removed from us than Clarice Starling or Will Graham. This definitely is more of a standalone book than a series, and I like it for what it is. I enjoyed the familiarity of coming back to a Thomas Harris book after the years between this and the Hannibal series, and I'm glad I'll have a copy of my own now to put on my shelf next to his other works.
tiggytiggy's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
2.0
shermanberry's review against another edition
2.0
It gives me no pleasure whatsoever to say that this is terrible. My two star rating is actually quite generous. I haven't enjoyed this book at all.
The plot was weak, disjointed and frankly uninteresting. None of the characters were really developed and as soon as I learnt someone's name they seemed to get killed. Other characters were clichéd stereotypes with no redeeming qualities.
There was an almost total absence of suspense which is a prerequisite for a thriller surely. Some of the scenes were distasteful and downright unpleasant. I'm not a stranger to this author's work and am not squeamish but in previous novels such scenes have added to the narrative or character development. Here they are just gratuitous and off putting.
Overall terribly disappointing as his first three novels were brilliant. In my opinion the next two were cash ins on his wonderful and infamous creation. This one utter crap.
It has been 13 years since Thomas Harris' last novel. On the back of this outing, another 13 years will still be too soon.
The plot was weak, disjointed and frankly uninteresting. None of the characters were really developed and as soon as I learnt someone's name they seemed to get killed. Other characters were clichéd stereotypes with no redeeming qualities.
There was an almost total absence of suspense which is a prerequisite for a thriller surely. Some of the scenes were distasteful and downright unpleasant. I'm not a stranger to this author's work and am not squeamish but in previous novels such scenes have added to the narrative or character development. Here they are just gratuitous and off putting.
Overall terribly disappointing as his first three novels were brilliant. In my opinion the next two were cash ins on his wonderful and infamous creation. This one utter crap.
It has been 13 years since Thomas Harris' last novel. On the back of this outing, another 13 years will still be too soon.
jlberndt84's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Big turd-pile.
teagan___'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
kshng's review against another edition
1.0
The long-awaited return of the "master". Well, in the last 13 years, the master should have practiced his craft.
It's tough to believe that someone who wrote Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal wrote this book.
It's tough to believe that someone who wrote Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal wrote this book.