claudiaslibrarycard's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Dead Woman Walking had a premise that really hooked me in. A woman is in a hot air balloon with her sister and other tourists when as they begin their descent, she witnesses a man killing a woman and they lock eyes. When the balloon crashes, the murderer seeks out the woman and she knows he is on her tail.
Everyone else aboard the balloon died, and police struggle to figure out how she could have survived and where she has gone. The first 75 pages move at a fast clip, and then the book slows down for a while. I found the characters interesting enough to keep reading but not as compelling as the characters in The Pact, another book by the same author that inspired me to read more of her backlist.
The back third of the book was twisty and dark, and I was back to reading at a good clip not wanting to put the book down. It may have been me, but I just didn't find the male villian and the female main character particularly fascinating. I'm glad I read this book and I will continue to read Sharon Bolton, but this isn't at the top of my thriller list.
Everyone else aboard the balloon died, and police struggle to figure out how she could have survived and where she has gone. The first 75 pages move at a fast clip, and then the book slows down for a while. I found the characters interesting enough to keep reading but not as compelling as the characters in The Pact, another book by the same author that inspired me to read more of her backlist.
The back third of the book was twisty and dark, and I was back to reading at a good clip not wanting to put the book down. It may have been me, but I just didn't find the male villian and the female main character particularly fascinating. I'm glad I read this book and I will continue to read Sharon Bolton, but this isn't at the top of my thriller list.
noveldeelights's review against another edition
5.0
As a huge Sharon Bolton fan, suffice to say that Dead Woman Walking was one my most anticipated books of the year. I pre-ordered it ages ago and impatiently counted down the days until publication and the moment the postman would finally bring me my goodies. When the first chapter was shared a few weeks ago via a newsletter, I nearly spontaneously combusted. So, having created my own hype and buzz around this book, would I be left disappointed? Read on to find out.
Imagine a beautiful morning in the English countryside. High up in the sky, people are enjoying a hot-air balloon ride. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Well, not to me. If I’d ever had the inkling to go into one of those flimsy baskets, that desire would definitely be gone after reading this but anyway, you get the picture. Down on the ground, someone commits a murder. The hot-air balloon passengers have seen him but the killer has seen them too and he’ll stop at nothing to shut them up.
And this is where I’m shutting up about the plot too. There’s a lot to discover but you really need to do that on your own. Go in blind, I promise you won’t regret it!
This was such a deliciously tense ride and I stayed up way too late so I could finish the book in one sitting. There are quite a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming at all. My head was spinning so hard, I got confused at some point. But it all became clear in the end and concluded in a most satisfying way.
There’s just something about this author’s writing that instantly grips me. The suspense is almost palpable and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who tells a story like Sharon Bolton does. Highly engrossing and absorbing, taut with tension, an intricate plot with multiple threads … all of these things make for one fabulous thriller and I quite confidently say this is her best one yet! And there’s your answer to the question at the start : no, I wasn’t disappointed. Not even for one second!
Sharon Bolton remains one of my go-to authors. The one whose books I’ll pre-order the first chance I get, without even reading the description.
Imagine a beautiful morning in the English countryside. High up in the sky, people are enjoying a hot-air balloon ride. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Well, not to me. If I’d ever had the inkling to go into one of those flimsy baskets, that desire would definitely be gone after reading this but anyway, you get the picture. Down on the ground, someone commits a murder. The hot-air balloon passengers have seen him but the killer has seen them too and he’ll stop at nothing to shut them up.
And this is where I’m shutting up about the plot too. There’s a lot to discover but you really need to do that on your own. Go in blind, I promise you won’t regret it!
This was such a deliciously tense ride and I stayed up way too late so I could finish the book in one sitting. There are quite a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming at all. My head was spinning so hard, I got confused at some point. But it all became clear in the end and concluded in a most satisfying way.
There’s just something about this author’s writing that instantly grips me. The suspense is almost palpable and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who tells a story like Sharon Bolton does. Highly engrossing and absorbing, taut with tension, an intricate plot with multiple threads … all of these things make for one fabulous thriller and I quite confidently say this is her best one yet! And there’s your answer to the question at the start : no, I wasn’t disappointed. Not even for one second!
Sharon Bolton remains one of my go-to authors. The one whose books I’ll pre-order the first chance I get, without even reading the description.
fictionfan's review against another edition
5.0
Sister act...
A hot-air balloon is drifting over Northumberland, carrying the pilot and twelve sightseers. Jessica and her sister, Bella, now better known as Sister Maria Magdalena of Wynding Priory, are two of the party – a treat for Bella's birthday. As they silently pass over an isolated farmhouse, Jessica sees a man killing a young woman – and then the man looks up and spots Jessica. By this time everyone in the balloon is watching the man. He only has one option – to kill them all...
No-one writes more entertaining thrillers than Sharon Bolton when she's on top form – and yet again, she's on top form with this standalone. We know from the prologue that the balloon crashes leaving only one survivor. The police soon identify her as Jessica Lane, but she has walked away from the crash and they can't find her. They don't know why she's made no effort to contact the authorities – perhaps she's badly hurt or concussed and confused. So the search is on. But the killer also knows there's a survivor, and he's determined to get to her first. But maybe she has reasons for not wanting to be found...
The thing is that you'd imagine that twelve corpses before we even get past the prologue might make this quite a harrowing read. But not at all! Bolton negotiates the difficult task of marrying together a serious plot with some delicious humour to keep the whole thing enjoyable. Bolton doesn't ignore the grief that the survivor feels for the death of her sister, but the need to survive means she has to put it aside as much as possible and concentrate on getting to safety. The underlying story is actually quite dark and there is some gore, but Bolton doesn't linger over it in too much detail. If you think too much about the plot, it does cross pretty far over the credibility line in several places, but Bolton doesn't give you time to think about it – she races the story along, with some fine characterisation, some twists that are perfectly timed and believable within the context, and lots and lots of action.
The secret is in the writing. Once you reach the end and look back, it's so much fun to see how cleverly Bolton has misled and misdirected all the way through – never cheating though! She never once says anything that is inconsistent with the solution – she just says it in such a way that you don't spot it at the time. Delicious!
As a result, though, it's not an easy one to write a review about since almost anything is a potential spoiler, so I won't say any more about the plot. But I must mention the nuns, especially the wonderful Sister Belinda, who is my favourite character of the year so far! Bella and Jessica had been very close so Jessica is well known to the other nuns and a favourite amongst them. So the police feel it's quite possible that if Jessica is confused, she might make for the convent as a place of safety. Sister Belinda is an avid watcher of old TV police dramas of The Sweeney variety in her recreation time, so she has a fabulously clichéd vocabulary picked up from these shows and is super excited to get the chance to put her 'expertise' to use during the investigation. She's just so much fun...
Loved this one! A perfect mix of dark and light, superbly clever plotting, constant action and hugely entertaining – Bolton is certain to appear yet again on my shortlist for Crime Book of the Year.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Bantam Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
A hot-air balloon is drifting over Northumberland, carrying the pilot and twelve sightseers. Jessica and her sister, Bella, now better known as Sister Maria Magdalena of Wynding Priory, are two of the party – a treat for Bella's birthday. As they silently pass over an isolated farmhouse, Jessica sees a man killing a young woman – and then the man looks up and spots Jessica. By this time everyone in the balloon is watching the man. He only has one option – to kill them all...
No-one writes more entertaining thrillers than Sharon Bolton when she's on top form – and yet again, she's on top form with this standalone. We know from the prologue that the balloon crashes leaving only one survivor. The police soon identify her as Jessica Lane, but she has walked away from the crash and they can't find her. They don't know why she's made no effort to contact the authorities – perhaps she's badly hurt or concussed and confused. So the search is on. But the killer also knows there's a survivor, and he's determined to get to her first. But maybe she has reasons for not wanting to be found...
The thing is that you'd imagine that twelve corpses before we even get past the prologue might make this quite a harrowing read. But not at all! Bolton negotiates the difficult task of marrying together a serious plot with some delicious humour to keep the whole thing enjoyable. Bolton doesn't ignore the grief that the survivor feels for the death of her sister, but the need to survive means she has to put it aside as much as possible and concentrate on getting to safety. The underlying story is actually quite dark and there is some gore, but Bolton doesn't linger over it in too much detail. If you think too much about the plot, it does cross pretty far over the credibility line in several places, but Bolton doesn't give you time to think about it – she races the story along, with some fine characterisation, some twists that are perfectly timed and believable within the context, and lots and lots of action.
The secret is in the writing. Once you reach the end and look back, it's so much fun to see how cleverly Bolton has misled and misdirected all the way through – never cheating though! She never once says anything that is inconsistent with the solution – she just says it in such a way that you don't spot it at the time. Delicious!
As a result, though, it's not an easy one to write a review about since almost anything is a potential spoiler, so I won't say any more about the plot. But I must mention the nuns, especially the wonderful Sister Belinda, who is my favourite character of the year so far! Bella and Jessica had been very close so Jessica is well known to the other nuns and a favourite amongst them. So the police feel it's quite possible that if Jessica is confused, she might make for the convent as a place of safety. Sister Belinda is an avid watcher of old TV police dramas of The Sweeney variety in her recreation time, so she has a fabulously clichéd vocabulary picked up from these shows and is super excited to get the chance to put her 'expertise' to use during the investigation. She's just so much fun...
The sound of running footsteps made them all start. Then the refectory door opened and the round, freckled face of Sister Belinda appeared. She was breathing heavily, and her veil was crooked, showing short tufts of red hair sprouting around her glowing face like unruly weeds in a parched garden.
“Excuse me, Mother, Sisters,” she said. “But there is a police car waiting at the gate and what looks like the Black Maria behind it. Also, another car approaching from the farm and a uniformed constable coming in via the beach path. It would appear that the filth have us surrounded.”
Loved this one! A perfect mix of dark and light, superbly clever plotting, constant action and hugely entertaining – Bolton is certain to appear yet again on my shortlist for Crime Book of the Year.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Bantam Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
rosereadsalot's review against another edition
5.0
My jaw physically dropped about ten different times throughout this book. I thought I’d figured out what Ned had done, but I was so so wrong.
sarahbrant's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
vemoo6's review against another edition
4.0
Whoa. I read this book in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Twists and turns all over. Very intense. But so good.
ashbyteacher77's review
dark
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
5.0
ashfantastic98's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
5_little_monsters's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent crime drama with lots of twists I did not see coming. Really enjoy Ms. Bolton's books.