sde's review against another edition
4.0
OK, this book has a lot of cliched characters. Why are the good guys so good looking and the bad guys mostly overweight? And a lot of the conversation about race was stilted and unconvincing. But I still gave it four stars because I liked a lot of the characters and the mystery kept me turning pages. I thought the 1964 section was better done than the 2015 section. There were several things in the second part that seemed too easy. The DNA tests and the internet research was too easy. But I did like how the book tied two mysteries together.
This is a Christian fiction book, but the characters' faith is woven into the book in a subtle manner. It doesn't pound you over the head. I have a Jewish friend who reads some Christian fiction like this because she finds the stories uplifting, and this is a book I could easily recommend to her.
This is a Christian fiction book, but the characters' faith is woven into the book in a subtle manner. It doesn't pound you over the head. I have a Jewish friend who reads some Christian fiction like this because she finds the stories uplifting, and this is a book I could easily recommend to her.
honeybeef8844's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book. It kept me hooked and wondering what was going to happen next all the way through, despite some weaknesses near the end like relying on too many hidden things the reader never saw and an abrupt transition between Part 1 and part 2. The characters were typically well-drawn and believable after the first couple chapters where they were just a bit shaky. Overall, I'd rate the book as good and will keep it and probably read it again someday.
evila_elf's review
1.0
This book started out good. But then things started getting under my skin as I read. Little things at first, like our main character kept being referred to as the lawyer instead of his name. It was jarring and the first few times I thought another person had walked into the room.
Then a lot of the other townspeople seemed to just exist so that Coop could get in a few righteous zingers about how horrible they are. Everything was very black and white (no pun intended). Everything was leading up to a trial, which was just disappointing. The case was pretty cut and dry, and there was no doubt that the judge would rule in Coop's favor.I felt no tension. Even when his wife was kidnapped.
Maybe the lack of tension was from the very distant third person POV. I never got close to Coop or got to know what he was really thinking. I wasn't *there* with him.
And then, SURPRISE!, we jump from 1964 to 2014. Our new 'hero' lawyer is the grandson of Coop. And....he is also referred to as Coop. I couldn't really distinguish much difference between them, and by then I just wanted the book to be over with.
So many lost opportunities for the back part of the book -We could have relived the town through younger fresh eyes. But nothing felt familiar. Not even the late Coop's office, which hadn't change since he had gone missing (how convenient).
Now we finally get to make some of the connections between the odd conspiracy stuff in the first part, which had always seemed out of place.
And apparently Coop the younger fell in love with someone after knowing her like 2 days (a fact that was repeated a lot) and...this whole scene bugged me - Major spoilers here: - She called to thank him for donuts. I thought 'what donuts?' And Coop had no reaction to her or even to himself. Turns out the donuts were poisoned *gasp* and she was now in a coma. I guess this was an attempt at the tension that the book was still lacking. And to conclude the coma/poison story line - everyone plays a joke on Coop that she had died? W.T.F?
*deep breath*
So anyway, Coop has enough evidence to get whoever he is representing free. And this is pretty much before the trail starts. And for some reason, the jury didn't need to be present? Maybe it made sense to people who read a lot of courtroom books. I didn't and don't care enough to look it up. But again, a trial with no tension because the case was already won at that point.
More spoilers:
They finally find the body of the first Coop. Coop the younger didn't know him so, despite the fact that us readers kiiiiinda knew him, I felt nothing. It was obvious that he was dead and it was a part of a cover up. But I didn't feel an emotional connection to him being found. His wife had shown up for the end of the trial, and I don't recall a reaction from her either.
This book was published in 2014, and the last part took place in 2014, but it felt like it was written much earlier. I found this gem: 'He grinned and pushed the end-call spot on his touch screen'
And I already mentioned that the writer loved calling people by their titles (i.e the lawyer), but a couple of times, the judge was called 'the female jurist'. I did look this one up to see if it was used correctly. It was, but it just sounds odd. And it was used multiple times.
Thinking back on this book, I can't find one thing I enjoyed. Halfway through, it was okay enough to maybe get 2 or 3 stars from me, but I was hate-reading it by the end and I don't finished it because I wanted to see how bad it got.
After reading a few other reviews, I see that it is Christian fiction. Which is....odd to me. There were not a ton of religious themes. The characters did seem to be holding their punches - esp the bad guys. They were never bad bad. They never went as far as some do when dealing with hate crimes. And everything felt very PG. So maybe that is part of the reason why I disliked this so much.
...And I am annoyed that books I dislike end up getting a more detailed review from me than books I loved.
I started a new book, read way past my bedtime, and am enjoying it a lot. I forgot what fun reading felt like!
Then a lot of the other townspeople seemed to just exist so that Coop could get in a few righteous zingers about how horrible they are. Everything was very black and white (no pun intended). Everything was leading up to a trial, which was just disappointing. The case was pretty cut and dry, and there was no doubt that the judge would rule in Coop's favor.I felt no tension. Even when his wife was kidnapped.
Maybe the lack of tension was from the very distant third person POV. I never got close to Coop or got to know what he was really thinking. I wasn't *there* with him.
And then, SURPRISE!, we jump from 1964 to 2014. Our new 'hero' lawyer is the grandson of Coop. And....he is also referred to as Coop. I couldn't really distinguish much difference between them, and by then I just wanted the book to be over with.
So many lost opportunities for the back part of the book -We could have relived the town through younger fresh eyes. But nothing felt familiar. Not even the late Coop's office, which hadn't change since he had gone missing (how convenient).
Now we finally get to make some of the connections between the odd conspiracy stuff in the first part, which had always seemed out of place.
And apparently Coop the younger fell in love with someone after knowing her like 2 days (a fact that was repeated a lot) and...this whole scene bugged me - Major spoilers here: - She called to thank him for donuts. I thought 'what donuts?' And Coop had no reaction to her or even to himself. Turns out the donuts were poisoned *gasp* and she was now in a coma. I guess this was an attempt at the tension that the book was still lacking. And to conclude the coma/poison story line - everyone plays a joke on Coop that she had died? W.T.F?
*deep breath*
So anyway, Coop has enough evidence to get whoever he is representing free. And this is pretty much before the trail starts. And for some reason, the jury didn't need to be present? Maybe it made sense to people who read a lot of courtroom books. I didn't and don't care enough to look it up. But again, a trial with no tension because the case was already won at that point.
More spoilers:
They finally find the body of the first Coop. Coop the younger didn't know him so, despite the fact that us readers kiiiiinda knew him, I felt nothing. It was obvious that he was dead and it was a part of a cover up. But I didn't feel an emotional connection to him being found. His wife had shown up for the end of the trial, and I don't recall a reaction from her either.
This book was published in 2014, and the last part took place in 2014, but it felt like it was written much earlier. I found this gem: 'He grinned and pushed the end-call spot on his touch screen'
And I already mentioned that the writer loved calling people by their titles (i.e the lawyer), but a couple of times, the judge was called 'the female jurist'. I did look this one up to see if it was used correctly. It was, but it just sounds odd. And it was used multiple times.
Thinking back on this book, I can't find one thing I enjoyed. Halfway through, it was okay enough to maybe get 2 or 3 stars from me, but I was hate-reading it by the end and I don't finished it because I wanted to see how bad it got.
After reading a few other reviews, I see that it is Christian fiction. Which is....odd to me. There were not a ton of religious themes. The characters did seem to be holding their punches - esp the bad guys. They were never bad bad. They never went as far as some do when dealing with hate crimes. And everything felt very PG. So maybe that is part of the reason why I disliked this so much.
...And I am annoyed that books I dislike end up getting a more detailed review from me than books I loved.
I started a new book, read way past my bedtime, and am enjoying it a lot. I forgot what fun reading felt like!
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