diannel_04's review
This book has three things that should have made me love it:1. it's a mystery, my favourite genre 2. it takes place in Manhattan, my favourite place and 3. a friend whose opinion I trust said it was pretty good. Unfortunately, I couldn't even finish it. It started okay with a murder taking place at an event for a prestigious architectural firm. When you find out that some mysterious organization is holding hostage someone close to each member of the firm and has even cut off bnody parts as proof you lose me. Donnez moi un break. This was such a stupid premise that I rolled my eyes and moved on to the next book, which I hope will be interesting.
krisrid's review against another edition
3.0
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my agreement to post a review.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. Well written, interesting characters, an exciting, well-paced plot and a great location in New York city.
I really liked the characters in this book - all of them read like real people and their behaviour and reactions to being forced into an untenable situation is not only appropriately "grey" but also makes for unpredictable, and therefore entertaining reading.
I also found the pacing in this book to be very well done. The author ramps up the drama and suspense so naturally that I didn't even notice my heartbeat increasing until I realized I was leaning forward in my chair at points, anxiously awaiting the final resolution of several plot points.
If you are a resident or a fan of New York City, this book has a wealth of local colour and flavour of the city. Many locations in New York are mentioned throughout, both as involvement in the story, and as offshoots of the fact that the main character, Dalton Lee is a famous architect. If you read the e-version of the book you get the added feature of links to more info about some of the buildings, etc. noted. I read the print version so I missed out on that, but friends who have read this tell me the links are a fun and interesting component and increased their enjoyment of the story. So if you have an e-reader, that's probably the way to fully enjoy this book.
There was really only one issue I had with this story, and although it is minor, to deliver a full and fulsome review I feel I need to mention it. The book starts out with a bank [literally! ;-)] and dives into the story very fast. As we meet Lee and his team, I found that the plot-line about The Organization [note: this isn't a spoiler, as they are mentioned in the blurb about the book] is not really introduced or explained fully enough for the reader to properly understand the history that we're given to understand exists with the characters. I felt a bit confused and at sea about The Organization and how everyone involved got to where we are now. I would have liked a bit more explanation of what went on in the past than I got, particularly as this is the first book. As I say, that is a minor complaint, and as the book went along this became more clear, but it might turn impatient readers off. You do need to hang in there for the first while to properly understand what is happening and why.
Once you do have a handle on the story, and the reasons behind it, this is a good, fast easy read, for those who enjoy suspense/thrillers and especially for residens or fans of NYC.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. Well written, interesting characters, an exciting, well-paced plot and a great location in New York city.
I really liked the characters in this book - all of them read like real people and their behaviour and reactions to being forced into an untenable situation is not only appropriately "grey" but also makes for unpredictable, and therefore entertaining reading.
I also found the pacing in this book to be very well done. The author ramps up the drama and suspense so naturally that I didn't even notice my heartbeat increasing until I realized I was leaning forward in my chair at points, anxiously awaiting the final resolution of several plot points.
If you are a resident or a fan of New York City, this book has a wealth of local colour and flavour of the city. Many locations in New York are mentioned throughout, both as involvement in the story, and as offshoots of the fact that the main character, Dalton Lee is a famous architect. If you read the e-version of the book you get the added feature of links to more info about some of the buildings, etc. noted. I read the print version so I missed out on that, but friends who have read this tell me the links are a fun and interesting component and increased their enjoyment of the story. So if you have an e-reader, that's probably the way to fully enjoy this book.
There was really only one issue I had with this story, and although it is minor, to deliver a full and fulsome review I feel I need to mention it. The book starts out with a bank [literally! ;-)] and dives into the story very fast. As we meet Lee and his team, I found that the plot-line about The Organization [note: this isn't a spoiler, as they are mentioned in the blurb about the book] is not really introduced or explained fully enough for the reader to properly understand the history that we're given to understand exists with the characters. I felt a bit confused and at sea about The Organization and how everyone involved got to where we are now. I would have liked a bit more explanation of what went on in the past than I got, particularly as this is the first book. As I say, that is a minor complaint, and as the book went along this became more clear, but it might turn impatient readers off. You do need to hang in there for the first while to properly understand what is happening and why.
Once you do have a handle on the story, and the reasons behind it, this is a good, fast easy read, for those who enjoy suspense/thrillers and especially for residens or fans of NYC.
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