Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Böse Absichten by Keigo Higashino

4 reviews

crystalisreading's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Alcohol

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really like all the Kiego Higashino books I’ve read, especially The Devotion of Suspect X. The ending was shocking; I felt like I’d been punched. Higashino is a master of the plot twist. However, I feel Suspect X is the pinnacle of his work and nothing I’ve read since has been quite as powerful. Of course when the bar is set so high, it’s difficult to surpass what’s already the best. 

Malice is the first of a different series. It focuses more on plot than character. The man arrested for murder is such an unreliable narrator that it’s hard to see what he’s truly like. We learn more about Detective Kaga, and his guilt and remorse at failing a student who was being bullied back in his teacher days, but we don’t know anything else about him. We know nothing about his private life, his friends and family, his likes and dislikes - his character isn’t developed at all. 

The plot, which is explained early on, changes repeatedly. The readers aren’t sure what’s true, and I found it confusing to have to keep rearranging my idea of what had happened. In the end I felt it was more of an overly complicated annoyance than a plot twist. That said, I’m about to start reading the second in the series to see what happens next. 

Overall the book was complex and convoluted and, as such, was quite a feat. But I didn’t find it completely satisfying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Rape, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

mtnest's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Suicide, Murder, and Gaslighting

fraise's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Infidelity, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Stalking, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail