rachel_reece's review against another edition
3.0
Good murder mystery. Sort of freaky and depressing. Very well-written.
waiteh22's review against another edition
2.0
First crime book I’ve read really. Big fan of true crime and have read some nonfiction true crime before. A bit slow at time but i was engaged for most of it. A disappointing ending. The lack of answers on the old crime was annoying. Also, I kind of hated all the characters especially the main character.
joaniemaloney's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a bit torn about this book.
It's been a few days since I've finished it so I've had a chance to let my thoughts simmer a bit, and I'm still thinking about certain things. Namely, whether or not I'm interested enough to continue reading the rest of the books in this series. Now, on the one hand, I did really enjoy Tana French's writing and even though the pace did slow somewhat with all the details and Rob's inner thoughts, I still read on with nary a slowdown. Her attention to the little things is done with such clarity that I can't help but enjoy the detours even though I do want to get to the bottom of everything. The urgency doesn't let up at all for me. So clearly she's doing something right.
On the other hand, I feel like I was lured in with the premise of that disappearance of those kids in the woods and was then given...nothing, for finishing this book. Let's be honest, I did not read this caring at all about the present case - as unfortunate as Katy's story was - but wanted to find out what had happened all those years ago. Isn't that the main draw, the storyline that they're promoting to the reader? I don't think it's my fault for being attached to that story over the present one. The anticipation just kept building, to the point where I was getting pretty impressed with all the fevered dreams and memories, wondering how French was going to tie everything together and explain it all. It seemed near impossible with how every lead went nowhere and Rob was having such a difficult time even thinking about that day. Plus so much time had passed. And as I kept reading, there were fewer and fewer pages left to explain it all. How, for heaven's sake, was this going to be solved?
Well, it wasn't.
Maybe I haven't read enough of the mystery genre or mysteries in general to appreciate something different but I would not have predicted that this was going to be left in the open like that. Well, to be precise, bulldozed over, since the woods are physically gone now. It felt like my hopes and dreams were buried under that godawful highway when I got to that part and realized that no, I really did read all of it without knowing why. I understand that art can imitate life in that endings aren't all tied up neatly with nice ribbons, and I've read quite a few stories that remained 'unfinished,' yet this didn't sit well with me. Come on.
I also would've liked this more if the characterization didn't go downhill so fast. I might've been misled (haha, you got me, Rob/Adam - ugh that line about me/the reader trusting Rosalind like he did) about Rob as a character but I mostly found him to be...there, as the reader's eyes through this entire thing. I didn't think he had anything memorable about him aside from that incident in the woods, and I was okay with that. He didn't need to be anything more because I only wanted to find out what happened. I did like him best when he was working/interacting with Cassie. Those two had a bond, which I thought about things getting romantic in the beginning but with how much Rob emphasized that they were merely platonic, I believed him. I was okay with them being friends too. And then wham bam, they sleep together. All right. I'm okay with that too. What I wasn't okay with was how fast everything changed for Rob. Apparently now from the next morning onward there's all this pressure for him to start a relationship - which did not come from Cassie at all - so the best thing for him to act like a dick and wreck their friendship/partnership forever? Okaaaaaaay. Another thing that was weird was how fast the Rosalind thing happened. I suppose she did have her charms and was good-looking but that still came out of nowhere with how defensive Rob was being about her. Sam was cool though. The engagement was ridiculously fast - it felt like mere months to me? - but I like him way better. I wouldn't be surprised if Rob showed up next book and somehow ruined their relationship though so Cassie stays alone and unhappy forever just because. (Please no.)
Rob is almost boastful about being this unreliable narrator by the end and it's quite annoying. I did read a comment somewhere about what if he was such an unreliable narrator that he was a psychopath all along and was behind the disappearance all those years ago, which may sound ludicrous but with how much I detested him when I finished this? I wished that was the case. Then it would've been a twist to remember. And at least would've solved the case.
It's a testament to the writing and my curiosity that despite my utter disappointment, a part of me still thought about reading the rest of the books. I mean, it's mostly because I want to find out whether the mystery is solved in the later books, and also because I had this idea that I was going to enjoy this and already saw myself reading the entire series. What to do? I did the smart thing and without spoiling myself much, went to see what the other books were about and saved myself a lot of time. So they're each about a different character in the squad which means I can stop wishing that this mystery is going to be solved. Maybe someday I won't be able to resist the call and read the others, but for now, I'm going to skip the Dublin Murder Squad for a while. It's not worth it to jump back into it so soon when I've got other books to read. This gets a 3 stars but all along I saw at least a 4 for it (about 3/4 of the way through) because I was so confident about the conclusion. I was enjoying it so much. Sigh.
It's been a few days since I've finished it so I've had a chance to let my thoughts simmer a bit, and I'm still thinking about certain things. Namely, whether or not I'm interested enough to continue reading the rest of the books in this series. Now, on the one hand, I did really enjoy Tana French's writing and even though the pace did slow somewhat with all the details and Rob's inner thoughts, I still read on with nary a slowdown. Her attention to the little things is done with such clarity that I can't help but enjoy the detours even though I do want to get to the bottom of everything. The urgency doesn't let up at all for me. So clearly she's doing something right.
On the other hand, I feel like I was lured in with the premise of that disappearance of those kids in the woods and was then given...nothing, for finishing this book. Let's be honest, I did not read this caring at all about the present case - as unfortunate as Katy's story was - but wanted to find out what had happened all those years ago. Isn't that the main draw, the storyline that they're promoting to the reader? I don't think it's my fault for being attached to that story over the present one. The anticipation just kept building, to the point where I was getting pretty impressed with all the fevered dreams and memories, wondering how French was going to tie everything together and explain it all. It seemed near impossible with how every lead went nowhere and Rob was having such a difficult time even thinking about that day. Plus so much time had passed. And as I kept reading, there were fewer and fewer pages left to explain it all. How, for heaven's sake, was this going to be solved?
Well, it wasn't.
Maybe I haven't read enough of the mystery genre or mysteries in general to appreciate something different but I would not have predicted that this was going to be left in the open like that. Well, to be precise, bulldozed over, since the woods are physically gone now. It felt like my hopes and dreams were buried under that godawful highway when I got to that part and realized that no, I really did read all of it without knowing why. I understand that art can imitate life in that endings aren't all tied up neatly with nice ribbons, and I've read quite a few stories that remained 'unfinished,' yet this didn't sit well with me. Come on.
I also would've liked this more if the characterization didn't go downhill so fast. I might've been misled (haha, you got me, Rob/Adam - ugh that line about me/the reader trusting Rosalind like he did) about Rob as a character but I mostly found him to be...there, as the reader's eyes through this entire thing. I didn't think he had anything memorable about him aside from that incident in the woods, and I was okay with that. He didn't need to be anything more because I only wanted to find out what happened. I did like him best when he was working/interacting with Cassie. Those two had a bond, which I thought about things getting romantic in the beginning but with how much Rob emphasized that they were merely platonic, I believed him. I was okay with them being friends too. And then wham bam, they sleep together. All right. I'm okay with that too. What I wasn't okay with was how fast everything changed for Rob. Apparently now from the next morning onward there's all this pressure for him to start a relationship - which did not come from Cassie at all - so the best thing for him to act like a dick and wreck their friendship/partnership forever? Okaaaaaaay. Another thing that was weird was how fast the Rosalind thing happened. I suppose she did have her charms and was good-looking but that still came out of nowhere with how defensive Rob was being about her. Sam was cool though. The engagement was ridiculously fast - it felt like mere months to me? - but I like him way better. I wouldn't be surprised if Rob showed up next book and somehow ruined their relationship though so Cassie stays alone and unhappy forever just because. (Please no.)
Rob is almost boastful about being this unreliable narrator by the end and it's quite annoying. I did read a comment somewhere about what if he was such an unreliable narrator that he was a psychopath all along and was behind the disappearance all those years ago, which may sound ludicrous but with how much I detested him when I finished this? I wished that was the case. Then it would've been a twist to remember. And at least would've solved the case.
It's a testament to the writing and my curiosity that despite my utter disappointment, a part of me still thought about reading the rest of the books. I mean, it's mostly because I want to find out whether the mystery is solved in the later books, and also because I had this idea that I was going to enjoy this and already saw myself reading the entire series. What to do? I did the smart thing and without spoiling myself much, went to see what the other books were about and saved myself a lot of time. So they're each about a different character in the squad which means I can stop wishing that this mystery is going to be solved. Maybe someday I won't be able to resist the call and read the others, but for now, I'm going to skip the Dublin Murder Squad for a while. It's not worth it to jump back into it so soon when I've got other books to read. This gets a 3 stars but all along I saw at least a 4 for it (about 3/4 of the way through) because I was so confident about the conclusion. I was enjoying it so much. Sigh.
snowedinwithmykindle's review against another edition
3.0
This sucked me in and kept me guessing the whole time but the ending made me want to throw the book at the wall! Who ends a book like that?
jenn_geeks_out's review against another edition
I got so bogged down in this that I couldn't imagine finishing it. I was hating it. I wanted to know how the mysteries ended, though, so I made my husband tell me. Based on that unsatisfactory tie-up, I'm really glad that I chose to quit rather than finish.
knit_and_purl's review against another edition
4.0
The book started off well, but I seem to have hit a lull in momentum at the halfway point. I felt there was way too much extraneous stuff going on and not enough movement forward with the mystery plot. However, about two-thirds of the way through, I realized that the author did an excellent job of making you really care about her characters. This could have been a fast-paced thriller, but the author spent a lot of time developing the characters, and now I want to know more. She sucked me in before I realized it!
becks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sydleit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
teekraenzchen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
klichtle's review against another edition
1.0
This book could have received more stars because the characters were well developed, the mysteries were interesting and I really wanted to know what happened. HOWEVER, I had three major problems with this story. One - the case wasn't solved!! So frustrating that so much story and emphasis was placed on the disappearance of 2 kids and then you never find anything out, ever. Two - I was able to figure out who killed the girl way too early on and this person gets away with it. Bad guys should never win. Three - the main characters sabotage their "amazing friendship" with one event and pretty much never speak to each other again......that might be ok for teen fiction, but was really annoying in this book. Grrrrrrrrrrr