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slintangel's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
[ NOT SPOILER FREE ] my bullet pointed thoughts.:
• the author seems to offer wikipedia style descriptions of characters regardless of whether they're relevant and uses them as some silly pretense for an introduction or worse... character development. maybe it's all about me being usually turned off by this sort of writing style (jo nesbo comes to mind) but i found it jarring and a little tiresome. did we need someone's lifestory complete with name drops only for them to get killed a few pages later? why not spend that time on some real development for characters like robert or garcia... even hopkins or blake, anyone really.
• the whole subplot felt incredibly unnecessary. i kept thinking the slasher was going to be a set up for a sequel somehow (silly me, i know.) the side characters just didn't contribute much to the story other than extra pages especially with them being forgotten about for several chapters. it's like they served their immediate purpose and were instantly discarded.
• robert is insanely good at everything and everyone loves him. i honestly don't care about this but if it's something that annoys you this isn't the book for you.
• i will not comment on the reveal but just know i have thoughts. what i will talk about however is the blatant, shameless copaganda that doesn't even bother to cover or even make itself interesting. "cops need to break procedure and withhold information... it helps them save more civilians!! it's for the greater good of everybody!!" this is almost word for word by the way, the implications aren't subtle and the dialogue even less so.
• speaking of which, i found the dialogue to be clunky and very exposition heavy. sometimes it didn't feel as if the character was speaking but rather as if they were reciting the script of a forensic files episode. an example of this would be when they speculate on how certain victims' deaths must have taken place and how those individuals must have felt in those moments. i didn't believe in it as a real conversation anyone would have but rather carter's attempt to shove a bit more gratuitious violence for us to clutch our pearls at. robert and garcia continued each other's sentences, on the same wavelength, their revelations coming across as flat and disinterested. none of the tension was palpable because these events were told in such monotone dialogue lacking any interjections or personal effects. in fact, there were hardly any times i could distinguish these two from your average hardboiled cop. isn't that such a sad fate for a literary hero?
• props for being insanely readable i guess, finished this in a day while in a reading slump and though i couldn't stop rolling my eyes at least it was done.
• the author seems to offer wikipedia style descriptions of characters regardless of whether they're relevant and uses them as some silly pretense for an introduction or worse... character development. maybe it's all about me being usually turned off by this sort of writing style (jo nesbo comes to mind) but i found it jarring and a little tiresome. did we need someone's lifestory complete with name drops only for them to get killed a few pages later? why not spend that time on some real development for characters like robert or garcia... even hopkins or blake, anyone really.
• the whole subplot felt incredibly unnecessary. i kept thinking the slasher was going to be a set up for a sequel somehow (silly me, i know.) the side characters just didn't contribute much to the story other than extra pages especially with them being forgotten about for several chapters. it's like they served their immediate purpose and were instantly discarded.
• robert is insanely good at everything and everyone loves him. i honestly don't care about this but if it's something that annoys you this isn't the book for you.
• i will not comment on the reveal but just know i have thoughts. what i will talk about however is the blatant, shameless copaganda that doesn't even bother to cover or even make itself interesting. "cops need to break procedure and withhold information... it helps them save more civilians!! it's for the greater good of everybody!!" this is almost word for word by the way, the implications aren't subtle and the dialogue even less so.
• speaking of which, i found the dialogue to be clunky and very exposition heavy. sometimes it didn't feel as if the character was speaking but rather as if they were reciting the script of a forensic files episode. an example of this would be when they speculate on how certain victims' deaths must have taken place and how those individuals must have felt in those moments. i didn't believe in it as a real conversation anyone would have but rather carter's attempt to shove a bit more gratuitious violence for us to clutch our pearls at. robert and garcia continued each other's sentences, on the same wavelength, their revelations coming across as flat and disinterested. none of the tension was palpable because these events were told in such monotone dialogue lacking any interjections or personal effects. in fact, there were hardly any times i could distinguish these two from your average hardboiled cop. isn't that such a sad fate for a literary hero?
• props for being insanely readable i guess, finished this in a day while in a reading slump and though i couldn't stop rolling my eyes at least it was done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
savage_book_review's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The second Robert Hunter thriller, this book sees the star of the Robebery Homicide Division of the LAPD face crime scenes that even he has never seen the like of before.
I read this book years ago, and it's definitely the one I remembered best of all of the Chris Carter books I have read (about half the series). The murders in this are particularly memorable in their gruesomeness, and definitely set the tone for the series more than 'The Crucifix Killer' in my opinion. It's certainly not for the squeamish, but where you're looking through the eyes of the detective, the descriptions are objective enough for you to see past the gore to the evidentiary value of the bodies, while simultaneously being subjective enough to evoke an emotional reaction from the reader. It's a very well trodden line.
The plot is clearly well thought out and meticulously paced, taking you through the twists and turns of the investigation and keeping the reader engaged throughout. The eventual reveal of the killer and their motives made sense and it was all to easy to understand, and perhaps even sympathise a little.
I did find the chapters to be a little too short in this one though; for the most part, it still flows well, but on the occasions where you shift from Robert's POV to that of the killer or another character, it's a bit jolting and you don't get a chance to get into their mindset before it's shifted back again. Similarly, a lot of the chapters end with an exclamation from one of the characters at something they've just seen, or another sort of mini-cliffhanger. It's fine at first, but it does get a little repetitive. And when the cliffhanger is resolved on the very next page, it felt a little pointless after the first couple of times.
I also didn't get as much depth from this one. It sticks pretty closely to investigating the case rather than exploring Robert and Garcia's characters in greater detail, which I feel is still necessary at this early point in the series. There are moments where you get more, but not enough. The last scene is a case in point - it felt like a great opportunity to see a little more of the 'real' Robert, but there just wasn't really anything to it and it left me a bit underwhelmed.
There are trigger warnings a-plenty in here; definitely one to read with the lights on!
I read this book years ago, and it's definitely the one I remembered best of all of the Chris Carter books I have read (about half the series). The murders in this are particularly memorable in their gruesomeness, and definitely set the tone for the series more than 'The Crucifix Killer' in my opinion. It's certainly not for the squeamish, but where you're looking through the eyes of the detective, the descriptions are objective enough for you to see past the gore to the evidentiary value of the bodies, while simultaneously being subjective enough to evoke an emotional reaction from the reader. It's a very well trodden line.
The plot is clearly well thought out and meticulously paced, taking you through the twists and turns of the investigation and keeping the reader engaged throughout. The eventual reveal of the killer and their motives made sense and it was all to easy to understand, and perhaps even sympathise a little.
I did find the chapters to be a little too short in this one though; for the most part, it still flows well, but on the occasions where you shift from Robert's POV to that of the killer or another character, it's a bit jolting and you don't get a chance to get into their mindset before it's shifted back again. Similarly, a lot of the chapters end with an exclamation from one of the characters at something they've just seen, or another sort of mini-cliffhanger. It's fine at first, but it does get a little repetitive. And when the cliffhanger is resolved on the very next page, it felt a little pointless after the first couple of times.
I also didn't get as much depth from this one. It sticks pretty closely to investigating the case rather than exploring Robert and Garcia's characters in greater detail, which I feel is still necessary at this early point in the series. There are moments where you get more, but not enough. The last scene is a case in point - it felt like a great opportunity to see a little more of the 'real' Robert, but there just wasn't really anything to it and it left me a bit underwhelmed.
There are trigger warnings a-plenty in here; definitely one to read with the lights on!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Infidelity, Excrement, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
_i_am_et_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Really good read, finished it in just one day, some parts felt a little rassist and misogynistic, I can't really put a finger on it tho
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Stalking, Car accident, and Abortion
_terah_hansen_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder
kira_uk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Suicide, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Vomit
emmaisreadingabook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying and Vomit
Minor: Suicide and Abortion
fictionmajorette's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Full thoughts: https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-executioner-chris-carter.html
Just a few weeks ago, I gave the first book in this series a 2 star rating and did as close to a rant review as I think I've ever gotten. It felt like every issue I had with the first book was addressed and fixed to my liking in this second book. It was such a phenomenal story and reading experience that I just went and bought the rest of the series because if it only gets better in each book, I'm 100% on board now.
Robert Hunter is so much more likeable in this book but I don't think his character changed at all. My difference of opinion comes down to the narration choices which I think were much less heavy handed than in the first book. In this book, Carter actually lets the other characters who should be the experts speak first and Hunter may add on additional knowledge that he has after the fact which is so much more realistic and satisfying to read.
I loved the rapport between Hunter and Garcia and how they felt much more like partners instead of their rookie vs detective dynamic from the first book. Their banter and the way they bounced theories between each other was fantastic and there were times where they even finished each other's sentences that I thought really highlighted their relationship dynamic.
The killings reminded me so much of the movie Se7en (one of my all-time favorites) with their incredible brutality. The descriptions of the victims were so clinical but also vivid that they just make your stomach turn if you think about them for too long.
The pacing was phenomenal and super tight. The frequency of the kills and the more active investigation from the police really helped to move the plot along at an extremely easy to read pace. Also, I love how short the chapters are - most only a few pages - which really lends to the 'potato chip' quality of the writing.
The investigation aspects were also done well with the leads and interviews were done quickly and we got the information we needed and then left. It was quick and snappy and while most of those leads ended up as dead ends, we did double back on a few points later in the book which was so satisfying.
Overall, this was more what I was looking for in this series and I'm absolutely blown away with the differences between the first and second book, especially considering they were published only a year apart. Based on reviews, I'm really hoping this trend continues and we keep getting more and more intriguing killers to go up against Hunter and his team.
Just a few weeks ago, I gave the first book in this series a 2 star rating and did as close to a rant review as I think I've ever gotten. It felt like every issue I had with the first book was addressed and fixed to my liking in this second book. It was such a phenomenal story and reading experience that I just went and bought the rest of the series because if it only gets better in each book, I'm 100% on board now.
Robert Hunter is so much more likeable in this book but I don't think his character changed at all. My difference of opinion comes down to the narration choices which I think were much less heavy handed than in the first book. In this book, Carter actually lets the other characters who should be the experts speak first and Hunter may add on additional knowledge that he has after the fact which is so much more realistic and satisfying to read.
I loved the rapport between Hunter and Garcia and how they felt much more like partners instead of their rookie vs detective dynamic from the first book. Their banter and the way they bounced theories between each other was fantastic and there were times where they even finished each other's sentences that I thought really highlighted their relationship dynamic.
The killings reminded me so much of the movie Se7en (one of my all-time favorites) with their incredible brutality. The descriptions of the victims were so clinical but also vivid that they just make your stomach turn if you think about them for too long.
The pacing was phenomenal and super tight. The frequency of the kills and the more active investigation from the police really helped to move the plot along at an extremely easy to read pace. Also, I love how short the chapters are - most only a few pages - which really lends to the 'potato chip' quality of the writing.
The investigation aspects were also done well with the leads and interviews were done quickly and we got the information we needed and then left. It was quick and snappy and while most of those leads ended up as dead ends, we did double back on a few points later in the book which was so satisfying.
Overall, this was more what I was looking for in this series and I'm absolutely blown away with the differences between the first and second book, especially considering they were published only a year apart. Based on reviews, I'm really hoping this trend continues and we keep getting more and more intriguing killers to go up against Hunter and his team.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Torture
Moderate: Suicide
More...