bookworm_brad's review against another edition
3.0
As I've enjoyed several of this author's books I picked this one up hoping for a fast paced and hard hitting thriller and wasn't disappointed. The premise sounded good and while I didn't realise it part of a series that didn't detract from the story at all.
A word of warning though; as with many of J.A. Konrath's books this is not for the faint-hearted. It is in places violent, gruesome, gory and explicit so if you prefer cosy mysteries you might be best choosing something different.
I liked the characters, the interaction and the plot, the way the story moved along and even the ambiguity of the main character which was at first confusing but then became apparent later on.
The ending, while abrupt, is perfectly suited and did not feel rushed or incomplete in my opinion.
There are unfortunately several typos and also several grammatical errors that made me cringe. It's Miley not Mylie. It's "once in a while" not "once and a while" etc. Also there are quite a few hyperlinks which are both unnecessary and distracting. If you need to add links to other books or whatever, do so at the end or before the beginning please, not throughout the book which just serves to pull the reader out of the story.
Still, it's a good if slightly predictable thriller which I'd give 4 stars if not for the links, typos and silly grammatical errors.
A word of warning though; as with many of J.A. Konrath's books this is not for the faint-hearted. It is in places violent, gruesome, gory and explicit so if you prefer cosy mysteries you might be best choosing something different.
I liked the characters, the interaction and the plot, the way the story moved along and even the ambiguity of the main character which was at first confusing but then became apparent later on.
The ending, while abrupt, is perfectly suited and did not feel rushed or incomplete in my opinion.
There are unfortunately several typos and also several grammatical errors that made me cringe. It's Miley not Mylie. It's "once in a while" not "once and a while" etc. Also there are quite a few hyperlinks which are both unnecessary and distracting. If you need to add links to other books or whatever, do so at the end or before the beginning please, not throughout the book which just serves to pull the reader out of the story.
Still, it's a good if slightly predictable thriller which I'd give 4 stars if not for the links, typos and silly grammatical errors.
amchamp's review against another edition
2.0
It was fine
This was a quick, okay read. I find it rambles sometimes about details that aren’t important. I’m glad I didn’t spend money on it.
This was a quick, okay read. I find it rambles sometimes about details that aren’t important. I’m glad I didn’t spend money on it.
stephanieluxton's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
There were some genuinely scary moments! I loved that it crossed over with Rum Runner as well. Super violent but that's to be expected. I really enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Gore, Stalking, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Mental illness, and Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, and Incest
A lot of these things are mentioned or alluded to without the reader having to watch it happen. For the really violent parts, we mostly see the aftermath. So it's not as bad as it sounds, but we are reading about a violent cyberstalking serial killer so expect it to be dark.very_vero's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.5
itsmrgeektoyou's review against another edition
3.0
I'm torn here. This was really a 4 star book, but I had to deduct a star because 1) there were unnecessary spoilers about the Jack Daniels series and 2) I caught at least 4 typos.
The story was good but the ending felt rushed (everything wrapped up within a few pages).
The story was good but the ending felt rushed (everything wrapped up within a few pages).
vesper1931's review against another edition
4.0
Webcam models by the name of Kendal are being stalked and killed and so Chicago Homicide Detective Tom Mankowski and his parner Roy Lewis are called in to investigate. The killer is everywhere, he can see you via an electronic device. They are not safe. A dark serial killer story which I did enjoy.
jen286's review against another edition
2.0
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
I love Jack Kilborn's books. The Afraid books are some of my all time favorites. So that is the kind of story I was expecting from this book. I haven't read any of the Jack Daniels or other of the authors mystery books, but they are on my list of to-read. Though after this one I might reconsider as I am not sure I like the way he writes the character interactions and conversations.
Webcam is the story of a serial killer who is stalking and killing webcam girls named Kendall. He thinks he is saving their souls or something. Making them pay for their sins. And I wish we could have had more of the killer. More of what he did and what made him him. That was why I picked up this book to read for Halloween. I wanted a scary, horrifying read and I got glimpses of the book I wanted. The killer himself, the descriptions of the murder scenes and everything was shudder inducing. I cannot imagine what those girls went through. Seriously this author can make up some truly horrifying situatuins. And I love it.
But most of the book felt like it was about the detective, Tom, and how he is in love with his long distance girlfriend who is visiting. How he shouldn't be working, but he has to. How she gets upset that he leaves to do his job while she is there. How he wants to marry her, but they have an agreement that neither will ask the other to give up their jobs or move to be with the other. Their whole storyline? Well I will say this - maybe romance is not the authors strong suit. It didn't feel real. I never got any emotions between the two of them. I was told they were in love. I was told she would get upset or he would feel bad, but I didn't see it. I didn't feel it. I didn't care about them at all. So it wasn't that great. If I don't care what happens to your main characters then if something bad happens it is no big deal.
You also have the story of one of the Kendall's the killer is stalking. His next victim. I liked those parts more than the detective's part. I liked that she is not actually who the killer goes for. She is not his normal victim. She thinks she might be crazy and making it all up. That was fun and I could have done with a bit more of it. The stalking was pretty creepy.
Now as I said most of the book is focused on Tom and his investigation and how it affected his love life. The writing in those parts was not very good for me. It was stilted and just not what I expected from this author. I was still enjoying it well enough, but then I realized I only had a few minutes left in the book and a situation that had yet to be resolved and the whole ending felt very rushed. Like suddenly everything worked out tada! It didn't help with the meh feeling of the story when it felt like it wasn't fully flushed out at the end. Oh well. I have the other Afraid books to re-read when I want my horrifying situation fix.
I love Jack Kilborn's books. The Afraid books are some of my all time favorites. So that is the kind of story I was expecting from this book. I haven't read any of the Jack Daniels or other of the authors mystery books, but they are on my list of to-read. Though after this one I might reconsider as I am not sure I like the way he writes the character interactions and conversations.
Webcam is the story of a serial killer who is stalking and killing webcam girls named Kendall. He thinks he is saving their souls or something. Making them pay for their sins. And I wish we could have had more of the killer. More of what he did and what made him him. That was why I picked up this book to read for Halloween. I wanted a scary, horrifying read and I got glimpses of the book I wanted. The killer himself, the descriptions of the murder scenes and everything was shudder inducing. I cannot imagine what those girls went through. Seriously this author can make up some truly horrifying situatuins. And I love it.
But most of the book felt like it was about the detective, Tom, and how he is in love with his long distance girlfriend who is visiting. How he shouldn't be working, but he has to. How she gets upset that he leaves to do his job while she is there. How he wants to marry her, but they have an agreement that neither will ask the other to give up their jobs or move to be with the other. Their whole storyline? Well I will say this - maybe romance is not the authors strong suit. It didn't feel real. I never got any emotions between the two of them. I was told they were in love. I was told she would get upset or he would feel bad, but I didn't see it. I didn't feel it. I didn't care about them at all. So it wasn't that great. If I don't care what happens to your main characters then if something bad happens it is no big deal.
You also have the story of one of the Kendall's the killer is stalking. His next victim. I liked those parts more than the detective's part. I liked that she is not actually who the killer goes for. She is not his normal victim. She thinks she might be crazy and making it all up. That was fun and I could have done with a bit more of it. The stalking was pretty creepy.
Now as I said most of the book is focused on Tom and his investigation and how it affected his love life. The writing in those parts was not very good for me. It was stilted and just not what I expected from this author. I was still enjoying it well enough, but then I realized I only had a few minutes left in the book and a situation that had yet to be resolved and the whole ending felt very rushed. Like suddenly everything worked out tada! It didn't help with the meh feeling of the story when it felt like it wasn't fully flushed out at the end. Oh well. I have the other Afraid books to re-read when I want my horrifying situation fix.
rendier's review against another edition
3.0
Great story, but the"torture porn" is unsettling
Would have scored the book higher, if it wasn't for the graphical detail. If you don't mind that, you will enjoy the book. Great story, pacing etc, I'm just a bit squeamish...
Would have scored the book higher, if it wasn't for the graphical detail. If you don't mind that, you will enjoy the book. Great story, pacing etc, I'm just a bit squeamish...
wadi_hisham's review against another edition
4.0
Quite a disturbing psychological thriller. I would say that it's fun to read through except that it isn't. It's harrowing, which is exactly what it needed to be.
Liked it. I'll give it a 'psycho killer' out of 8.
Liked it. I'll give it a 'psycho killer' out of 8.