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kt1432's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
An ex-ballet dancer returns to her hometown in the midst of a murder investigation of one of her high school best friends.
After enjoying this author’s first work, All the Dark Places, I was excited to be pulled back into the suburbs of Boston with Detective Rita taking on a new case. The title and cover gave vibes of a creepy murderer lurking in the woods and I was sold!
Only it wasn’t quite that lol. This time around there is very little action, and very little detective work. Most of the plot seemed focused on slow-paced background stories for red herrings, and they are plentiful, yet not necessary to the overall plot. There’s lots of rehashing old family drama and old high school rivalries, and the creepy woods angle never really came to fruition.
When the final reveal is made, it kind of makes sense why most of the story was background on red herrings, because the murderer and motive were pretty unrealistic and out of left field.
Overall not my favorite (2 or 2.5 ⭐️ for me means “just okay or didn’t really care for it,” not awful), but I will still read the next in the series.
After enjoying this author’s first work, All the Dark Places, I was excited to be pulled back into the suburbs of Boston with Detective Rita taking on a new case. The title and cover gave vibes of a creepy murderer lurking in the woods and I was sold!
Only it wasn’t quite that lol. This time around there is very little action, and very little detective work. Most of the plot seemed focused on slow-paced background stories for red herrings, and they are plentiful, yet not necessary to the overall plot. There’s lots of rehashing old family drama and old high school rivalries, and the creepy woods angle never really came to fruition.
When the final reveal is made, it kind of makes sense why most of the story was background on red herrings, because the murderer and motive were pretty unrealistic and out of left field.
Overall not my favorite (2 or 2.5 ⭐️ for me means “just okay or didn’t really care for it,” not awful), but I will still read the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
smottman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Strong sense of trigger warnings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
Trigger warnings for parental deaths, and step parent relationshipsmorethanmylupus's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
2.0
As a thriller, this was underwhelming. As a mystery, it was ok. I wouldn't say this is a thriller - it's a very slow moving plot with a lot of time spent on characters vs moving the plot forward. I was bored most of the time, between the intermittent new clue reveals. I think there are better mysteries out there but this wasn't terrible if you don't mind slow burn mysteries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Murder
jasminegarcia2600's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I really enjoyed the dual narration of both Christina Moore and Leah Horowitz. Since this is an addition to the Detective Rita Myers series, Christina Moore took the cake. This is my first audiobook and I can say that this book was enjoyable to listen to due to the narration. I don't know how to explain it but Christina Moore sounds exactly how I imagine a small-town/suburbian detective to sound like haha.
The pacing of this book varied based on what was happening in the story. For more intense scenes, the plot was fast, while atmosphere-building/background information tended to be slower. I feel that this may be an issue for those who prefer fast-paced thrillers, rather than those who give you a lot of information throughout so you can try to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
One of the potential pitfalls of this book will be the amount of subplots that it contains. This goes hand-in-hand with the pacing. Within this book, there are many subplots (i.e., Mr. York's attic adventures, Wendy and the Pond, the Foster family car accident, and Esmé's mystery man). As someone who reads a lot of thriller novels, I have gotten used to (and quite enjoy) having multiple subplots to explore in a novel, especially if the final reveal is predictable. In terms of the subplots in this book, I feel that they all intertwined very well by the end of the book. All aspects of this story allow for more understanding of why Esmé left Graybridge and finds herself struggling to find her place eleven years later.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am excited to read All the Dark Places and dive more into Detective Rita Myers and her work. There were many potential suspects, and all of my guesses ended up being wrong. So it definitely keeps the reader guessing until the end.
The pacing of this book varied based on what was happening in the story. For more intense scenes, the plot was fast, while atmosphere-building/background information tended to be slower. I feel that this may be an issue for those who prefer fast-paced thrillers, rather than those who give you a lot of information throughout so you can try to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
One of the potential pitfalls of this book will be the amount of subplots that it contains. This goes hand-in-hand with the pacing. Within this book, there are many subplots (i.e., Mr. York's attic adventures, Wendy and the Pond, the Foster family car accident, and Esmé's mystery man). As someone who reads a lot of thriller novels, I have gotten used to (and quite enjoy) having multiple subplots to explore in a novel, especially if the final reveal is predictable. In terms of the subplots in this book, I feel that they all intertwined very well by the end of the book. All aspects of this story allow for more understanding of why Esmé left Graybridge and finds herself struggling to find her place eleven years later.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am excited to read All the Dark Places and dive more into Detective Rita Myers and her work. There were many potential suspects, and all of my guesses ended up being wrong. So it definitely keeps the reader guessing until the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction and Injury/Injury detail
paperbacksandsketchbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was amazing! I loved Terri Parlato's debut All the Dark Places, and this one was equally as great!
Everything that I loved about All the Dark Places, I loved about What Waits in the Woods: Detective Rita, all the red herrings, great character development, twists that make sense... Terri Parlato is a mystery/thriller writing genius!
Being kept guessing is what makes stories like this stand out to me. We were taken in so many different directions, but evey direction had a purpose with the plot. The ending 🤯
If you're looking for fresh detective stories, Parlato's books are a great place to start!
Everything that I loved about All the Dark Places, I loved about What Waits in the Woods: Detective Rita, all the red herrings, great character development, twists that make sense... Terri Parlato is a mystery/thriller writing genius!
Being kept guessing is what makes stories like this stand out to me. We were taken in so many different directions, but evey direction had a purpose with the plot. The ending 🤯
If you're looking for fresh detective stories, Parlato's books are a great place to start!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent
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