alifromkc1907's review against another edition
5.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 5
Characters: 4.5
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 4
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 4.75
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 4
Overall: 4.69
Characters: 4.5
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 4
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 4.75
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 4
Overall: 4.69
bxermom's review against another edition
4.0
I'm so glad I finally got a chance to finish this! I was a bit unsure when I started it. I didn't think it was a book that I would want to finish. It really picked up after the beginning chapters and had a great ending. I think I will try another one of her books.
jajorgen's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second Gardiner book I've read (after seeing the column about her written by Stephen King). I agree with him that Gardiner really knows what she's doing. Her protagonists are interesting and she's got the suspense pacing down perfectly. In this one the investigator, Jo Beckett, is a forensic psychiatrist. She's called in when a death can't be easily identified as suicide, murder, or accidental.
I liked Jo, who has the expected painful backstory but who isn't wallowing in it. She goes about her business with common sense and intelligence and I look forward to seeing more of her. If there's a weakness here it's in the free-hand she's given by the police. Her gathering evidence and interrogating suspects struck me as a little off given the nature of the death, though Gardiner does just enough to make it mostly plausible.
I liked Jo, who has the expected painful backstory but who isn't wallowing in it. She goes about her business with common sense and intelligence and I look forward to seeing more of her. If there's a weakness here it's in the free-hand she's given by the police. Her gathering evidence and interrogating suspects struck me as a little off given the nature of the death, though Gardiner does just enough to make it mostly plausible.
megmcardle's review against another edition
2.0
This was pretty disappointing to me. I hate when authors use their setting as a gimmick. I was hoping for some good SF scenery in this novel, but instead the author only set the book here to be able to have an earthquake in the plot. And not just one earthquake (at a key plotting moment), but another one later on as well! Not believable and not very compelling.
eternan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
sophiewilliams's review against another edition
3.0
This grew on me slowly and then I found the ending tiresome. During the middle it was a very engrossing story with twists that I wouldn't have predicted however to bring it all together at the end things got a little ridiculous (
Spoiler
) (hello small monkey as a major plot device). (/Spoiler
).denaiir's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Jo Beckett's backstory, even though the plot of this one was not one of my favorite topics. I'm excited to read the next one
robinsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Suspenseful and compelling thriller set in San Francisco. This is the author's first hardbound book; the first books in a different series (Evan Delaney) are only in paperback. I liked DSC well enough to go back and read the earlier books she wrote.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘Each flash of the camera was a silent shriek’
This novel kept me turning the pages so rapidly that I didn’t actually stop to analyse the story. Which is probably a good thing: I’m not convinced that the various elements hang together well enough to provide a totally satisfying whole. Does it matter? Well, not to me. I was looking for an escapist novel and this book delivered.
There is a lot of action in this novel: not always coherent and not always believable. That will matter to some readers, and ordinarily it matters to me. But sometimes, it is good to suspend reality and just hop onto the rollercoaster.
Jo Beckett is a forensic psychiatrist who profiles victim’s lives in order to try to help solve their deaths. Lieutenant Amy Tang calls Jo Beckett to the crime scene after a high speed pursuit in San Francisco ends with four people dead and five injured. So, why did Callie Harding drive her car through a bridge railing? What is the Dirty Secrets Club, and what can Jo do to try to prevent what appear to be a related series of murder/suicides by high profile people? Jo herself looks to be an interesting character as do many of the other ‘good guys’ in this novel.
This was the first Meg Gardiner novel I’ve read, and it probably won’t be the last. I’m intrigued without being totally hooked.
This novel kept me turning the pages so rapidly that I didn’t actually stop to analyse the story. Which is probably a good thing: I’m not convinced that the various elements hang together well enough to provide a totally satisfying whole. Does it matter? Well, not to me. I was looking for an escapist novel and this book delivered.
There is a lot of action in this novel: not always coherent and not always believable. That will matter to some readers, and ordinarily it matters to me. But sometimes, it is good to suspend reality and just hop onto the rollercoaster.
Jo Beckett is a forensic psychiatrist who profiles victim’s lives in order to try to help solve their deaths. Lieutenant Amy Tang calls Jo Beckett to the crime scene after a high speed pursuit in San Francisco ends with four people dead and five injured. So, why did Callie Harding drive her car through a bridge railing? What is the Dirty Secrets Club, and what can Jo do to try to prevent what appear to be a related series of murder/suicides by high profile people? Jo herself looks to be an interesting character as do many of the other ‘good guys’ in this novel.
This was the first Meg Gardiner novel I’ve read, and it probably won’t be the last. I’m intrigued without being totally hooked.