Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Der Vollstrecker by Chris Carter

6 reviews

heidi_84's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

5.0

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savage_book_review's review against another edition

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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!
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_i_am_et_'s review against another edition

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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
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ernareads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Third book by Chris Carter, and I'm still amazed with his writing style. As always, the plot and characters are well written. I love seeing how the partnership between Detective Hunter and Gracia getting more personal. The crimes are as always damn *chef kiss* gory.

Definitely recommended to those who enjoy reading psychological thriller books. But! Before reading, do search up on the trigger warnings.
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monicaloves2read's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

There are trigger warnings you need to be aware of, if you decide to read this fabulous book. There is talk of: bullying, rape, incest, physical and mental abuse.  

This was just as good as the first, if not better. Bodies piling up. Detectives Hunter and Garcia have never seen anything like these killings before. The killer has spent a lot of time figuring out what these victims are scared to death of, and the way he kills them is unimaginable (at least to me).

I liked the fact that there was a red herring. It kept my interest. Plus, there was good character development, which is always a plus when reading a series. Also, it was interesting because I couldn't figure out who the killer(s) were. I was surprised by the reveal.

I recommend this series, if you like Serial Killers, Suspense, Thrillers, Police Procedurals or mysteries.

😊 Happy Reading 🙃

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t_higgsreviews's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

4.5 Stars
CAWPILE = 8.32
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