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teresaalice's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Though I never warmed to the character of Freida Klein I’ve always enjoyed this series. Until this book took a bit of a departure. It doesn’t even mention Freida until chapters in, and the secondary characters introduced are annoying and grating. Definitely not the best in the series, too bad it was the conclusion.
dancemaster's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
anna_maschik's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
extremelysoundyoungpotato's review against another edition
3.0
It's always so hard to end a mystery series. I appreciate many of the choices that the author made to finish the series, but two things really took this one down for me:
Thoughts on the Frieda Klein series as a whole:
Highly enjoyable and well-written. Mysteries are well-plotted. Frieda often has a get out of jail card, literally and figuratively (because most mysteries are solved on an intuition or very specific psychological inference), but it's not utterly unrealistic. Characters have to deal with consequences of their actions, including Frieda. Nicci French also does not hesitate to depict characters struggling mentally/emotionally, and characters who have undergone some kind of trauma are never unscathed. Even though a mystery may be solved, that doesn't mean everyone lives happily ever after. Many readers criticize Frieda's character as too cold, too aloof, and question why all her friends constantly rally round her when it doesn't seem like she does anything to reciprocate. Yeah, I get it, but I found other elements of these stories interesting enough to continue. No gratuitous or graphic sex scenes, lots of cursing (including f-word and the Lord's name in vain). Ultimately, a good time, but not edifying or particularly memorable.
Spoiler
1. I completely understand the need for a new character to act as 'Watson' while Frieda is in hiding, but Lola was too annoying to rouse my empathy. She took away from a story that should have been hyper-fixated on Frieda and Dean. 2. Yes, Josef has been with Frieda since the beginning, but the final battle should have been done with Karlsson, the 'love interest'. This is what I expected from the beginning of the series and was disappointed enough to dock a star.Thoughts on the Frieda Klein series as a whole:
Highly enjoyable and well-written. Mysteries are well-plotted. Frieda often has a get out of jail card, literally and figuratively (because most mysteries are solved on an intuition or very specific psychological inference), but it's not utterly unrealistic. Characters have to deal with consequences of their actions, including Frieda. Nicci French also does not hesitate to depict characters struggling mentally/emotionally, and characters who have undergone some kind of trauma are never unscathed. Even though a mystery may be solved, that doesn't mean everyone lives happily ever after. Many readers criticize Frieda's character as too cold, too aloof, and question why all her friends constantly rally round her when it doesn't seem like she does anything to reciprocate. Yeah, I get it, but I found other elements of these stories interesting enough to continue. No gratuitous or graphic sex scenes, lots of cursing (including f-word and the Lord's name in vain). Ultimately, a good time, but not edifying or particularly memorable.
crlndrwl's review
3.0
Wat een tegenvaller! Ik was zo'n fan van de reeks maar dit deel is er echt te veel aan. Het duurt bijna 100 pagina's voor Frieda op het toneel verschijnt en eigenlijk komt het verhaal pas echt op gang in de laatste 50 bladzijden. Zo jammer!
ewg109's review against another edition
4.0
I’m a little sad to be done with this series. I feel like I just got the hang of it.