annebrooke's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a surprising failure from the master of thriller writing. It's as if Barclay's heart wasn't in it. The plot is frankly bizarre and the characters are either abandoned or under-developed. It got to the point where I just starting laughing at the unbelievable twists and turns and, by the end, I didn't really care about anyone, I'm afraid. I'm hoping he's back to his usual form for the next one!
smores11's review against another edition
5.0
This book was wild from start to finish. Even when you think you've figured it out, BAM, another surprise.
One of the best books Linwood Barclay has written to date.
One of the best books Linwood Barclay has written to date.
halcyon_rising's review against another edition
3.0
Dit is het tweede boek van Linwood Barclay dat ik gelezen heb, en was toch wel erg spannend en de moeite waard om te lezen. Entertainend was het zeker.
Wat soms wat irritant is aan dit soort thrillers, is dat het simpel is om het mysterie op te lossen: je plaatst een camera om te zien wat er juist gaande is nadat de lichten uitgaan. Of microfoons. Had het hele boek kunnen voorkomen.
Over het plot ga ik nog één ding zeggen, en dat is
Zou ik dit boek aanraden aan iemand anders om te lezen? Wel, als ik weet dat die persoon veel tijd ter beschikking heeft, en dat thrillers zoals deze geliefkoosd zijn, dan misschien wel. Voor de rest zal het boek gaan verdwijnen in de meute van andere boeken die net zoals deze het moeten hebben van de ongelofelijke plot twists op het einde om uniek over te komen.
Veel leesgenot!
Wat soms wat irritant is aan dit soort thrillers, is dat het simpel is om het mysterie op te lossen: je plaatst een camera om te zien wat er juist gaande is nadat de lichten uitgaan. Of microfoons. Had het hele boek kunnen voorkomen.
Over het plot ga ik nog één ding zeggen, en dat is
Spoiler
dat ik waarschijnlijk zelden een boek gezien heb waar de karakters zo hun verdiende loon gekregen hebben.Zou ik dit boek aanraden aan iemand anders om te lezen? Wel, als ik weet dat die persoon veel tijd ter beschikking heeft, en dat thrillers zoals deze geliefkoosd zijn, dan misschien wel. Voor de rest zal het boek gaan verdwijnen in de meute van andere boeken die net zoals deze het moeten hebben van de ongelofelijke plot twists op het einde om uniek over te komen.
Veel leesgenot!
scrollsofdragons's review
4.0
4.5 Damm. The only letdown was the pacing was very slow in the beginning and the characters weren't as great as Linwood's characters normally are.
kandicez's review against another edition
3.0
I'm reading this with a group. It's somehow always more fun to read with others, especially when it's a mystery/who dunnit, like this one. You can bounce theories off the other readers, and if you end up being right, it is so much more satisfying because someone else knows you figured it out. This was a little different in that I think we all figured it out. Early!
Barclay sets up the unreliable narrator trope very nicely with a tragic incident in the prologue. He whets the appetite for what's to come by ramping up the tension in those few pages, but also introducing the main character in a way that allows us to sympathize and trust, yet not necessarily rely upon.
What follows is almost a text book example of the who dunnit formula, complete with red herrings. Red herrings that the read inevitably will eat with their theories!
Barclay uses the first third of the book to plant the seeds for three possible bad guys. THREE! He then shows us how and why what happened happened. Yes, that was a confusing sentence, but no less so than the convoluted plot spaghetti we get in the final third of this book. I enjoyed it, but despite seeming cleverness, I had figured it out very early, was convinced I was wrong in the middle and then convinced I was actually right in the end.
I know that sounds like a five star read, but I was disappointed. Yes! I want the satisfaction of figuring it out, but I want to feel clever for having done so, not tricked.
I freely admit that the narrator may have added to my disappointment. Reading another book I might have found his voice soothing, but that was my problem here. This was not a soothing read. It was supposed to be a thriller, and the tone in which it was delivered belied that and left me rewinding often to see if I had missed something. I hadn't. There simply wasn't enough change in tone to indicate that "ah ha!" I was hearing. He also voiced women in that mocking, almost falsetto way that grates on my nerves.
I enjoyed it, but think I might have enjoyed it more on the page, and that's not really Barclay's fault.
Barclay sets up the unreliable narrator trope very nicely with a tragic incident in the prologue. He whets the appetite for what's to come by ramping up the tension in those few pages, but also introducing the main character in a way that allows us to sympathize and trust, yet not necessarily rely upon.
What follows is almost a text book example of the who dunnit formula, complete with red herrings. Red herrings that the read inevitably will eat with their theories!
Barclay uses the first third of the book to plant the seeds for three possible bad guys. THREE! He then shows us how and why what happened happened. Yes, that was a confusing sentence, but no less so than the convoluted plot spaghetti we get in the final third of this book. I enjoyed it, but despite seeming cleverness, I had figured it out very early, was convinced I was wrong in the middle and then convinced I was actually right in the end.
I know that sounds like a five star read, but I was disappointed. Yes! I want the satisfaction of figuring it out, but I want to feel clever for having done so, not tricked.
I freely admit that the narrator may have added to my disappointment. Reading another book I might have found his voice soothing, but that was my problem here. This was not a soothing read. It was supposed to be a thriller, and the tone in which it was delivered belied that and left me rewinding often to see if I had missed something. I hadn't. There simply wasn't enough change in tone to indicate that "ah ha!" I was hearing. He also voiced women in that mocking, almost falsetto way that grates on my nerves.
I enjoyed it, but think I might have enjoyed it more on the page, and that's not really Barclay's fault.
georgiamay1506's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great book and full of twists, would 100% recommend to people who love a thriller
jenndaniells's review against another edition
2.0
Wooooooow twists and turns galore! I thought I had it all figured out, but I 100% was fooled. This book is definitely a page turner. Very suspenseful and written by a Canadian author! So I thought that was very interesting. If you want a good thriller/mystery then I would definitely recommend!
smr311's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
derbit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5