climbingvines's review against another edition
1.0
Very weird take on a crime procedural novel for me. It wasn’t really a mystery, and it wasn’t a thriller, since the author introduced the killer by name and followed them around from their pov almost immediately, yet still managed to drag the entire thing out to 94 ?????? chapters. It was mostly just like watching someone solve a case on a cctv, in the most boring way possible. She made some strange mistakes, like not immediately connecting very obviously last names of married couples and having sex on a stake out????? In a car on a residential street????? Also the writing was so very ‘woman written by a man’ with entirely too many references to the main character’s opinions on her own breasts and the occasional musings about how she wished she had a penis so everyone around her would stop sexually harassing her. Overall, I think the plot actually wasn’t terrible, just the format used to tell it took away….just about everything of value??? All the suspense and the mystery. It was like reading the plot of a movie before you watched it I guess??? You always knew exactly what what happening and I guess maybe some people would like that but for me that’s not the reason I read crime novels I guess???? Anyway, I Sure Did Read This, and the format I purchased it in was a digital boxset of the first six books in the series so I guess I’m going to see if this is just a case of ‘the first book in the series is always questionable’ and see if #2 is any better lol wish me luck
crystal_bookworm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I would have given it more stars of they hadn't killed off a character that I liked. It will be a while before I read any more.
nikas_bookshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
taycampeau's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
disasterchick's review
4.0
Overall this is an enjoyable read as you get the perspective of Abby Kane, but also the criminal viewpoint. So it is easy to figure out the who done it aspect, because you see inside their mind(s). Both books I've read had similar aspects with the criminals, so I hope Hutchinson becomes more original in the other books in the series. Kane is a good character, however, Hutchinson is close to being an author featured in the Facebook group "She breasted boobily" and "And then she breasted boobily to the stairs and titted downwards." Yes, these are actual Facebook groups that show examples of how badly male writers write their female characters. There were some cringe moments when she thought about her breasts.
My major point of confusion thought is how did she come from being a Hong Kong detective to being an FBI Agent? Usually, credentials from other countries don't transfer. How is she well known? It is the James Bond question - how good of a spy is James Bond when everyone knows who he is?
How did I find this book? I got a free copy of Russian Hill through Free Booksey or another service that provides free e-books. I enjoyed it, and saw it was the first of the Chasing Chinatown series, but the third in the Abby Kane series.
My major point of confusion thought is how did she come from being a Hong Kong detective to being an FBI Agent? Usually, credentials from other countries don't transfer. How is she well known? It is the James Bond question - how good of a spy is James Bond when everyone knows who he is?
How did I find this book? I got a free copy of Russian Hill through Free Booksey or another service that provides free e-books. I enjoyed it, and saw it was the first of the Chasing Chinatown series, but the third in the Abby Kane series.
frankkren's review
4.0
A few inaccuracies but good
Story line was good. Abby was like able. FYI though. Maple and fourteen mile don’t cross. So there can’t be a coney at the corner of maple and fourteen mile. I’ll be reading book 2 minor details aside
Story line was good. Abby was like able. FYI though. Maple and fourteen mile don’t cross. So there can’t be a coney at the corner of maple and fourteen mile. I’ll be reading book 2 minor details aside
cosmobrown1968's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Great Plot with a High Body Count
Very well written with a fast paced plot and plenty of twists and turns.
Nice short snappy chapters that keep the interest level high and encourage the ‘just one more’ feeling when reading.
Difficult to put down - well worth 5 stars
Very well written with a fast paced plot and plenty of twists and turns.
Nice short snappy chapters that keep the interest level high and encourage the ‘just one more’ feeling when reading.
Difficult to put down - well worth 5 stars
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