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zarco_j's review
2.0
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I was looking forward to reading this figuring out couldn't be a bad book from the description. I was half right, I liked the idea bout the writing seemed inconsistent and choppy.
Would I read again? No
Would I recommend? No
Would I read more by this author? Probably not.
I was looking forward to reading this figuring out couldn't be a bad book from the description. I was half right, I liked the idea bout the writing seemed inconsistent and choppy.
Would I read again? No
Would I recommend? No
Would I read more by this author? Probably not.
zooloo1983's review against another edition
4.0
Well, welcome to the cray cray for sure of Mr James! This book had me hooked from the start as we watch Brian trying to struggle with day to day life after coming off all his medication. The hallucinations he started to have were quite frankly mental and if I had been experiencing them, terrifying! I mean how would you cope if the “hallucinations” you were having were occurring in real life!
I mean to be visiting by Mr Jitters, erm no thank you, you can move along with that one thanks!! The description of Mr Jitters was something out a horror film, Slenderman with a face came to mind!
When we are not with Brian, going through withdrawal and the intense mind-boggling dreams, we are introduced to Detective Weissbard. Weissbard is a retired NYPD policeman, residing in Tampa and who was the lead on the Playing Card Killer case but his douche boss pulled rank.
So enough about the plot is this an author I would be happy to pick up and read again, hell yeah!!! The thrill of this book with the unsolved crimes with a dash of the supernatural is perfect for me! My first outing with Mr James has been an eye-opener for sure!
He has given a voice to some damaged and crazy people, but he has made them so arresting that you keep the pages turning to find out how it will all end. Mr James has also made Brian highly unreliable, I mean are these just dreams we are experiencing with him? Or could he be the Playing Card Killer? I mean he couldn’t be……….could he?
The writing style is an easy one to sit back in and devour the words. It draws you in a piece by piece and is extremely unwanting of letting you go.
Flame Tree Press is my go-to publisher at the moment, I have not read a book by them that has disappointed me yet. With their upcoming epic schedule of releases, I can not wait to get my grubby little mitts on the books!
jayfr's review
2.0
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I was looking forward to reading this figuring out couldn't be a bad book from the description. I was half right, I liked the idea bout the writing seemed inconsistent and choppy.
Would I read again? No
Would I recommend? No
Would I read more by this author? Probably not.
I was looking forward to reading this figuring out couldn't be a bad book from the description. I was half right, I liked the idea bout the writing seemed inconsistent and choppy.
Would I read again? No
Would I recommend? No
Would I read more by this author? Probably not.
charshorrorcorner's review against another edition
4.0
THE PLAYING CARD KILLER was one twisty-turny thriller of a ride!
Brian is tired of taking anxiety meds as he's been taking them his entire life. He decides to quit them cold turkey and see what life is really like. Unfortunately, his panic and anxiety attacks return and they seem worse than ever. Also, he can't sleep without having terrible nightmares wherein he's strangling people. When Brian learns that the victims he's seeing in his dreams are actually being killed, his anxiety ramps up to a previously unknown level. Is he murdering people while he's asleep in some kind of sleepwalking trance? How could he do such a thing? You'll have to read this book to find out!
It's hard to talk about this story without spoilers, but I'll give it my best shot. While I don't think this tale added anything new to the thriller genre, I do think it gave an unflinching look at anxiety and panic attacks. In fact, it personified them in the form of Mr. Jitters and that WAS new. To be honest, Mr. Jitters freaked me out. I've had personal, close up experience of what panic and anxiety attacks can do to a person and I've seen what the meds can do as well. There's nothing good about any of it and this book addresses those facts head on.
I loved the characterization in this book, especially that of Brian and Detective Weissbard. They came across as real to me, with real life concerns and problems. I could understand why Brian wanted to be off of his meds and why it was so important to him. The only problems I really had with this story was that Weissbard's boss was a caricature of a "bad cop" and I thought that came across as a bit silly, even though I did hate the guy. Also, the real antagonist of this story didn't seem quite real to me at first, but as the tale progressed, I warmed up to him and I could see where he was coming from.
Overall, this fast paced story flew by and I enjoyed it. I think fans of psychological horror, serial killer stories and police procedurals would enjoy THE PLAYING CARD KILLER as well!
Recommended!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2EipCDL
*Thank you to Flame Tree Press for the paperback copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
Brian is tired of taking anxiety meds as he's been taking them his entire life. He decides to quit them cold turkey and see what life is really like. Unfortunately, his panic and anxiety attacks return and they seem worse than ever. Also, he can't sleep without having terrible nightmares wherein he's strangling people. When Brian learns that the victims he's seeing in his dreams are actually being killed, his anxiety ramps up to a previously unknown level. Is he murdering people while he's asleep in some kind of sleepwalking trance? How could he do such a thing? You'll have to read this book to find out!
It's hard to talk about this story without spoilers, but I'll give it my best shot. While I don't think this tale added anything new to the thriller genre, I do think it gave an unflinching look at anxiety and panic attacks. In fact, it personified them in the form of Mr. Jitters and that WAS new. To be honest, Mr. Jitters freaked me out. I've had personal, close up experience of what panic and anxiety attacks can do to a person and I've seen what the meds can do as well. There's nothing good about any of it and this book addresses those facts head on.
I loved the characterization in this book, especially that of Brian and Detective Weissbard. They came across as real to me, with real life concerns and problems. I could understand why Brian wanted to be off of his meds and why it was so important to him. The only problems I really had with this story was that Weissbard's boss was a caricature of a "bad cop" and I thought that came across as a bit silly, even though I did hate the guy. Also, the real antagonist of this story didn't seem quite real to me at first, but as the tale progressed, I warmed up to him and I could see where he was coming from.
Overall, this fast paced story flew by and I enjoyed it. I think fans of psychological horror, serial killer stories and police procedurals would enjoy THE PLAYING CARD KILLER as well!
Recommended!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2EipCDL
*Thank you to Flame Tree Press for the paperback copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
0hfortheloveofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I would like the thank Flame Tree Press for a copy of The Playing Card Killer by Russell James in exchange for an honest review. The book has a release date of February 14.
A thriller involving a serial killer, kidnapping, a character called Mr. Jitters, and a hint of the supernatural - the perfect book for Valentine's Day right?! Well maybe not but The Playing Card Killer was an exciting thriller that gave me some anxiety at parts. I don't often read thrillers because sometimes they can be a bit over the top, as if the author was just trying to come up with the juiciest storyline even if that came at the expense of believability. There were no twists just for the sake of a twist; everything was calculated. And even a pretty big twist was revealed fairly early on leaving me to wonder, “well now what?!” Now what? Oh, don't worry. Plenty was yet to come. I really couldn't guess the outcome of the book; which is like to attribute to James storytelling rather than my powers (or lack thereof) of observation.
I loved how James wrote the main protagonist, Brian, so sweet, so likeable, yet unreliable. I love an unreliable narrator, it adds another layer of intrigue. Every character was well developed and all had very real personality traits. I would have liked to see Mr. Jitters play a bit of a larger role. He was very interesting to me.
And I will always enjoy author's notes following a book. I love the little glimpses into the writing (and thinking) process. It always gives the story more heart and makes the author more relatable.
A thriller involving a serial killer, kidnapping, a character called Mr. Jitters, and a hint of the supernatural - the perfect book for Valentine's Day right?! Well maybe not but The Playing Card Killer was an exciting thriller that gave me some anxiety at parts. I don't often read thrillers because sometimes they can be a bit over the top, as if the author was just trying to come up with the juiciest storyline even if that came at the expense of believability. There were no twists just for the sake of a twist; everything was calculated. And even a pretty big twist was revealed fairly early on leaving me to wonder, “well now what?!” Now what? Oh, don't worry. Plenty was yet to come. I really couldn't guess the outcome of the book; which is like to attribute to James storytelling rather than my powers (or lack thereof) of observation.
I loved how James wrote the main protagonist, Brian, so sweet, so likeable, yet unreliable. I love an unreliable narrator, it adds another layer of intrigue. Every character was well developed and all had very real personality traits. I would have liked to see Mr. Jitters play a bit of a larger role. He was very interesting to me.
And I will always enjoy author's notes following a book. I love the little glimpses into the writing (and thinking) process. It always gives the story more heart and makes the author more relatable.
armand_rosamilia's review against another edition
4.0
I need to read more from this author. His breakneck pacing and character development are amazing and the twist in this one is fun as you see it develop. Going to find more from Mr. james to read!
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