o_w_e_n's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Child death, Gun violence, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Grief
Minor: Infidelity and Infertility
bookishaddictions's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Violence, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
dorsetreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Torture, Stalking, Child death, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, Gun violence, Child abuse, and Death
lindseystewart7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Kidnapping
Minor: Miscarriage
kathischm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child death, and Physical abuse
Minor: Infertility
liormaleficent's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Infertility, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, and Vomit
shelightsupwell's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Excrement
alexg52's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Vomit
thrillofthepage's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Elle Castillo is our main character and the host of a popular true crime podcast. The current season is devoted to solving The Countdown Killer (TCK) case, which is a challenge because he hasn’t killed in 20 years. Elle always thinks outside the box and is constantly trying to tie everything back to TCK, sometimes to her detriment. She is a very strong female character, but as the story progresses we start to see cracks form in her theories, as well as herself. Even though Elle starts to go off the rails we never view her as weak or delusional. I appreciate that Clarke never portrayed Elle as hysterical or weak, even if she was a bit reckless and made some not so great decisions.
Throughout the book I kept waiting for the bottom to fall out and Clarke did a phenomenal job laying the foundation for the twists by developing Elle’s character, the secondary characters, and plot. I love the way Clarke included transcripts from the podcast, both aired and unaired, because it provided important insight into the inner workings of Elle’s mind. This seems to be a new way of thriller writing and I am here for it! It’s a great way to break up the book and add more to the overall story without being choppy.
The last thing I want to mention is that the author crafted a diverse cast of characters. She included POC and LGBTQA+ in the story and nothing about it felt superficial. I hope other authors take notes and we start to see more representation in this genre.
This was a brilliant debut novel and I am looking forward to reading whatever Clarke puts out next!
Thank you Netgalley and HMH Books for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, and Excrement