Reviews

The Finalists by David Bell

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mikeypitt7's review against another edition

1.0

This book was terrible. Don't. Just don't.

The story had promise given its application of a fairly common setup in literature -- closed room, murder, multiple suspects each with a good motive...everything a fan of Agatha Christie might want. Except it didn't even come close to the level of depth you'd expect in a novel supposed to keep you guessing who the killer is. The writing was very basic (so a fast read...the only positive) and the author seemed more interested in embedding every woke-ism trope than telling a suspenseful story. Honestly, I have no interest in reading anything else this author has written. I'm sad I paid for this. It won't go on the shelf -- straight to the donation bin!

maximum83's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

mimireads320's review

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dark tense slow-paced

2.0

Not a fan of this David Bell book. I usually enjoy his books but this one I could not connect with.

renwar96's review against another edition

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4.0

I am a fan of David Bell novels and was excited to get this arc. This book keeps you guessing, as his other books, it's constantly moving between each character and their reaction to crimes that are occurring in an enclosed area meant for a scholarship competition. Parts felt repetitious but the story moves quickly and the man in charge, Mr Gaines keeps getting pulled in a lot of different directions by the college students trying to win the scholarship. He's torn between doing what he thinks is right and doing what is best for the school. What will he decide to do?

i_likedbooksbest's review

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challenging tense fast-paced

3.0

shankl's review against another edition

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2.0

The level of disbelief you have to have for this story is unbelievable. This locked room mystery has college students vying for a scholarship when one by one they die. They don't call 911 and continue to compete even with a dead bodies piling up in the Hyde house.

The Finalists is simply to far fetched to enjoy. Thank you Berkley for the advance reader copy.

readingundertheradar's review against another edition

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3.0

Having a hard time with a proper review for this. I listened on audio, which I think helped with the pacing, as others have felt was too slow. Audio felt well paced and I was extremely interested throughout and never got bored.

I also like the mix of suspense and real-world societal issues, which is another issue others seemed to have with the book, wanting it to solely be about murders and not discuss racism, classism, and prejudice, but I thought the balance worked well.

SPOILERS BELOW

What didn’t work for me was the ending, which I can’t get too far into without discussing spoilers,

Spoiler

but having the protestors successfully light the mansion on fire was justice, yes, but I also feel frustrated that protestors were painted in a “they’re looting/destroying things” light, even though some characters had several good points made about them. The “answer” to who the killer was did not bother me, though I did suspect early on, so those who get frustrated when they guess it too early may not like it.

Overall, I thought it was a decent read up until the last 10% or so, but I’m excited to check out other books by this author, as this was my first.