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bethaniekay's review against another edition
2.0
Found out about this book on social media, like so many others. And while I empathize with the plight of the author and want to support him, I cannot give this book a good review.
Spoilers below.
The premise sounded interesting, and there were some good aspects -- but the execution was poor in so many ways:
1. The story was all over the board, with too much detail in some places, and not enough in others. There was so much lead up, and then the end just fell flat with very little actual explanation.
2. The villain was actually the main character's colleagues and their misogyny, not the killer. It got really old, really quick.
3. No actual forensic anthropology work being done by the forensic anthropologist, who seems to be working as a Xanax'ed-up field agent making continual poor decisions (why would an FBI agent ever leave their gun at home, or make such rash decisions they know will get them fired?).
4. The whole Papua New Guinea storyline was weird and misplaced.
5. The romance was unnecessary and misplaced.
6. It absolutely drives me crazy when authors use the wrong 'voice' for their characters. There were several instances in this book where someone spoke in British-English vernacular/slang, even though not a single character was British, nor is the author. For example:
"Unfortunately, I haven't the staff to computerize all these." (an American would say "I don't have the staff...")
"Have you any more cards you aren't telling me about, Mr. Branson?" (an American would say "Do you have any more cards...")
"Two separate file systems - one with clients seeking adoption, the other the mums giving up children...". (An American would say "the other, the moms giving up children")
What in the world was the purpose of this? It makes no sense, and shows this book really needed a better editor.
Overall, while this book was somewhat entertaining, the writing was too much of a mess. I definitely won't be recommending it to others.
Spoilers below.
The premise sounded interesting, and there were some good aspects -- but the execution was poor in so many ways:
1. The story was all over the board, with too much detail in some places, and not enough in others. There was so much lead up, and then the end just fell flat with very little actual explanation.
2. The villain was actually the main character's colleagues and their misogyny, not the killer. It got really old, really quick.
3. No actual forensic anthropology work being done by the forensic anthropologist, who seems to be working as a Xanax'ed-up field agent making continual poor decisions (why would an FBI agent ever leave their gun at home, or make such rash decisions they know will get them fired?).
4. The whole Papua New Guinea storyline was weird and misplaced.
5. The romance was unnecessary and misplaced.
6. It absolutely drives me crazy when authors use the wrong 'voice' for their characters. There were several instances in this book where someone spoke in British-English vernacular/slang, even though not a single character was British, nor is the author. For example:
"Unfortunately, I haven't the staff to computerize all these." (an American would say "I don't have the staff...")
"Have you any more cards you aren't telling me about, Mr. Branson?" (an American would say "Do you have any more cards...")
"Two separate file systems - one with clients seeking adoption, the other the mums giving up children...". (An American would say "the other, the moms giving up children")
What in the world was the purpose of this? It makes no sense, and shows this book really needed a better editor.
Overall, while this book was somewhat entertaining, the writing was too much of a mess. I definitely won't be recommending it to others.
laceytse's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ribookfinds's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shelbysbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The storyline: phenomenal!
Suspense: amazing
Character development: wonderful
Accuracy of the portrayal of forensic anthropology: poor
This book had me on the edge of my seat and kept me wanting more! The main characters drive for science and mix of wanting to be in community with others despite her problems was refreshing. Something that bothered me throughout this book- that is about a forensic anthropologist- is the lack of correct scientific terminology and methods. When examining remains, the main character followed the lines of a coroner rather than a forensic anthropologist, there was little information in the matter of skeletal remains and mainly just discussed organs, which is a Medical Examiner or coroners job! Along with that, the “forensic anthropologist” was also a “profiler” which is a completely different field of study. If from the beginning, the main character was a medical examiner with a degree in psychology as well, she would have fit the role perfectly! As someone with a passion for forensic anthropology, i was disappointed by the lack of science and accuracy which could have been easily added with a little research:) overall, the book was well written and I came to love the relationship between characters, the author just needed to do more research to well represented a field that he was writing about.
Suspense: amazing
Character development: wonderful
Accuracy of the portrayal of forensic anthropology: poor
This book had me on the edge of my seat and kept me wanting more! The main characters drive for science and mix of wanting to be in community with others despite her problems was refreshing. Something that bothered me throughout this book- that is about a forensic anthropologist- is the lack of correct scientific terminology and methods. When examining remains, the main character followed the lines of a coroner rather than a forensic anthropologist, there was little information in the matter of skeletal remains and mainly just discussed organs, which is a Medical Examiner or coroners job! Along with that, the “forensic anthropologist” was also a “profiler” which is a completely different field of study. If from the beginning, the main character was a medical examiner with a degree in psychology as well, she would have fit the role perfectly! As someone with a passion for forensic anthropology, i was disappointed by the lack of science and accuracy which could have been easily added with a little research:) overall, the book was well written and I came to love the relationship between characters, the author just needed to do more research to well represented a field that he was writing about.
malaaykah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Amazing I did not predict what would come next
almostallthecake's review against another edition
5.0
Reading Blog || Socials
This is a wonderful thriller. Found this book because the author's son posted a video about it on Tik Tok several years ago about this being his life's work, and I immediately bought the paperback. The video had gone viral as it was very wholesome.
I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good thriller. It's a good page turner!
This is a wonderful thriller. Found this book because the author's son posted a video about it on Tik Tok several years ago about this being his life's work, and I immediately bought the paperback. The video had gone viral as it was very wholesome.
I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good thriller. It's a good page turner!