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micaelamariem's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway but all thoughts are my own!
I am not a huge mystery/thriller reader, so I suppose that was playing against me as I was reading. The book is supposed to follow the Bennett family after a horrific carjacking that causes them to join the witness protection program. There’s a big theme of grief here. While I appreciate that, the pacing was very uneven, with the first half of the book not much happening then after nonstop crazy action. I also found some of the side characters to fall flat and be a bit one-dimensional—mainly the wife and son. Finally, I think some of the dialogue, particularly the limited conversations with the daughter, were cringey and unbelievable.
That being said, the action scenes provided a real thrill, there was a huge conspiracy that was intricate and interesting, and at times I really felt for the main character.
So over all, this was a three star read, falling on an “average” category for me.
I am not a huge mystery/thriller reader, so I suppose that was playing against me as I was reading. The book is supposed to follow the Bennett family after a horrific carjacking that causes them to join the witness protection program. There’s a big theme of grief here. While I appreciate that, the pacing was very uneven, with the first half of the book not much happening then after nonstop crazy action. I also found some of the side characters to fall flat and be a bit one-dimensional—mainly the wife and son. Finally, I think some of the dialogue, particularly the limited conversations with the daughter, were cringey and unbelievable.
That being said, the action scenes provided a real thrill, there was a huge conspiracy that was intricate and interesting, and at times I really felt for the main character.
So over all, this was a three star read, falling on an “average” category for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cats123306's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, and Murder
ghostoncamera's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
haysx5's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Murder
missingmybreezy's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
was well into this book, really enjoying it and all the sudden it took a right turn - an unbelievable right turn. At about the half way mark, starting with Part Two this book was pretty much done for me. Similar to Sally Hepworth, Scottoline is an author that runs hot and cold for me and this book definitely got cold really quick.
A family is put into the witness protection program after two criminals tried to car jack them, which lead to the death of not only their daughter, but also one of the criminals. Knowing the father of the dead criminal had far reaching powers and would come after them, they were taken to a safe house. This part of the story is pretty good.
It is only when Jason Bennett, the father, leaves the safe house that things start to go downhill - literally. From this point on the story seemed to take on a surreal vibe with an undertone of disbelief. I think it was supposed to be suspenseful, but for me it was just plain dumb!
In addition Jason's wife Lucinda was a terrible character - I wanted to slap her every time she opened her mouth. I was doing my best not to let her ruin the story, when Part Two started.
I know when I pick up a Scottoline book that I might be disappointed and with this one I was. For this story starting off so good, it sure ended with a big THUD...
A family is put into the witness protection program after two criminals tried to car jack them, which lead to the death of not only their daughter, but also one of the criminals. Knowing the father of the dead criminal had far reaching powers and would come after them, they were taken to a safe house. This part of the story is pretty good.
It is only when Jason Bennett, the father, leaves the safe house that things start to go downhill - literally. From this point on the story seemed to take on a surreal vibe with an undertone of disbelief. I think it was supposed to be suspenseful, but for me it was just plain dumb!
In addition Jason's wife Lucinda was a terrible character - I wanted to slap her every time she opened her mouth. I was doing my best not to let her ruin the story, when Part Two started.
I know when I pick up a Scottoline book that I might be disappointed and with this one I was. For this story starting off so good, it sure ended with a big THUD...
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder
The first half of this book was very good, but from the center of the book forward it was all down hill. Totally unbelievable.tiasreads's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
craftyanty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
This book started off really strong. I was riveted by Part One and couldn't wait to see how the story evolved.
Then I hit Part Two, and it all went downhill. I was lost for most of the second half of the book. Part of my confusion, I think, was caused by how implausible it all seemed.
Then I hit Part Two, and it all went downhill. I was lost for most of the second half of the book. Part of my confusion, I think, was caused by how implausible it all seemed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, and Murder
brittneyw9's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, and Murder