drakeula_73's review against another edition
4.0
An intelligent well paced thriller cum who-done-it set in New York. A serial killer is on the loose and two NYPD detectives suspect that a writer is behind the grisly killings. This is a well put together novella with a twist at the end. The writing is fresh and lively and not over descriptive, the story is a real page turner and the ending will come as a surprise to those that haven't guessed it in advance!
elle_ette's review against another edition
4.0
New York is a city full of strangers with secrets that they don't want anyone to discover. For NYPD detectives Ed Turner and Lisa Marcinko, navigating the masses around them has never been more difficult than it is right now, as they race to unmask the serial killer kidnapping young women off the street, their bodies never found after disturbing videos of torture are delivered to the precinct. All they have to go on is that somewhere in the city, Sarah Hall is being held captive and her time is running out. Their prime suspect, Marvin Waller, is an amateur screenwriter with a bad attitude and a God complex, who all but perfectly fits the profile of the serial killer they are looking for. Angry at the world for his lack of success, Turner and Marcinko begin to wonder if he is channeling that frustration by murdering these women, but his attitude towards these accusations are nonchalant and dismissive, and he seems much more interested in toying with their emotions than answering any serious questions. But if, as he claims, he is not who they're looking for, then what have they missed?
Clever and surprisingly engaging, I read this in a single sitting and enjoyed every moment of it! Though I did find the ending to be a little abrupt, given the short page count I still found it to have the desired effect. Leather achieves a tense burst of energy through well written characters and a timely changing POV between Waller and the unnamed serial killer, each section nudging the story on just that little bit further until I reached my lightbulb moment and figured out what was going on, and I felt satisfied in the reveal.
This is not a new concept and the reveal is nothing shocking, but Leather does it well and manages to create a creeping sense of dread in his writing as well as playing on our preconceptions of what sort of person someone must be in order to commit atrocities, regardless of how much or little information we actually have. There is nothing too graphic included, although some scenes do allude to physical and sexual violence, as well as mental manipulation and violent threats so as always with these genres I would advise checking content warnings.
Overall a surprisingly enjoyable read. I picked this out of my never-ending kindle list on a whim and will now gladly keep an eye out for more of Leather's work.
Clever and surprisingly engaging, I read this in a single sitting and enjoyed every moment of it! Though I did find the ending to be a little abrupt, given the short page count I still found it to have the desired effect. Leather achieves a tense burst of energy through well written characters and a timely changing POV between Waller and the unnamed serial killer, each section nudging the story on just that little bit further until I reached my lightbulb moment and figured out what was going on, and I felt satisfied in the reveal.
This is not a new concept and the reveal is nothing shocking, but Leather does it well and manages to create a creeping sense of dread in his writing as well as playing on our preconceptions of what sort of person someone must be in order to commit atrocities, regardless of how much or little information we actually have. There is nothing too graphic included, although some scenes do allude to physical and sexual violence, as well as mental manipulation and violent threats so as always with these genres I would advise checking content warnings.
Overall a surprisingly enjoyable read. I picked this out of my never-ending kindle list on a whim and will now gladly keep an eye out for more of Leather's work.
smstanitis's review against another edition
3.0
A bit twisted. Quick read. If you like James Patterson books, give it a read.
nicolamb's review against another edition
2.0
I did not find this to be pornographic. Yes, it's graphic, slightly sickeningly so, but that's the violence. It's graphic but not pornographic. Fifty shades of grey is ten times worse than this.
I was gripped from the first page, it started off fantastically and I couldn't wait to see where it was going. The writing was so creepy and good.
The problem is the ending. I was psyched up to give this 4 stars at 80% of the way through, but that soon started to teeter on the edge, before dramatically falling off a cliff and landing on a cushiony 2 stars.
It's just not a good ending. Pitiful even. It didn't make me think 'Ooh that's clever'. It made me think 'Ooh that's bullsh*t'. I think the author was rushing a little (okay, a lot) here.
Not sure if I'll pick up another book by Stephen Leather, but I don't recommend this one.
I was gripped from the first page, it started off fantastically and I couldn't wait to see where it was going. The writing was so creepy and good.
The problem is the ending. I was psyched up to give this 4 stars at 80% of the way through, but that soon started to teeter on the edge, before dramatically falling off a cliff and landing on a cushiony 2 stars.
It's just not a good ending. Pitiful even. It didn't make me think 'Ooh that's clever'. It made me think 'Ooh that's bullsh*t'. I think the author was rushing a little (okay, a lot) here.
Not sure if I'll pick up another book by Stephen Leather, but I don't recommend this one.
blissfully_me's review against another edition
4.0
Been a while since I read this genre of book and reminded my how much I enjoy them. I didn’t see that ending coming, love a good twist in a book. Would’ve been five stars if it was a little longer. It felt a bit rushed to me.
maz_85's review against another edition
5.0
High intense, fast paced quick read that was finished in two sittings.
Really enjoyed this book. Liked that it went from the main character's perspective and then to the killer's. I liked that it was short but that you didn't find out the killer's identity until the very end...would make a great film.
Great twist I did not see coming.
Great work Stephen!
Really enjoyed this book. Liked that it went from the main character's perspective and then to the killer's. I liked that it was short but that you didn't find out the killer's identity until the very end...would make a great film.
Great twist I did not see coming.
Great work Stephen!
paperstainedink's review against another edition
4.0
OH MY GOD. OH MY FUCKING GOD. PLOT TWIST OF THE CENTURY.
tracyj's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this book because it was $2 on Amazon. It's told in first person by a serial killer and also by a wannabe screen writer. You're never sure if the two are the same or what is really going on. I liked that and the suspense of it. It was a great page turner, had some great twists and turns, and is a fast read. I plan to check out more by this author.
oohineedtoreadthat's review against another edition
1.0
Horrible. The only good thing about this book is that it is short and it was over quickly. Plot was basic, but tried to be complex by introducing unoriginal screenplay ideas by the narrator, perhaps a ploy to confuse the reader? No character development. Very amateurish writing. Id be proud if friend or family member had written this, but it doesn't deserve an ISBN number.
forcefullsoul's review against another edition
3.0
Compelling, if slightly disturbing, read. Didn't see the ending coming at all.