romonko's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
I thought I knew what to expect with this book after I read some of the reviews, but, believe me, they did not prepare me for this bloodbath of a book. After I had read about 1/4 of it, I would have put it away, but it was given to me, so I felt compelled to finish. At that point I would have probably given it 3 stars because it had captured my interest, and I hadn't yet read the 100's of pages of blood, gore and depravity. As I continued the star rating kept going down and when I finally finished it, it was actually barely 1/2 star, but since there is no way to enter that rating,, I left it at one. For those of you who like your thrillers graphic and full of blood and killing, this is the book for you. To me it felt like the author threw everything but the kitchen sink into this mess. I really don't know if he missed any possible depravities, but to me it felt like he didn't. After reading the afterward, I realize that this is a first novel for Mr. Holland, and he followed the advice of his publisher to not stop at anything. The book is about 450 pages long, and with all the repetitiveness, and with the cliffhanger of the ending, I think it could have ended at 150 pages. I think I should have stopped at that point anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Murder, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, and Incest
This is a very graphic, depraved and violent book. There is no respite from the violence.outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Jess Ambrose is bored in her marriage to Patrick, & they are both cheating on each other, Jess via mindless sex with strangers. So their marriage is rocky & has been plagued with troubles so when their house is burned down & Patrick killed in an arson attack, the police immediately seize upon Jess as someone with a motive for wanting her husband dead. Only one person seems to think she may be innocent, Nate Griffin, a cop who is on leave following the death of his wife in a traumatic home invasion. Nate's sister, DCI Cara Elliott, is investigating a series of grisly murders which seem unrelated, but Jess realises that they are copies of murders committed by infamous murders such as the Yorkshire Ripper, & the Zodiac Killer. The media soon nickname the killer 'The Echo Man'.
First of all, warning to anyone who is of a sensitive disposition - this book is extremely graphic in respect of death, gore, & sexual violence. The plot itself is rather good & the fast pace & body count is maintained throughout. I really liked Cara & Griffin, but Jess was just an annoying plot device. I was hoping she would be killed off but no such luck. There are some clichés, especially that the killer that is always a couple of steps ahead of the police etc, but it maintained my interest well enough. The ending made me go "WTH?!" or something every similar. 3.5 stars
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HarperCollins UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
First of all, warning to anyone who is of a sensitive disposition - this book is extremely graphic in respect of death, gore, & sexual violence. The plot itself is rather good & the fast pace & body count is maintained throughout. I really liked Cara & Griffin, but Jess was just an annoying plot device. I was hoping she would be killed off but no such luck. There are some clichés, especially that the killer that is always a couple of steps ahead of the police etc, but it maintained my interest well enough. The ending made me go "WTH?!" or something every similar. 3.5 stars
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HarperCollins UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
librariangeorgia's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Wow! Wow! Wow!
Bloody hell, that is one hell of a debut novel!
I'm still wrapping my head around it. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it. I'm a fan of serial killers in books and this one was very well written.
I thought I knew who did it around half way through but with every reveal, I kept changing my mind.
That ending was fantastic! I completely did not see that coming!
I must warn potential readers that this is quite a graphic book - mostly with the details of the murders but there are also some graphic sex scenes.
I read the kindle version of this e-arc and the format isn't quite right. It feels like it jumps too much as it's not obvious where the breaks should be.
Bloody hell, that is one hell of a debut novel!
I'm still wrapping my head around it. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it. I'm a fan of serial killers in books and this one was very well written.
I thought I knew who did it around half way through but with every reveal, I kept changing my mind.
That ending was fantastic! I completely did not see that coming!
I must warn potential readers that this is quite a graphic book - mostly with the details of the murders but there are also some graphic sex scenes.
I read the kindle version of this e-arc and the format isn't quite right. It feels like it jumps too much as it's not obvious where the breaks should be.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Stalking, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Torture
herthrillingreads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
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