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heather_g's review against another edition
4.0
Rather a creepy book with an excellent & deluded villian and the good gal struggling with her own issues. Nice read.
yorkslass70's review against another edition
4.0
A real page turner that I really struggled to put down, it gave me a few very late nights. Although set in Ontario the story takes you on a ride through the backwoods and remotest corners of all Canada's provinces, this is the tale of a serial killer with a difference and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you enthralled right to the end.
readinggrrl's review against another edition
4.0
I loved that the main character of this book isn't some svelte young beauty who is new to the job and solves the mystery all by herself with hardly a clue. Instead the main character Hazel is a 61 year old woman, recently divorced, and close to retirement who abhors technology. Hazel is also hobbled by a bad back for which she relies on pain killers and whiskey to help, and has an 80 year old mother who is constantly torturing her to lose weight so she can find a new husband. Her department is in a small town in Canada and is constantly being slated for closure. Her superiors don't think much of Hazel and are constantly denying her requests so when she stumbles on the idea there may be a serial killer on the loose its no wonder that she tries to solve it herself with no help from the higher ups.
The death of a local woman is what sparks the investigation and when they find that he is targeting terminally ill people the question becomes is he doing this out of compassion or is he acting on some sick compulsion. Leaving behind bodies that are killed mercifully but then brutally and calculatingly butchered to cover up the crime leads them on a chase from the West Coast of Canada to the East Coast of Canada.
I found this a fun fast read. I couldn't put it down. Some people are down on the police procedures not being accurate, but honestly I don't know Canadian procedure and I was just looking to be entertained I wasn't trying to learn about the Canadian judicial system. Inger Ash Wolfe has a new book out called Taken that is the second in this series, can't wait to read it.
The death of a local woman is what sparks the investigation and when they find that he is targeting terminally ill people the question becomes is he doing this out of compassion or is he acting on some sick compulsion. Leaving behind bodies that are killed mercifully but then brutally and calculatingly butchered to cover up the crime leads them on a chase from the West Coast of Canada to the East Coast of Canada.
I found this a fun fast read. I couldn't put it down. Some people are down on the police procedures not being accurate, but honestly I don't know Canadian procedure and I was just looking to be entertained I wasn't trying to learn about the Canadian judicial system. Inger Ash Wolfe has a new book out called Taken that is the second in this series, can't wait to read it.
1katgordon's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book and can't wait to start the next one.
tommyro's review against another edition
2.0
Another thriller that is too long. About 75 pages could easily have been cut and it would have been a tighter tenser thriller. Also, the ending is very weak.
janscrazylife's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I felt like there were way to many characters. but not enough detail about them. So it was hard for me to keep up with who is who . and if they were important characters in the book. There were so many times i had to reread stuff for feeling like i was missing something . but i felt like the book went in circles. the end for me could have been so much better.
I also had a hard time getting into the main character doing all that at her age. and with all the issues had.
but I did like the writing style.
I also had a hard time getting into the main character doing all that at her age. and with all the issues had.
but I did like the writing style.
nakiacookauthor's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting to read a story based on the small towns of Canada. I liked it very much and look forward to reading the next one in the series.
angrygreycatreads's review against another edition
2.0
Not even sure why I checked out this one, maybe a Goodreads recommendation?? Anyway, I picked it up from the library. This is a Canadian based series, similar to Louise Penny’s series that is so popular.
I really wanted to like this. I had a lot of sympathy for the protagonist, a Detective Inspector with a chronic pain injury, recently divorced and dealing with some issues related to alcohol and to not being able to let of her ex. Hazel is a well drawn character, however her actions and even attitudes don’t always make a whole lot of sense, especially when you think of her as a law enforcement professional. Maybe it was all the drugs she takes for her pain? There is a token gay character, who has a reveal scene that really adds nothing to the plot and seems just meaningless, like a box to be checked.
The whole law enforcement/procedural piece is very unflattering to Canadian law enforcement. The serial killer piece is confusing, slowly paced and not entirely clear even at the resolution. For a killer with an interesting, to say the least, method of “work”, it was just not that engaging.
I understand that this is work written by a literary writer under a pseudonym, but it just didn’t really work for me.
I really wanted to like this. I had a lot of sympathy for the protagonist, a Detective Inspector with a chronic pain injury, recently divorced and dealing with some issues related to alcohol and to not being able to let of her ex. Hazel is a well drawn character, however her actions and even attitudes don’t always make a whole lot of sense, especially when you think of her as a law enforcement professional. Maybe it was all the drugs she takes for her pain? There is a token gay character, who has a reveal scene that really adds nothing to the plot and seems just meaningless, like a box to be checked.
The whole law enforcement/procedural piece is very unflattering to Canadian law enforcement. The serial killer piece is confusing, slowly paced and not entirely clear even at the resolution. For a killer with an interesting, to say the least, method of “work”, it was just not that engaging.
I understand that this is work written by a literary writer under a pseudonym, but it just didn’t really work for me.
jmeston's review against another edition
3.0
4.5 stars for craft and inventive gore. 3 because it wasn't much fun for me. I like Hazel and her mother a lot. I wished I had a better impression of the other officers/staff. More physical description would help. I will probably try another of these and hope it's heavier on the small town character development rather than the wicked killer stuff.
mfo1925's review against another edition
5.0
Just started reading this yesterday. It has freaked me out sufficiently to the point where the cat scared the bejebus out of me last night by grabbing my hand in the dark.
Today, I finished reading this wonderful book. The heroine, a sixty-ish female police chief with a bad back and a spry elderly mother, is a nice deviation from standard mystery detectives. The serial killer is truly scary (in more than just a hack and slash way). I'm looking forward to more from this author!
Today, I finished reading this wonderful book. The heroine, a sixty-ish female police chief with a bad back and a spry elderly mother, is a nice deviation from standard mystery detectives. The serial killer is truly scary (in more than just a hack and slash way). I'm looking forward to more from this author!