caseyadamsstark's review
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? No
2.5
Female lead character, yet it fails the Bechdel test
And look, I understand that not every piece of reading or viewing entertainment out there needs to pass this simple test, but the lead character is a woman. You would think the author would be able to give her a female friend, and you would think that—as a cop—she could find things to discuss with that other female besides men. I’m not being nit picky here, and if you don’t know what the Bechdel test is, look it up.
We could argue about the specifics of the test: 1) The story needs two "featured" women (Chelsea Sullivan is the only featured one, even though her detective partner has a mom and ex girlfriend who make a brief appearance to be concerned about…the new girl in his life…), 2) Those "featured women" need to have at least one brief conversation (Chelsea's only brief conversation is with a librarian near the end of the story, and she's not a featured character), and 3) that conversation between two "featured" women has to be about anything other than a man (if we’re counting the partner's mom and ex girlfriend, well they’re discussing him and his love life, so—fail).
But hey, as detective thrillers go, this story was… okay. If you're a fan of TV shows like Bones, Castle, Big Sky, where there are two detective partners tracking down crime while flirting with the potential that they are meant for each other (by denying it at every turn), this story might be for you.
And look, I understand that not every piece of reading or viewing entertainment out there needs to pass this simple test, but the lead character is a woman. You would think the author would be able to give her a female friend, and you would think that—as a cop—she could find things to discuss with that other female besides men. I’m not being nit picky here, and if you don’t know what the Bechdel test is, look it up.
We could argue about the specifics of the test: 1) The story needs two "featured" women (Chelsea Sullivan is the only featured one, even though her detective partner has a mom and ex girlfriend who make a brief appearance to be concerned about…the new girl in his life…), 2) Those "featured women" need to have at least one brief conversation (Chelsea's only brief conversation is with a librarian near the end of the story, and she's not a featured character), and 3) that conversation between two "featured" women has to be about anything other than a man (if we’re counting the partner's mom and ex girlfriend, well they’re discussing him and his love life, so—fail).
But hey, as detective thrillers go, this story was… okay. If you're a fan of TV shows like Bones, Castle, Big Sky, where there are two detective partners tracking down crime while flirting with the potential that they are meant for each other (by denying it at every turn), this story might be for you.
dedasab's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It was an entertaining read, but was annoying and irrational at points. As many reviewers mentioned, one could figure out the killer from the first few chapters, but it was OK with me.
One thing I enjoyed about this book was that it reminded me of (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels) by Elizabeth George which was sentimental to me. I couldn't help but to think of Macpherson as Lynley and Chelsea as Barbra.
That being said Chelsea was annoying and I disliked her so much. I wanted to buy the next book in the series but if she keeps on dealing with serious matters with such recklessness and stupidity, then I don't think I can deal with another 400 pages of her nonsense. Thinking that everyone is targeting her because she is a woman gets irritating and old, especially when she makes dump and unprofessional mistakes.
This is one of the few books that I read recently in which the male lead is written in a good way, which felt good for a change.
One thing I enjoyed about this book was that it reminded me of (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels) by Elizabeth George which was sentimental to me. I couldn't help but to think of Macpherson as Lynley and Chelsea as Barbra.
That being said Chelsea was annoying and I disliked her so much. I wanted to buy the next book in the series but if she keeps on dealing with serious matters with such recklessness and stupidity, then I don't think I can deal with another 400 pages of her nonsense. Thinking that everyone is targeting her because she is a woman gets irritating and old, especially when she makes dump and unprofessional mistakes.
This is one of the few books that I read recently in which the male lead is written in a good way, which felt good for a change.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Minor: Suicide attempt and Suicide
biggsy_books's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
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