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A review by lindca
When They Come for You by James W. Hall
2.0
DNF at 78%
Time to call it quits.
I loved the premise of the book. Kickass woman out to avenge the murders of her husband and baby. International locales. But the story fell short in so many ways, I finally had to acknowledge that I didn't care how it ended.
Many of the characters simply didn't strike me as believable, Hall's portrayals sloppy or somehow off. The assassin who is so captivated by Harper he leaves ways to trace him. The head of a multinational corporation who supposedly is a micromanager yet acts on childlike obsessions and wants others to make sure they happen. The seven-year-old Swiss child who sounded nothing like a child and who, while she shouldn't have been speaking English, used an epithet based on a name that only made sense in English (Helmet Head for someone named Helmut). The first contact in Cote d'Ivoire who withheld vital information when it could have accomplished his aim of dissuading or at least effectively warning Harper and instead made vague statements. There were so many others.
The biggest problem, though, was with Harper herself. Her emotions often didn't ring true and her actions didn't fit her supposed expertise in observation (her photography background) or self-defense. She repeatedly dove into TSTL territory, to her own and her allies' detriment. I didn't connect with Harper nor did I see her as a realistic person.
There was no single event in the book that made me quit. It more was the realization that I was finding excuses not to read more and that I really didn't care what happened next.
Time to call it quits.
I loved the premise of the book. Kickass woman out to avenge the murders of her husband and baby. International locales. But the story fell short in so many ways, I finally had to acknowledge that I didn't care how it ended.
Many of the characters simply didn't strike me as believable, Hall's portrayals sloppy or somehow off. The assassin who is so captivated by Harper he leaves ways to trace him
Spoiler
and later is delusional enough to think he and Harper could be loversThe biggest problem, though, was with Harper herself. Her emotions often didn't ring true and her actions didn't fit her supposed expertise in observation (her photography background) or self-defense. She repeatedly dove into TSTL territory, to her own and her allies' detriment. I didn't connect with Harper nor did I see her as a realistic person.
There was no single event in the book that made me quit. It more was the realization that I was finding excuses not to read more and that I really didn't care what happened next.