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Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated The Dark Room in Books
Jan 14, 2021
Mystery (2 more)
Characters
Storyline
Kept me guessing
A mystery that keeps you guessing. It starts off from two completely different women’s point of view until they are brought together in a hotel in the beautiful setting of a little village in Ireland.
There are ghosts and murders which keep both the characters and the reader wanting to delve deeper into the story and the mystery of what happened at Hare’s Landing 30 years ago.
When I finally found out the identity of who the body they found was, I was then kept guessing right until the last couple of chapters as to who was responsible. And it definitely was not someone that you would guess straight away, it came as a complete shock to me!
I was a little disappointed that everything seemed to happen very quickly about 50 pages from the end, as the author could have picked up the pace of the investigation a little earlier in the book. However, I did enjoy the book overall and would be interested in reading more of the authors work as it was extremely well written. I really fell in love with the characters and their stories that brought them to Hare’s Landing, and although Caroline’s problem at work did get solved, it felt a little disappointing given that so many other things were going on in the story at the same time.
Overall, it was a great book to read and one that was easy to follow and easy to dip in and read a couple of chapters when you have time!
There are ghosts and murders which keep both the characters and the reader wanting to delve deeper into the story and the mystery of what happened at Hare’s Landing 30 years ago.
When I finally found out the identity of who the body they found was, I was then kept guessing right until the last couple of chapters as to who was responsible. And it definitely was not someone that you would guess straight away, it came as a complete shock to me!
I was a little disappointed that everything seemed to happen very quickly about 50 pages from the end, as the author could have picked up the pace of the investigation a little earlier in the book. However, I did enjoy the book overall and would be interested in reading more of the authors work as it was extremely well written. I really fell in love with the characters and their stories that brought them to Hare’s Landing, and although Caroline’s problem at work did get solved, it felt a little disappointing given that so many other things were going on in the story at the same time.
Overall, it was a great book to read and one that was easy to follow and easy to dip in and read a couple of chapters when you have time!
Kristina (502 KP) rated Escaping From Houdini in Books
Dec 7, 2020
Have I mentioned how much I love Kerri?? I don't remember how I stumbled across her, but I do remember the reading "James Patterson Presents" caught my attention and gave me enough reason to give her a try - I'm so glad I did! From beginning to end I have loved this series. I'm a bit sad to see it finished, but I'm quite satisfied at the same time. Kerri includes both fact, ficion, and stretched truths in each of her books, which usually makes me curious as to how much is true, so I'm almost always conducting research afterward; I love a book that makes me eager to learn. Escaping From Houdini, while conducting the same mysterious murder-solving theme as the previous two books, focuses a bit more on the blossoming relationship between Audrey Rose and Thomas, which was a delight. While watching Audrey Rose struggle with illusion and truth, I found myself both irritated at her and understanding, for Mephistopheles cast a very convincing spell. Each encounter had me questioning how exactly things would end, in a romantic perspective. Throughout the book, while I filtered through suspects and had my own suspicions, the title made me the most curious - Houdini's name is in the title, but the main magician is Mephistopheles, so it had me questioning what Houdini's true role could be. Honestly, I'm not usually good at guessing correctly unless the author is horribly obvious about it, which Kerri most certainly is not, so I was surprised at who the killer was and the motive behind the murders. I very much look forward to more works by Kerri!
Kristina (502 KP) rated Hangman (Special X, #8) in Books
Dec 7, 2020
3.8 stars [Not a 4 because of the slow start. More than 3.5 because of how quickly I became interested once it picked up for me]
This book started out so slow for me, honestly. The storyline sounded interesting and I wanted to get as anti-Valentine's Day as I could, so I grabbed the closest book on my TBR list. I was reading what I assume was a 2000 paperback copy, so the print was really small and took some getting used to. For the first hundred pages or so, I found my attention straying. Somewhere between page 100 and page 171, I became involved. Finally, the mystery was getting juicy and the murders were getting more gruesome. I had so many different suspects - Justin, Ethan, Peter himself!, a juror from Peter's trial, a psychotic fanatic. Of course I won't give anything away. But the twists and turns are so unexpected, you can't help but scramble for people to be the face behind the mask. It may have taken me a while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. I'm ashamed to say I almost put this aside to finish at a much later date or just not bother with at all, but because I'm stubborn, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. The only spoiler I will provide is this: I'm greatly disappointed that we don't discover who killed Anna, the little girl Peter was accused of murdering. It may not have been important to the overall moral of the story, or even the plot, but it would have been nice to see some kind of justice for that poor girl.
This book started out so slow for me, honestly. The storyline sounded interesting and I wanted to get as anti-Valentine's Day as I could, so I grabbed the closest book on my TBR list. I was reading what I assume was a 2000 paperback copy, so the print was really small and took some getting used to. For the first hundred pages or so, I found my attention straying. Somewhere between page 100 and page 171, I became involved. Finally, the mystery was getting juicy and the murders were getting more gruesome. I had so many different suspects - Justin, Ethan, Peter himself!, a juror from Peter's trial, a psychotic fanatic. Of course I won't give anything away. But the twists and turns are so unexpected, you can't help but scramble for people to be the face behind the mask. It may have taken me a while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. I'm ashamed to say I almost put this aside to finish at a much later date or just not bother with at all, but because I'm stubborn, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. The only spoiler I will provide is this: I'm greatly disappointed that we don't discover who killed Anna, the little girl Peter was accused of murdering. It may not have been important to the overall moral of the story, or even the plot, but it would have been nice to see some kind of justice for that poor girl.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Beast (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
A troubled woman living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.
Much like Unsane, this one left me with a strong desire to pick up my bag and leave. I truly believe that the only reason I didn't leave is because I knew I have a hatred of people who moan about a film without seeing the whole thing. Had I left I was fully prepared to go and see it when it came out, and hopefully I'd be more in the mood for it.
While the first half started out dull, the second half... also started out dull. I found very little of this "psychological thriller" I was promised. Possibly the genre has been over done and I've just seen better examples. But very little of it left me intrigued. There seemed to be some story lines that weren't really needed and led to scenes that didn't feel like they fit in.
The sound in the film went from peaceful to deafening, and I'm sure most of this was in an effort to give dramatic effect, but honestly left me wincing from the shock. (This could be partly due to the volume in the screen itself too.)
Even taking into account the rage issues of the main characters and the alluded to backgrounds I found some of the behaviour a little unreal. And as for the "beast" itself, I can see what they were going for by calling it that. But ultimately I think it promised more than the film was able to deliver.
Much like Unsane, this one left me with a strong desire to pick up my bag and leave. I truly believe that the only reason I didn't leave is because I knew I have a hatred of people who moan about a film without seeing the whole thing. Had I left I was fully prepared to go and see it when it came out, and hopefully I'd be more in the mood for it.
While the first half started out dull, the second half... also started out dull. I found very little of this "psychological thriller" I was promised. Possibly the genre has been over done and I've just seen better examples. But very little of it left me intrigued. There seemed to be some story lines that weren't really needed and led to scenes that didn't feel like they fit in.
The sound in the film went from peaceful to deafening, and I'm sure most of this was in an effort to give dramatic effect, but honestly left me wincing from the shock. (This could be partly due to the volume in the screen itself too.)
Even taking into account the rage issues of the main characters and the alluded to backgrounds I found some of the behaviour a little unreal. And as for the "beast" itself, I can see what they were going for by calling it that. But ultimately I think it promised more than the film was able to deliver.
Kate (493 KP) rated Rain City Lights in Books
Aug 28, 2020
This book took a while to get into but once I did it was really good. It was interesting to get a view into how black people were treated back in 1981 considering it wasn't that long ago. How black re forced into a dangerous profession because of their colour.
The book was supposed to be a crime book but there were so many other things going on. When thinking of the book I always remember the friendship between the 2 main characters than the murders.
As the author split the chapters between the 2 main characters so we got to hear from both of them. How different the 2 lives were considering how close they are.
I really felt sorry for 'Momti' and how she has been given the life she has. She tries to hard but it seems she is destined to go the same way all the other young women she meets throughout the story. My dislike of Sacha grew as the book went on. He was given a good life and seemed to throw it away.
I'm glad it followed the 2 characters from childhood through to adulthood as it gave me a chance to see what they become after the childhoods they lived. Just goes to show that whatever childhood you have, you have the power to chance your future and become what you want to become.
I would say this book has such a large target audience. It can be read from teenagers to people in their 40s.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
The book was supposed to be a crime book but there were so many other things going on. When thinking of the book I always remember the friendship between the 2 main characters than the murders.
As the author split the chapters between the 2 main characters so we got to hear from both of them. How different the 2 lives were considering how close they are.
I really felt sorry for 'Momti' and how she has been given the life she has. She tries to hard but it seems she is destined to go the same way all the other young women she meets throughout the story. My dislike of Sacha grew as the book went on. He was given a good life and seemed to throw it away.
I'm glad it followed the 2 characters from childhood through to adulthood as it gave me a chance to see what they become after the childhoods they lived. Just goes to show that whatever childhood you have, you have the power to chance your future and become what you want to become.
I would say this book has such a large target audience. It can be read from teenagers to people in their 40s.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
Zerovillie
Book
A Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Newsweek Best Book of the Year It is an August afternoon...
The Book of Gates (Galenor #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
What if your survival was bound to someone else’s? My name is JudyAnn. I am from Galénor, a...
Young Adult Fantasy
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Good Girl, Bad Blood in Books
Oct 30, 2022
It’s not every time that a sequel manages to live up to the first novel but this book just made me fall in love with the characters even more.
We are back with Pip in the aftermath of the first book and she is trying to not get involved with anything that could get her in the same trouble as last time. Until her best friend’s brother, Jamie, goes missing. She tries to stay out of it, but when the police aren’t interested as he is an adult, Pip knows she can’t just sit back and hope for the best. So Pip goes back into investigative mode, but this time she has the help of Ravi, her boyfriend.
Pip has managed to document the murders of Andie Bell and Sal Singh (the previous book) on a podcast, which has a lot of followers and so she utilises this to get the news of the disappearance out there. Pip agrees with the family that she can use the investigation for a second series of her podcast.
The investigation has many twists and turns and at one point I couldn’t have told you how it was going to end. But the ending was unexpected and a character that I hadn’t anticipated was involved.
Holly Jackson’s use of different kinds of media such as photographs, articles and transcripts made the book so much more interesting to read than your usual crime fiction and I think that’s what has kept me so hooked throughout this series. Hopefully the third instalment will be just as good as this one.
We are back with Pip in the aftermath of the first book and she is trying to not get involved with anything that could get her in the same trouble as last time. Until her best friend’s brother, Jamie, goes missing. She tries to stay out of it, but when the police aren’t interested as he is an adult, Pip knows she can’t just sit back and hope for the best. So Pip goes back into investigative mode, but this time she has the help of Ravi, her boyfriend.
Pip has managed to document the murders of Andie Bell and Sal Singh (the previous book) on a podcast, which has a lot of followers and so she utilises this to get the news of the disappearance out there. Pip agrees with the family that she can use the investigation for a second series of her podcast.
The investigation has many twists and turns and at one point I couldn’t have told you how it was going to end. But the ending was unexpected and a character that I hadn’t anticipated was involved.
Holly Jackson’s use of different kinds of media such as photographs, articles and transcripts made the book so much more interesting to read than your usual crime fiction and I think that’s what has kept me so hooked throughout this series. Hopefully the third instalment will be just as good as this one.
The Bone Code
Book
THE NEW SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER IN THE TEMPERANCE BRENNAN SERIES 'I await the next Kathy Reichs'...
Merissa (13389 KP) rated America's Femme Fatale The Story of Serial Killer Belle Gunness in Books
Oct 1, 2021 (Updated Jul 12, 2023)
AMERICA'S FEMME FATALE is the story of a female serial killer who did it for the money or to keep people quiet or from looking at her too closely. Belle is cold-hearted, cold-blooded, and sadly in my mind, managed to get away with it.
We follow her from her teenage years in Norway to her going to America. The book is full of photos of Belle herself, plus other people and situations relevant to the story. I do believe that part of the reason she was able to get away with so many murders was, quite simply, the time in which she lived. I would hope and pray that something of this magnitude wouldn't happen in this day and age.
Although this book has been incredibly well-researched, it was a bit dry and confusing in places. At one point, we make a segue into highlights of the lives of some of her victims which I found to be unnecessary to the story, as it didn't make it any clearer. I personally would have enjoyed it more to stick with the main part of the story.
There were a couple of editing mistakes that I found, but nothing to take away from the story itself. Just a change of name, for example.
An interesting read about someone I hadn't heard of before, and definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 1, 2021
We follow her from her teenage years in Norway to her going to America. The book is full of photos of Belle herself, plus other people and situations relevant to the story. I do believe that part of the reason she was able to get away with so many murders was, quite simply, the time in which she lived. I would hope and pray that something of this magnitude wouldn't happen in this day and age.
Although this book has been incredibly well-researched, it was a bit dry and confusing in places. At one point, we make a segue into highlights of the lives of some of her victims which I found to be unnecessary to the story, as it didn't make it any clearer. I personally would have enjoyed it more to stick with the main part of the story.
There were a couple of editing mistakes that I found, but nothing to take away from the story itself. Just a change of name, for example.
An interesting read about someone I hadn't heard of before, and definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 1, 2021