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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Bring the Night in Books
Sep 8, 2023 (Updated Sep 8, 2023)
Suicide? Or Murder?
Los Angeles in 1939 was experiencing a rash of suicides, but in the middle of them, PI Nate Ross is hired to prove one was murder when a brother and sister walk into his office wanting him to find the truth about their father’s death. The cops quickly ruled it another suicide, but they insist that it was murder. It isn’t long before Nate is finding more questions than answers and receiving threats. Can he figure out what is going on?
The suicide or murder question is a common trope of mysteries, and this book doesn’t spend long before Nate is certain it was murder. I had a couple of the twists figured out, but I didn’t grasp the full picture until the end. Even then, I had to think about the ending to make sure everything made sense; a little more exposition would have been nice. Nate is fun to be around as always, and the rest of the cast is interesting as well. As a PI novel, there’s a little more language and violence than in the typical novels I read, but it was still minimal. The use of slang from the time is a bit over the top, but it does help bring the period to life. Fans of the genre will be glad they picked up this book.
The suicide or murder question is a common trope of mysteries, and this book doesn’t spend long before Nate is certain it was murder. I had a couple of the twists figured out, but I didn’t grasp the full picture until the end. Even then, I had to think about the ending to make sure everything made sense; a little more exposition would have been nice. Nate is fun to be around as always, and the rest of the cast is interesting as well. As a PI novel, there’s a little more language and violence than in the typical novels I read, but it was still minimal. The use of slang from the time is a bit over the top, but it does help bring the period to life. Fans of the genre will be glad they picked up this book.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Miss Me Not in Books
Sep 3, 2019
Note: This has been on my Kindle for years--literally! I've decided every so often when there's not a book I've bought that I'm just dying to read that I'll start reading my backlog of books from the earliest bought. This was #1 - from 2013. I'm not doing bad, I only have one more book from 2013 before I start the ones from 2014. Yay!
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This covers some rather dark topics like suicide and physical abuse. On the first page we learn of a student's suicide and Madison's feelings about it. And then the fact that she has a sort of suicide pact with her only friend. It's quite a punch to the gut that these 17 year olds feel so low due to family situations that they want to end things.
Madison had a very unconventional childhood with parents who took no notice of her at all and in an effort to gain any sort of attention from them she acted out in the past until the unthinkable happened when she was just 13. I understand how stuff like that can warp you when it happens at such a young age.
Then a ray of light appears in the form of Dean--all round good guy. He's been asked to tutor her so she doesn't flunk a class. He's determined to be her friend after watching her for years and seeing her "fade into the background" behaviour. Things progress from friendship into romance over time and we get a rather sweet romance between Dean and Madison. He's very protective of her.
Of course, things don't always go the way you want and someone close to Madison commits suicide throwing her back into the darkness of grief. Luckily, she now has a strong support system in place with Dean and his family and they manage to keep her grounded.
I thought it ended a little abruptly but it was a sweet young adult romance that covered some hard hitting topics.
Another note: Suicide does seem to be a big issue in teenagers around the world and this book does a good job of highlighting it. It doesn't seem fair to me for teens to be that low that they take their own lives. They've barely started living and they ready to die already? That's not right. I've had a few good cries while reading this.
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This covers some rather dark topics like suicide and physical abuse. On the first page we learn of a student's suicide and Madison's feelings about it. And then the fact that she has a sort of suicide pact with her only friend. It's quite a punch to the gut that these 17 year olds feel so low due to family situations that they want to end things.
Madison had a very unconventional childhood with parents who took no notice of her at all and in an effort to gain any sort of attention from them she acted out in the past until the unthinkable happened when she was just 13. I understand how stuff like that can warp you when it happens at such a young age.
Then a ray of light appears in the form of Dean--all round good guy. He's been asked to tutor her so she doesn't flunk a class. He's determined to be her friend after watching her for years and seeing her "fade into the background" behaviour. Things progress from friendship into romance over time and we get a rather sweet romance between Dean and Madison. He's very protective of her.
Of course, things don't always go the way you want and someone close to Madison commits suicide throwing her back into the darkness of grief. Luckily, she now has a strong support system in place with Dean and his family and they manage to keep her grounded.
I thought it ended a little abruptly but it was a sweet young adult romance that covered some hard hitting topics.
Another note: Suicide does seem to be a big issue in teenagers around the world and this book does a good job of highlighting it. It doesn't seem fair to me for teens to be that low that they take their own lives. They've barely started living and they ready to die already? That's not right. I've had a few good cries while reading this.
The Black Ice (Harry Bosch, #2; Harry Bosch Universe, #2)
7.5
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The official report said suicide. But in a city where murder is sport, Bosch isn’t ready to blame...
Kevin Morby recommended track Ghost Rider by Suicide in Attempted: Live at Max's Kansas City 1980 by Suicide in Music (curated)
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Prime Time (Charlotte McNally, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
TV investigative reporter Charlotte "Charlie" McNally is trying to find a great story for November sweeps. And it might have just landed in her lap with a tip from the widow of an apparent suicide. The story started rather slowly, but once it got going, I couldn't put it down.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-prime-time-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-prime-time-by-hank.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Murder Off Mike in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Shauna J. Bogart, Sacramento talk show host, is devastated when her fellow talk show host Dr. Hipster is murdered. When the police rule it a suicide, she starts to investigate. This debut grabbed me from the start with the real characters and the fast paced twisty plot.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-murder-off-mike-by-joyce.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-murder-off-mike-by-joyce.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Jordie (1 KP) rated Thirteen Reasons Why: (TV Tie-in) in Books
Jun 26, 2018
Emotional!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I binge watched the tv series and thought it was epic. Really hits you in the feels.
So, naturally I had to read the book as well and compare the two. They’re both amazing, as always the books better but that’s just my opinion.
The story about the tapes and what happened in the run up to the girls suicide really being up a variety of emotions.
So, naturally I had to read the book as well and compare the two. They’re both amazing, as always the books better but that’s just my opinion.
The story about the tapes and what happened in the run up to the girls suicide really being up a variety of emotions.
Morvern Callar
10.0
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It is off-season in a remote Highland sea port: twenty-one-year-old Morvern Callar, a low-paid...
