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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Rewind in Books

Jul 20, 2019  
Rewind
Rewind
Catherine Ryan Howard | 2019 | Mystery, Thriller
7
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Enjoyable thriller
This is a page turner of a thriller. It takes a little to get to grips with the time jumping but it helps that it uses rewind, pause and fast forward as chapters to give you some baring and once you get it it’s fine and kinda fun in a novel way. This book lends itself to being a great easy read with enough going on to keep you engaged but without being too taxing on the old noggin - perfect for holiday reading.

Natalie is a social media influencer and I did find the beginning of the book was throwing a bit too much jargon about this area at us; along with describing click bait journalist Audery’s world it felt like a real push to be “with it”. It is however a great area to explore as opening yourself up to the world like that gives a whole huge potential for weirdo exposure. When Natalie visits the remote Irish village of Shanamore she gets to meet even more odd characters in the form of holiday cottage manager Andrew with a real Norman Bates feel to him and other locals. There is definitely an air of creepy, in a skin crawling fashion, about them.

I didn’t find there to be much mystery in this book with it all being too evident who was responsible as soon as they began to appear. The multitude of POVs and the moving around in time did hamper any real development of feeling invested in the characters. All in all an enjoyable quick thriller read without too much thought required.

My thanks to the author, publisher Atlantic Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  
Edge of Darkness (2010)
Edge of Darkness (2010)
2010 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Mel Gibson is back on the screen in the winter thriller “Edge of Darkness”. Boston cop Thomas Craven (Gibson) is excited about his daughter Emma’s (Bojana Novakovic) visit home from her first post college employment position. Yet from the very start something seems wrong. Before dinner is even served a masked assailant kills Emma in cold blood on the porch of her father’s house leaving Officer Craven determined to figure out who killed his daughter and why which requires Craven to do this with or without the help of the law.

This is not a mystery but rather the story of a cop’s determination to avenge his daughter against impossible odds which are stacked with numerous shady characters that Craven must deal with to solve the murder, including senators, businessmen, and one title-less problem solver. Moreover, the flick walks directly into the muddy waters of morality, the law, business, and politics.

Tightly packed with characters, “Edge of Darkness” leaves little room for character development, thereby loosing much of the emotional response it seeks to create. However, the standout performance by Ray Winstone, who plays the insightful but questionably aligned Jedburgh, did lighten what otherwise is a dark and densely packed tale.
Further frustrating the viewer, the film’s ending is expected and not at all as dramatic as the buildup demanded. I left wondering why Gibson would remake the original award winning BBC-miniseries into a boring film that is ripe with undeveloped characters.

This thriller lacks the inventiveness or conclusion to make it worthy of Mel Gibson’s return. There were a couple of mildly tense moments and few well executed scenes but overall “Edge of Darkness” is really more of a substandard drama than an engaging thriller. The 117 minutes spent watching the “Edge of Darkness” was slightly enjoyable, but the story really is nothing new.
  
Long Bright River
Long Bright River
Liz Moore | 2020 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Tale of Two Sisters
An engaging story of two sisters whose lives take very different paths. I loved the writing in this book and felt I was drawn into seeing the run-down Philadelphia neighborhood this book is set in.

Less a thriller and more a very character-driven tale of Michaela (Mickey,) a cop and her complicated relationship to her drug-addicted sister. When women start turning up dead on Mickey’s patch her concern for her sister intensifies. The book switches between the present day with Mickey’s search for a killer and her sister in a neighborhood suspicious of police and the tale of their growing-up in less than ideal circumstances.

Part police procedural/mystery/thriller I wouldn’t pick this book up if that’s what you are really craving as this isn’t done in a particularly satisfying way with what felt like a slightly rushed resolution after a slow-burn start to this aspect. I would, however, recommend picking it up if you fancy a gritty emotional look into the world of a neighborhood ravaged by drugs and the strong family ties that persevere.

Many thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
  
Flight Risk
Flight Risk
Cara C. Putman | 2020 | Contemporary, Romance, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Flight Risk was a fun romantic legal thriller!
     This book was filled with so many layers that flowed together flawlessly, keeping my mind engaged through its entirety. It did not read like your typical legal thriller as most of the mystery takes place outside the courtroom so to speak. Cara C. Putman explains the legal terms used in an easy to understand verbiage without the information losing its intended meaning. All the while weaving several different plots together for the makings of one cohesive story.
     I loved the main character Savannah; she showed a strength that I want to have in my own life. Her reactions to the situations presented were genuinely believable and seemed to fit the situations well. Jett was also a good character who had an encouraging spirit and would do anything to find the truth; something I admire. I enjoyed the themes of learning from our past mistakes and never judging a book by its cover, I though Cara C. Putman did a great job putting those themes at the forefront throughout the book. I did feel that the end was rushed, as everything happened so quickly, there was just something missing at the end; that is not to say that there isn’t a good ending