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The Plotters
Un-su Kim | 2023
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
154 of 235
Book
The Plotters
By Un-su Kim
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Behind every assassination, there is an anonymous mastermind--a plotter--working in the shadows. Plotters quietly dictate the moves of the city's most dangerous criminals, but their existence is little more than legend. Just who are the plotters? And more important, what do they want?
     Reseng is an assassin. Raised by a cantankerous killer named Old Raccoon in the crime headquarters "The Library," Reseng never questioned anything: where to go, who to kill, or why his home was filled with books that no one ever read. But one day, Reseng steps out of line on a job, toppling a set of carefully calibrated plans. And when he uncovers an extraordinary scheme set into motion by an eccentric trio of young women--a convenience store clerk, her wheelchair-bound sister, and a cross-eyed librarian--Reseng will have to decide if he will remain a pawn or finally take control of the plot.
     Crackling with action and filled with unforgettable characters, The Plotters is a deeply entertaining thriller that soars with the soul, wit, and lyricism of real literary craft.

I really enjoyed this book it was dark, twisty and violent. A look into the dark world of an assassin life one that doesn’t like doing what he does. Knowing he has only one way out. I wasn’t expecting to like it at all it was a mystery book I had in a subscription box. It was really well translated too.
  
Pretty Little Wife
Pretty Little Wife
Darby Kane | 2021
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Slow to start, but ultimately an intriguing and unique thriller

Lila Ridgefield's husband is missing. A beloved high school teacher, his boss, colleagues, and brother cannot believe that Aaron Payne would just disappear. He's certainly not the type to simply not show up for work one day. As for his wife, Lila is known more for her cold and quiet demeanor (and, let's be honest, her beauty). She's also pretty confused, because the last time she saw Aaron, she was rather convinced she was looking at his dead body. So where's his car she left behind--and the body? Investigator Ginny Davis is called to look into Aaron's disappearance. At first it seems unrelated to that of a missing local student. But the more Ginny digs, the more she starts to wonder. And the more Lila digs, the more she fears her husband is still alive.

"Despite all her careful planning, he was gone. She had to find Aaron before he found her."

Well, this was quite a book. The beginning was a bit slow for me--it took too long to get to the exciting part, and it was repetitive. It felt like bits and pieces were rehashed over and over. I wanted to shake Lila and tell her to get on with it!

But, once everything gets moving, this is quite an exciting thriller. The last fourth of the story especially is incredibly electrifying and, for the most part, keeps you guessing. (I had a decent idea about whodunnit, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment at all.) I loved the concept of a mystery where the woman kills her husband, yet the main story is, surprise: he disappears anyway. The dynamic between cunning Lila, whom you're never sure you can trust, and Ginny, who is a straightforward and honest investigator, is excellent. I enjoy a book with strong female protagonists and these two are excellent.

Overall, even though this dragged for a bit, it's certainly worth a read. For one thing, it's different, which is so refreshing in the thriller genre. It's also dark, intriguing, and surprising. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 here.

I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
  
The Dark Net
The Dark Net
Benjamin Percy | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Thriller
8
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
More reviews on https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com

After reading “Here and Gone” by Haylen Beck, I got very interested in the dark net, which is like a black market for everything, so, when I saw this book available for request, I did not hesitate. Another thing which intrigued me about this book, was its cover, I think it describes the mood of this book very accurately.

This novel has a wide variety of characters to choose from (see description), and every character had a story to tell, which made this book really rich and appealing to me. Lela was chosen as the main character of this novel. She was trying to uncover a secret enterprise, which does not leave any trace in the records, and is related to some nasty murders. I think that B. Percy chose her very wisely; she is very old fashion and hates technology, and only this kind of character can survive in this book. I really like when author allows more than one character to express themselves, and Percy didn’t disappoint me in this book with that.

The narrative of this techno-thriller was really dark and riveting, in some places really disturbing. I will admit that, like most of the people these days, I could not live a day without internet, but after reading this book, I started thinking that, this needs to change. Internet is way more powerful than we imagine, and that is kind of scary. This book has an interesting combination of genres; it is horror/sci-fi/thriller. It has real life problems mixed with fiction which makes it an interesting read, but some parts were over the top for me. Even though I love technology, I was slightly overwhelmed with all the terms used in this book, which sometimes felt like reading an IT textbook, and unfortunately my mind would just glide through that information.

This book is not for everyone, you need to know something about internet and have a strong stomach to enjoy it. It offers great action, plenty of twists and turns and is quite distressing. The chapters are quite short, so the reading experience is pleasant and the change of action and characters didn’t make me bored. I think that Percy done a great research for this book and I enjoyed the new things I got to learn about the dark net. The ending of this book was really interesting, and I think it rounded up the book really nicely. So, to conclude, I had an interesting reading experience, and if you like all things internet and are not scared of blood and murders, you might actually find this book really entertaining and enlightening.
Was given this book by publisher for honest review
  
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Midge (525 KP) rated The Couple in Books

Feb 12, 2019 (Updated Feb 14, 2019)  
The Couple
The Couple
Sarah Mitchell | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Brilliant And Dark
THE COUPLE is a debut psychological thriller by Sarah Mitchell and I absolutely loved it! I adore novels that are written in two time periods, namely the past and present, like this one.

The characters were very difficult to warm to, especially the main character Claire, who became rather irritating, annoying and dis-likeable during the story.

Claire, who works for the Immigration Service is newly engaged after a whirlwind romance. Her fiance, Angus, is a hotel entrepreneur and they are looking to buy their perfect home together. When Claire views a house and meets Mark, the fellow who is selling the house, she finds that he resembles a former lover, a man for whom she still has feelings. Claire is drawn to him and Angus starts to behave very suspiciously, but can Claire trust either of them or herself?

For me, Sarah Mitchell’s writing is captivating and extremely well structured. This book is full of twists and turns and I really enjoyed it. The novel moved along at an intense speed and I loved how dark and twisted it was. The character development was brilliant and apart from most of the characters themselves, I liked everything about this book. THE COUPLE held my interest from start to finish and the way in which Sarah Mitchell brought everything to a conclusion was just fabulous. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author.

I would recommend THE COUPLE to anyone who likes this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sarah Mitchell for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
  
M (Movie) (1931)
M (Movie) (1931)
1931 |
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The maestro of dark shadows, Fritz Lang already had 14 feature films under his belt by 1931, including the much loved and much borrowed from Metropolis in 1927. It is said that he was such a slave driver with cast and crew alike that he had very few friends and was detested as a man. His work spoke for itself, however, and was always miles ahead of anything happening at the same time in Hollywood. Take the dark, sinister and serious M as an example. It tackles the subject of child abduction and murder, homelessness, crime in general and the punishment of a mob – subjects American cinema would never have touched in 1931, let alone done with such an exquisite non- melodramatic feel.

Peter Lorre as the killer compelled by his own weakness and madness gives an unfeasably nuanced performance for the era also. He is mesmerically creepy and unforgettable. Images and motifs (such as the whistle that indicates the murderer is lurking) abound, creating a landscape of pure mood and disease. As a morality tale it touches on issues of vigilantism and true justice that still has some relevance today. It also works as an entertaining thriller, and there wasn’t a minute I felt bored or distracted. The only jarring element are the scenes where Lang cuts the sound entirely to create tension and focus – they feel like technical mistakes, not deliberate choices. Otherwise, I could not have been more impressed and pleasantly surprised by this Euro classic for all time. If I were making a list of the best films ever made that disregarded the limitations of the age, then M would definitely make the cut.