Customer Reviews

Cradle And All

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Suspension of disbelief" is an understatement with this book. I found every aspect impossible to find believable. There is no way any semi-intelligent woman with any self-respect or common sense would make half the mistakes the main character makes. And to think that an antagonist can torture a woman for the length of time without ever making a mistake as the story claims is simply too far-fetched to be real. Beyond that, the other characters are simply sign-posts inserted at the right moment to lend the next piece of dialogue at the appropriate time. When the book finally does seem to go somewhere (three quarters of the way through) are we really to believe the number of plot twists that seem to pop up at the end that keep tying themselves up in neat little packages to move the story along? The further I read the less and less I found it to be compelling or believeable. The final pages are a particularly sugary sweet Hollywood ending that I couldn't stomach. Those that gave this book such high marks are either die-hard fans or simply easily entertained. By all counts when it's all said and done EVERYONE who survives should be in counseling for life. Overall, a completely unsatisfying read with undeveloped characters, plot twists that simply move the story along, and an ending that is too good to be true.

If anyone likes any kind of mystery novels whatsoever, then you will absolutely love CRADLE AND ALL! I just couldn't put it down! The author described Kate, the main character, in such great detail, that I could visualize her emotions and her problems with every word. The author paints a picture of one of the characters being the murderer, but the ending shocked me to death! The way the author tied the ending with the story was amazing. All of the characters were likeable, none to bossy. Chills and thrills around every corner. If you liked ALL FALL DOWN and WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, his earlier novels, then you will devour and love CRADLE AND ALL, because it is definitely the best of three. I hope Mr. Fox continues to write all of his next books this good because I am greatly awaiting his next one.

This book was one of the best books I ever read! I love psychological suspense thrillers and this book is definetly one of those. Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down till I was finished reading it. This is the first book I have read by this author but definetly not the last. I intend to buy his other books in the near future.

All I can say after reading this book is.....WOW! I can honestly say that this is the best book I have ever read. I literally could not put it down and I even read it in the car at stop lights! I expected it to be good from what I read on the cover but not this good! It totally captivated me from the suspenseful beginning to the shocking ending. Just when I thought all of the surprises were coming to an end, there were more! I would never have guessed who the villian was in a million years. I couldn't wait to finish it but I also hated to see it end. I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fast, edge of your seat type of suspense novel that will keep you guessing throughout. Be prepared to stay up late though! I'm going to pass it on to my friends and family next and I look forward to reading the other novels written by Mr. Fox.

From start to finish, this book is just too idiotic and amateruish to believe. The characters remind us of short-circuted robots, saying and doing all the wrong things in all the wrong places. If the book is any indication of how much the author knows about women, my condolences to his wife. The book is an insult and discredit to women and mothers.

One of the main characters, Kate MacDonald, is both a working mother and devoted social worker at a very busy hospital. To begin with, working in that capacity, one would hope she is a reasonably well-educated and intelligent lady. The book portrays her character as a bumbling idiot. Rats attack her baby but she believes as her "good husband tells her" that they fell out of the trees! Then there is swine fever and herpes to deal with. At this point, the book is already so far-fetched, we expect a little green creature from the lagoon to pop up. Then, there is the issue of "Munchausen's syndrome by proxy." Having studied psychology, and based solely on the facts we have been presented with, there would be little evidence to indicate this diagnosis.

What the author does seem to have, however, is a very severe case of an over-active imagination. From the first page to the last, the story plays out as an array of crazy mismatched ideas crammed into one book, regardless of whether they fit the picture or not. As for the predictable ending, you can almost see "the handsome prince swooping his true lady love astride a gallant white horse and riding into the sunset.... to live happily ever after."

I had read Mr. Fox's previous novels and was pretty sure I was in for a good read. I wasn't disappointed. It may have been a bit overblown but, then, so is Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy, which is a central theme in this book. I didn't know who done it until the author chose to reveal the answer, which is exactly what I look for in a good psychological suspense -- heartily recommended to fans of same.

I don't even know where to begin. This guy has obviously never been around babies (or mothers for that matter). If the woman in this book was as stupid as she's portrayed she probably wouldn't have the genetic material to reproduce (we could only hope).

Fox has taken author intrusion to new lows. With every page I get a renewed sense of his desperate need for an editor.

Every character in this book is a cardboard cutout with no purpose other than to say the right line at the right time.

I gave this a single star because the story premise might have been compelling in the hands of an actual writer and possibly worth reading.

Please don't buy this boat anchor. Use your money more wisely - perhaps for a shiny new left-handed mitten wrench. UGH!

In a field crowded with one-trick ponies, it's especially gratifying to experience the work of a writer who grows in leaps with every outing. Zachary Alan Fox's latest is a prime example of a true craftsman bent on stretching and improving, and the result is an immensely satisfying thriller.

This is especially true if you're the kind of reader who enjoys richness and complexity, elements Fox handles with the sure hand of a veteran. Kate McDonald, a hospital social worker, happily married and the mother of a new son, finds herself spiraling down a black hole of despair at the hands of an unseen tormentor. Mysterious messages half-seen on her computer kick off a chain of terrifying events, the worst of which involve her baby and appear to her hospital co-workers as the classic signs of child abuse. There appear to be no rational reasons for what is occurring, but the events are hardly random, tailored as they are to Kate's specific situation. Indeed, whoever is behind it all seems almost to know more about Kate than she does about herself.

Cradle and All is really conceptually divisible into two main parts. The first is a mystery - why is all of this happening to Kate? - that is enriched by an extremely skillful portrayal of a seemingly ordinary and normal woman descending into a maelstrom that threatens her very sanity. As the horrific episodes pile up, it seems unlikely that they could be connected by a single, unifying theme, but the book's biggest strength is the revelation that explains it all. Fox throws more red herrings at us than a Hadassah brunch, but they're all plausible, and, even better, they all play a part, although in ways much different than we might anticipate.

The second part is the pursuit of the newly-identified antagonist, and at first it seems that we're in for an exciting but somewhat anti-climactic chase once we've been handed the big "Aha!". However, Fox isn't quite through with the central mystery itself. In addition to some very clever devices as the villain tries to outwit a detective who has befriended Kate, we're treated to some new twists and turns as we learn that things still aren't exactly what they seemed.

Cradle and All is a very large cut above most entries in the mystery-thriller field, and I highly recommend it.

This was by far the best suspense book I have ever read!! Fox has the reader guessing "who done it" and "why" throughout the whole book. Just when you think you know "who did it", it turns out to be the wrong person. Very complicated plot, which keeps the reader up all night, hoping for a happy ending.

I LOVED this book! It was easy to follow but had so many twists. Every time I thought I figured it out, there would be another twist!
I just finished reading it last night, and had to read for three hours straight because I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it!