Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EngrossingThriller..., June 29, 2008
David Rosenfelt is a splendid author of crime fiction, but perhaps isn't yet well-known by the reading public. That is about to change. Mr. Rosenfelt is known for his Andy Carpenter series, the most recent of which was "Play Dead," which garnered a 5-star rating on Amazon (and is, inexplicably, out of print, awaiting a paperback version). These books successfully mix splendid drama with a great deal of gentle humor.
Now, this fine author has taken a break from Andy Carpenter to write a genuine thriller, "Don't Tell a Soul." The term "page-turner" has become shop-worn, so I won't use it here. Suffice it to say that nobody with a pulse will be able to put this book down. It contains a tightly-wound plot, interesting characters (both good and bad), and nail-biting developments, all of which provide for a very satisfying read. The book keeps the reader guessing about the true identity of the bad guys until the very end.
I am an avid reader of crime/thriller stories, as well as non-fiction (historical, biographies and such), but generally do not finish a book in less than a few days. But I began and finished "Don't Tell a Soul" within a period of 24 hours. (And, yes, like all of this author's books, there is a Golden Retriever in the story).
Congratulations to Mr. Rosenfelt on a masterful achievement.
RLB
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"It's the little things that change your life.", July 6, 2008
David Rosenfelt made his reputation as the author of the amusing Andy Carpenter mysteries. This time around, he has written a stand-alone thriller, "Don't Tell a Soul." The protagonist is thirty-year old Tim Wallace, the owner of Wallace Industries, a small New Jersey construction company. One May afternoon, Tim and Maggie, who have been married for five months, go out on Tim's thirty-foot motorboat. Tragically, the boat suddenly explodes with Maggie on board. Tim miraculously survives but the police suspect him of orchestrating his wife's death. His life is about to become a nightmare.
Tim's nemesis is Detective Jonathon Novack, who is convinced that Maggie's death "was a cold-blooded murder." Tim willingly takes a lie-detector test and passes with flying colors. Even though Novack cannot find a credible motive for Tim wanting to harm the woman he adored, the detective stubbornly refuses to abandon his theory. To him, "this case would never get cold. He would work it whenever he could, probing it from every angle, until he could put away the [man] who literally blew his young wife out of the water."
"Don't Tell a Soul" is a page-turner that benefits from Rosenfelt's patented tongue-in-cheek humor. Tim is a low-key and appealing protagonist who decides to take matters into his own hands in order to clear his name. Novack is your typical hard-nosed cop who refuses to entertain the possibility that Tim may actually be telling the truth, even when the evidence points to Wallace's innocence. Unfortunately, the book's convoluted and far-fetched plot goes downhill as it reaches its melodramatic and formulaic conclusion. The inevitable confrontation between the good guys and the bad guys is neither believable nor suspenseful. Although Rosenfelt's novel lacks depth and the characters are strictly one-dimensional, it is entertaining enough for a day at the beach or to pass the time during a long airplane trip.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Superficial Thrills, July 20, 2008
DON'T TELL A SOUL is my first novel by David Rosenfelt, and I found it mildly entertaining. Imagine a Harlan Coben novel written in the style of James Patterson, and that's pretty much what you get with this one.
The plot of this novel reminds me quite a bit of Harlan Coben's novel TELL NO ONE (even the title and front cover designs are similar). The main character is a thirtysomething guy in New Jersey whose wife dies in a boat explosion, and her body is never found. The police believe he is responsible for his wife's death, but don't have enough evidence to press charges. As the novel progesses, it appears clear that he is being framed for her death, as well as for some other violent killings. He eventually goes on the lam, and races against time to find out the truth behind what's going on.
The plot of DON'T TELL A SOUL was interesting enough for me to finish it, which is why I gave it a three star review. Unfortunately, the characterization in this novel is almost non-existent. There are at least ten key characters in this novel, and all of them are severely underdeveloped. Most of their dialogue is trite and only serves to move the plot forward. Rosenfelt changes the point of view so often that it's hard to relate to anybody in particular. As a result, I didn't find the suspense level of this book to be very high, which is a bad sign for any thriller.
In the end, DON'T TELL A SOUL is just a superficial entertainment, much in the style of James Patterson. It's certainly easy to read, but not particularly deep or satisfying. Still, if you like Patterson's writing style, and are looking for a good beach book, this may fit your requirements.
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