13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
It Just Doesn't Work, January 27, 2008
This review is from: On the Fifth Day (Paperback)
The first three hundred or so pages of this book are a somewhat enjoyable, if unremarkable read. In other words, they're pretty typical of the genre. Hartley has an interesting sense of pacing, which more than offsets the somewhat clunky way he introduces some of the plot elements. Up until the last quarter of the book, he manages to produce enough twists and turns to keep pulling the reader onward, anticipating the way this convoluted plot is going to resolve itself.
And, then, we move into the left-turn of a reveal, and everything falls apart. There's nothing wrong with throwing the reader a total curve ball, but there should be enough information scattered throughout the story to make everything fit together. In other words, a reader should be able to look back through the book and see, with the benefit of hindsight, how the plot actually unfolded amidst the tangle of red herrings.
This is where Hartley fails. The left turn comes from absolutely no where, and, as a result the story falls completely apart. The relationships between the deceased priest, the marine biologist, and the senator end up feeling crammed into the book to make the whole thing work and get everyone where they need to be at the end. Instead of marveling at the way Hartley hid his true plot in plain sight, the reader ends up wondering where all this came from.
It's a pity really. In the end, the pieces just don't fit together. The big, shocking reveal of the villain's identity is actually dull and anticlimactic. By breaking the reader's trust with his ridiculous plot twist, Hartley loses the necessary suspension of disbelief from the reader to make the events of the last few chapters seem plausible.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book of the summer, July 3, 2007
This review is from: On the Fifth Day (Paperback)
A.J Hartley's latest book "On the Fifth Day" is a thriller that kept me glued to the page from the lightning fast beginning until the break-neck race for the finish. I hated to see the book end, but I couldn't stop reading to save some for tomorrow. May just read it again.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
rollicking good tale with an interseting twist, July 13, 2007
This review is from: On the Fifth Day (Paperback)
After reading Mr.Hartley's first novel "the mask of arteus" i picked this one up. It was a fine departure and shows his growth as a novelist. The book kept me entertained with the unusual plot twists, such as the frescos in Italy and then the surprise came at the end with the "missing link". Some of the plot lines seemed to lead someplace and then drop for a while, but they did pick up and he tied it all together, with the exception of Thomas and Kumo's relationship, not another mention after the ordeal ended. Maybe they will return in a new adventure?
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