Customer Reviews

Heartless

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

 

 

...my girlfriend does. I borrowed this one and couldn't believe how good the writing was. I've tried other mysteries since but they don't really grab me. Now I'm waiting for this woman's next book to drop in February. Can't believe no one has made a movie of this one yet. This Gaylin dame can write, I'm telling `ya.

I first picked up one of Ms. Gaylin's books last year, and found myself quickly devouring all of her books that I could get my hands on, all because of one simple reason: her characters are truly interesting. All too often, authors fill their books with stock characters who merely take up space, instead of adding anything to the story. Alison Gaylin, however, is truly adept at character development, so that everyone in her books seems (for lack of a better word) real, in that all are flawed, but they are also truly interesting, and compel readers to want to learn more about them.

The characters in Heartless are no exception. While delving into topics ranging from the cult of personality to daytime television to the world of journalism to human sacrifice, the reader is introduced to people who run the gamut from being emotionally-scarred and trying to heal, to those whose pleasant facades mask obsession and murder.

Additionally, Gaylin really brings the setting of San Estaban to life with an abundance of rich, sensory details that paint a picture of a place that is simultaneously beautiful and foreboding.

This isn't just a run-of-the-mill thriller. It's a book that is truly creepy and disturbing on a multitude of levels, while also incorporating twists and turns to keep readers on their toes. In short, it's a genuinely good book from a very talented author.

First, let me say that I loved Alison Gaylin's books "Hide Your Eyes" and "You Kill Me". While I would have liked to have seen John & Sam in another follow up I think that may be down the road. John was mentioned a couple times in this book, I'm not sure what that was about.

"Heartless" has a great plot. Five years ago Zoe Greene, a crime reporter, got into the mind of a serial killer. The killer called her and told her he was going to murder more women for her and he did. Zoe, ridden with guilt, took a job with a soap opera magazine. There she met charismatic star Warren Clark and embarked on a torrid affair. Four months later Warren left the show to go to his house in a small Mexico town asking Zoe to join him. Zoe, having quit her job because she wouldn't capitalize on her relationship with Warren, headed to Mexico and Warren. When she arrived she learned there had been several extremely brutal murders in this picturesque small town. Fearing Warren is a member of a cult that may be responsible she begins to investigate.

All good. The description of the town, customs and the bizarre events were detailed and fascinating. But I never felt the characters were fleshed out or that I really knew them. There was very little about their background or even what they looked like. I couldn't bring myself to care much about them and thought they were boring. I found myself rushing to get through the book and the very end was anti-climactic.

So, this is why I gave it a three. Hope Sam & John will be back!

Gaylin keeps the pressure on in this, her fourth novel and second stand-alone. I found the heroine engaging and gutsy; the steady unraveling of her relationship with a soap opera star, a realistic portrayal of what happens when the guy you're with is most definitely not the guy for you, and the cast of ex-pat, artsy, new agey types, intriguing and unusual. The suspense builds steadily, and vivid descriptions drive the story to its surprising finale.
I found the book anything but formulaic. It was as refreshing as a mineral spring,as pointed and sharp as a saguaro cactus and as nightmarish as too much tequila on a hot night. I can't wait to read what Gaylin has in store for us next; it's always a pleasure to step into her world. Highly recommended.

Investigative reporter Steve Sorensonis stunned to learn his best friend celebrity reporter Zoe Greene is not only in love with a soap opera star; the die hard Manhattanite is moving to San Esteban, Mexico to live with Warren Clark. Steve is upset for two reasons; first he loves Zoe though he has hidden his feelings from her with the façade of friendship and second he knows this town as the place a NYU student had his heart torn from his chest.

Steve decides to go to Mexico to insure Zoe is okay. Meanwhile her romance with Warren collapses as she begins to do what she does best as a reporter, interrogate. The Sangre Para La Vida cult members are interested in Zoe's "blood in exchange for life".

HEARTLESS is a fascinating horror thriller with a unique romantic underpinning. The story line is based on the Sangre Para La Vida cult believing the Fountain of Youth is to suck human blood vampire style with their latest "donor being Zoe. Although the tale at times crosses into the absurd without humor or satire, readers will enjoy this tense thriller for a fun Mexican vacation; that is for readers not tourists.

Harriet Klausner

Thanks to this book, I now know that I too, can live with a stump for a neck, no face, and a bad wig. I have created a support group for people like me, and I have met the stump-necked man of my dreams. You should see him without his clothes on... rawr. THANK YOU ALISON GAYLIN!!!!!!!!!!!

Um, am I the only one who noticed that the cover seems to have a woman with an amputated stump neck with a bad wig plopped on top?
Creep out.