1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cozy or not cozy?, July 29, 2007
This review is from: Little Town Lies (Mass Market Paperback)
Sometimes, a book will fail to grab my attention and have me wondering whether or not it's worth continuing to read it. If I don't like a book, I abandon it and go on to something else. `Little Town Lies' is a book that, on balance, I decided to persevere with. It just about warrants three stars in my opinion, but I did not find it an absorbing or compelling story. However, I did want to find out what how things would end, so I suppose it must have had something going for it.
The story follows social worker, Sally Hopkins. She is at a turning point in her life: about to hit forty and bored with her career and lack of social life in Houston, she decides to return to her hometown of Maryvale in Texas. Her uncle is Maryvale's sheriff and he offers Sally a job. The town is bedevilled with acts of animal mutilation, murder and child abuse and suddenly, Sally is advising the police on the likely profiles of the culprits. Now, this strikes me as a little unbelievable. Admittedly, I'm no expert in social work or police profiling, but is it really likely that someone of Sally's background would be qualified to perform such a job?
It's also difficult to tell what readership this novel is aimed at. It seems to be a straight-ahead thriller one minute before veering off into cozy mystery territory with its romantic angle and relationship issues. Not that I've got anything against cozy mysteries or romances: I read plenty of both types of fiction myself. However, the content of `Little Town Lies' is quite nasty and does not fit into the cozy realm very comfortably.
The novel's author, Anne Strieber, is a fine writer. In my opinion, she could be successful as a thriller writer (with better material), or a cozy mystery writer, but not both in the same book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just awful, February 15, 2006
Superficial, trite and predictable. What about this book isn't preposterous? A social worker somehow morphing into a serial killer profiler? The protagonist's self-pitying attitude coupled with her fantastic leaps of logic? Every thought that springs into Sally's head is taken as fact, with no substantiation, and after a while the improbability of all these "thoughts" just becomes wearying. There is no character development, no insight and scene transitions are handled in a clumsy and confusing way. A BIG disappointment.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sophmore Book......A Success, January 29, 2006
I think her sophmore attempt out was better than her first. Do not get me wrong, her first book was incredible. If any of you know this woman's backstory you would be amazed. She is a strong woman who writes very well. The copy I have is signed and I will be holding on to it because I feel she will only get better! She keeps you on your toes. I was so wrong about the end of this book. I figured it differently. I loved it. Please indulge yourself and buy this book. I truly took every free moment I had to read this book. I received it as a gift and am eagerly awaiting her third book. Just a side note, her husband is Whitley Strieber and he writes many books as well.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
