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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping and surprising with only a few loose ends...,
By
This review is from: On, Off: A Novel (Hardcover)
As a fan of McCullough's _Tim_ (one of my all-time favorite books), and also of _The Thorn Birds_ and _The Ladies of Missalonghi_, I was incredibly surprised to spot this book at the bookstore. That didn't stop me, of course, from buying it immediately.
Briefly, the book takes place in 1965 in Connecticut and follows a detective, Carmine, as he attempts to solve a "multiple murder" case that is closely tied to the heavily endowed neurological research center, the "Hug," in the earliest days of forensic science and criminal profiling. This is a difficult case with many details and characters, and the climax and resolution, along with a surprise twist, occur in the last few pages. McCullough is expertly detailed and accurate (from what I could tell), from the intricacies of neurological research to the 1960s setting and chronology. She is an excellent writer, but I agree with another review that pointed out that the first part of the book was overwritten - I was surprised to find quite so many details about a woman's outfit coming from a male detective, even if it was explained by one sentence, that a detective had to be observant of everything. Also, in the beginning, some descriptions are overdone. McCullough does fall into stride, however, and the writing isn't an issue within a few chapters. Like other reviewers, I found this book to be impossible to put down - I read it in a little more than a day, even with working full-time. The story never stumbles or bores, and the characters, even though there are a lot of them, are easy to know and keep track of. My biggest criticism of the book is the same as that of other reviewers, that there are a few red herrings and details that are not explained or tied up by the end of the story. Although I understood the overall outcome and general motive by the end of the book, I was left with many unanswered questions, such as the Hug's specific involvement and why the crimes were committed in the exact way that they were. Other than the niggling of those questions, I really enjoyed the thrill of this book, and am wondering if there will be a sequel.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting change of genre for Ms McCullough,
By
This review is from: On, Off: A Novel (Hardcover)
Before Collen McCullough became Australia's most famous novellist, she was a neuroscientist who worked in many areas, including teaching at Yale before the release of her first novel "Tim" (which is just beautiful). From there she went on to many great books, and this her latest, is quite a departure from the norm. It concerns a serial killer in the 1960s who leads the local police a merry chase, leaving apparently no clues, and yet who appears to be associated with a neurological research centre named colloquially "the Hug". It is this latter connection that gives Ms McCullough the opportunity to revisit her past.
It is an easy read, and the characters are all well defined and quite interesting in themselves. However, there is a little something missing which is hard to define. For one thing, apart from a small twist which I must confess that I didn't see coming, I had figured out "who done it" about half way through, which can be frustrating as you are then waiting for the police to come to the same conclusions as you. And there are some small red herrings that are never quite resolved to my satisfaction, and an odd sub-plot relating to African Amercian rights which is a little distracting and strangely unsatisfying. But again, readers of murder mystery do like to try and figure out who the killer is - its just that I am rarely succesful in this area - usually figuring it out as the police do. All in all it is an interesting read, but if you want something truly wonderful by Ms McCullough, go for her first and best "Tim" - you won't regret it.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
extremely well written, but lost momentum,
By PJ (Central PA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: On, Off: A Novel (Hardcover)
As I was reading this book I was planning to rate it with 5 stars, describe it as one of the best ever, and check the library for her other books. Her writing talent is marvelous - there were many sentences and short passages that I re-read just to savor the language. McCullough's serial killer suspects, primarily the scientists and other staff at a research facility, all have their little secrets, hideaways, peculiarities, history, making this a book with quite a few "bad guy" possibilities. The problem for me came around the last 1/3 of the book. The killer(s) changed methods, which was never explained by McCullough. S/he/they started leaving the corpses around other suspects' property, which she never developed. The police zeroed in on the probable killer(s) too soon to maintain the suspense. The cover blurb, promised a "terrifying and unexpected twist" on the last page; the twist was neither terrifying nor particularly unexpected. However, I must admit given the knowledge that there would be a final twist I spent much of the book trying to predict it and came up with quite a few possibilities.
Nonetheless, this is a beautifully written book, and I look forward to more McCullough mysteries.
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