Customer Reviews

Taking Lives

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Taking Lives is the first Michael Pye book I've read. Based on an unusual, but plausible premise, it is an engrossing read. Pye writes very well and does a great job of putting you in the scene. The story starts off and finishes off well, but sags a bit in the middle. Despite this, Taking Lives is worth reading if you like this genre.

The type of book any avid reader can easily delve into, and stay hooked. The writing technique was sophisticated and superb, brought the story to life.

After the plot thickened, I was able to piece together what would happen, but I finished, and was glad I did! Mind blowing conclusion... would recommend to any body.

I wasn't a fan of John Costa's character.. not sure if that's just me? But I liked the writing techniques, that displayed the personalities of Martin. So many people can be related to him, and it helped bring him to life. Very haunting, but very reverent.

Based on the merit, this book has received in reviews, I'm shocked to find so many disapproved of it. This story captures every aspect of any other suspense thriller. This book held everything for me.. drama, suspense, crime.. you name it.. This book deserves better credit! A+

The premise of this book, about a serial killer who assumes the identities of his victims, hooked me from the get-go. That, plus the interesting title that sums up the plotline, made me think that here was a witty writer who had gone beyond the usual cliched serial killer premise. For about 50 pages, I thought I was right. I was even with the author when the museum curator begins to track down the killer who had assumed the wrong identity, that of a professor who had taken valuable pictures from a library. Still, so far, so good. But the whole time there was something bothering me; the unbelievably affected writing style of this author. It's one thing to move beyond commercial fiction; it's another to devolve into a style that captures your imagination and no one else's. As the plot began to spin out of control and became less and less believable, the affected writing had me grinding my teeth more and more. Finally, I could take no more and barely got through with the book. Ultimately, the author tossed credibility out the window and fell in love the bizarre voice of his narrator. Ugh! A promising premise down the drain. Don't bother.

Beautifully written, elegantly plotted, marvelously conceived,diabolical . . . and what style!

It can't possibly be a compliment to the writer who no doubt spent years crafting such a fine novel, but truth be told, I consumed it in an afternoon. Not that it's a "light read" -oh no. It's intense, surprising, shocking...and the only cliché about it is that it's impossible to put down. The author has taken the concept of "literary thriller" and dusted it off, made it new and exciting again. Completely original, and very cinematic, Taking Lives is a BUY IT NOW book.

Ahh, yes, the inevitable bad reviews. Not surprising, really. I'm sure people have been picking this book up expecting your typical John Sandford or John Patterson hack and slash faire. People, it's a LITERARY THRILLER, and an exquisitely written one at that. The characters were well drawn, the descriptive narrative breathtaking. Anyone who's looking for something completely different to read this summer - here's your book. As for the rest, please, go back to your simplified Balducci and Grisham novels

Michael Pye has written an interesting novel giving the reader the opportunity to live inside the killer's mind. Enticing and a good read, I found it difficult to follow at times mostly due to the flow of words and the way sentences fell apart. However, the story does have actual frightening truth to it's essence. Sociopaths do exist and this leaves one to wonder if your best friend might not be such.

The movie had bits and pieces of the book in it. Someone read this book and thought it would make a good movie but needed to add other characters to make it more sexy to sell to audiences. IF YOU GO TO THIS MOVIE EXPECTING THE BOOK YOU WILL BE ANGRY BECAUSE IT IS NOT TRUE TO THE BOOK AT ALL. It was a good movie, nice twist ending but shares very little with the book. BE WARNED! :)

Just a note to echo the other negative reviews found here: If similes like, "I was baffled like a grandchild out visting whose grandparents go on playing cards" are your idea of good "literary" writing than maybe you will pat yourself on the back if you manage to slog through this great clod of rubbish. The rest of us will just lament our squandered time.

I read this book before the movie came out, and it's a dark but beautiful story of a murderer who makes his way across the world, finally settling in Portugal. It was a wonderful picture of life in a tiny mountain town; the simplicity, the isolation, the scenery, the people...
and as soon as I saw the first preview for the movie, I knew it was a total departure. I went to see it, and I was right.
If you like edge-of-your-seat suspense, gunplay, car chases, etc, you'll be disappointed with this book. But if you want a clever read, you'll be satisfied. It's slow, but that's kind of the point, and the story is excellent.
The movie was good in its own right, but it had absolutely NOTHING to do with the book. (Except for the first name "Martin", and a passing mention of "Chris Hart".) I recommend reading the book first, and then you'll be happy with both experiences. Reading the book will reveal nothing of the plot of the movie, so you'll still be surprised up to and including the last scene.
By the way - if you're afraid of making a $30.00 investment, you can buy this book CHEAP at www.edwardrhamilton.com. It's certainly worth what you'll pay for it there.