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on January 1, 2017
Regardless of what other reviewers have said about the writing style being in the 3rd person, past tense, or 1st person, present tense, or 5th person future tense and last person, days of future past, I didn't find this book to be difficult to read at all. It flowed smoothly and I finished in about 3 hours tops. And that would be my main objection. The book had a lot going on, and many loose ends that were not attended to. In fact that is my main complaint about most of my kindle books. I would much rather sit down with a 900 page Stephen King or John Irving novel that has the whole complete story in one book instead of these many mini books.
This book left a lot of unanswered questions.
For one, the book is called a Harper and Lane novel. Well, the Harper part was obvious since the main character is Jane Harper, but who is Lane?
Then after this book, there is a prequel short story about Jane and Stu's budding romance. A little late for that, it should have just been the beginning of this book.
And what happens to all the mucky mucks that kept the serial murders in Hope Creek a secret. I guess all of that will be in the as yet written book two. Maybe that is when Lane shows up too.
As for the graphicness of the murders that some found so objectionable, I didn't. The author didn't go overboard at all. He kept it short and to the point but with enough detail to illustrate just how creepy the guy looked and how heinous the crimes were. Some said it should be left up to the readers imagination, but I don't have an imagination like that. I depend on the author to tell me and he did just that.
On the other hand it was interesting that when it came to the two detectives there were NO details at all. It barely registered that the two were romantically involved, let alone the fact they had a sexual relationship. In fact through most of the book they seemed like animated cardboard cutouts with the features left blank. There were little emotions, no sparks, no electricity or sexual tension, or even sadness and grief. Just seemed strange since the relationship was a large part of the story line. I didn't connect with them at all. I couldn't even conjure up a mental image of what they might have looked like, unlike other characters in the book.
The storyline was pretty interesting and it could have been really good if it had more meat to it. Maybe another 300 pages to expand on everything that was left out. Or maybe it started out that way, but got edited out. That's what it seemed like. A Readers Digest version. But it will keep your interest on a snowy afternoon.
This book left a lot of unanswered questions.
For one, the book is called a Harper and Lane novel. Well, the Harper part was obvious since the main character is Jane Harper, but who is Lane?
Then after this book, there is a prequel short story about Jane and Stu's budding romance. A little late for that, it should have just been the beginning of this book.
And what happens to all the mucky mucks that kept the serial murders in Hope Creek a secret. I guess all of that will be in the as yet written book two. Maybe that is when Lane shows up too.
As for the graphicness of the murders that some found so objectionable, I didn't. The author didn't go overboard at all. He kept it short and to the point but with enough detail to illustrate just how creepy the guy looked and how heinous the crimes were. Some said it should be left up to the readers imagination, but I don't have an imagination like that. I depend on the author to tell me and he did just that.
On the other hand it was interesting that when it came to the two detectives there were NO details at all. It barely registered that the two were romantically involved, let alone the fact they had a sexual relationship. In fact through most of the book they seemed like animated cardboard cutouts with the features left blank. There were little emotions, no sparks, no electricity or sexual tension, or even sadness and grief. Just seemed strange since the relationship was a large part of the story line. I didn't connect with them at all. I couldn't even conjure up a mental image of what they might have looked like, unlike other characters in the book.
The storyline was pretty interesting and it could have been really good if it had more meat to it. Maybe another 300 pages to expand on everything that was left out. Or maybe it started out that way, but got edited out. That's what it seemed like. A Readers Digest version. But it will keep your interest on a snowy afternoon.
on December 25, 2016
Masochistic sex, violence, and filthy language are the reasons for the rating. The writing style reminded me of the old show "Dragnet": terse and obvious. Ida was the redeeming character, though her "gift" was a bit of a stretch. What the author did well was show just how sick serial killers are.
on January 12, 2017
This book surprised me! I picked this as my December Kindle First book, but after reading some of the reviews, was a little weary of whether this would be a waste of time or not. After letting it sit around in my Kindle for a month, I finally decided to read it, and was not disappointed. Good story (if a little short, but I already knew that when I picked it up), definitely had its moments of suspense, and I ended up liking most of the characters by the end. However, I read this as more of a thriller than a mystery, as the perpetrator is revealed quite early in the book and several scenes were written from his POV. I liked the characters we were supposed to like, and the antagonist was written in a way that made him very unlikeable (although his motives are also explained at the end).
I don't know much of the details regarding police work and what goes on behind the scenes, so I can't speak to the accuracy of what was depicted in this book.
The ending was bittersweet, but satisfying. I always like a HEA ending, but only when it fits with the rest of the story.
I did have a couple little qualms with the book, though. The writing style was easy to read, and most of the scenes were very short. Author also wrote with a lot of short sentences, and at several points in the story, I did find them to be jarring. Scene changes were very sudden, and without much of a smooth transition. And although I never had trouble telling who was who in any given scene, I wasn't sure whose POV the scene was told in.
I also felt like you never get to know the characters very much, but then again, that's hard to accomplish in a book that's of this length. I never really got a clear picture of any of our protagonists. Also thought the psychic's abilities were just a little too convenient.
All in all, I enjoyed this and would pick up book #2 in this series.
I don't know much of the details regarding police work and what goes on behind the scenes, so I can't speak to the accuracy of what was depicted in this book.
The ending was bittersweet, but satisfying. I always like a HEA ending, but only when it fits with the rest of the story.
I did have a couple little qualms with the book, though. The writing style was easy to read, and most of the scenes were very short. Author also wrote with a lot of short sentences, and at several points in the story, I did find them to be jarring. Scene changes were very sudden, and without much of a smooth transition. And although I never had trouble telling who was who in any given scene, I wasn't sure whose POV the scene was told in.
I also felt like you never get to know the characters very much, but then again, that's hard to accomplish in a book that's of this length. I never really got a clear picture of any of our protagonists. Also thought the psychic's abilities were just a little too convenient.
All in all, I enjoyed this and would pick up book #2 in this series.
on January 5, 2017
(Some spoilers)
This book took me a little while to get into.
Healey creates some decent suspense by keeping the killer's identity hidden for about half the book.
What I liked:
The dialogue is rather realistic, which kept me reading despite the book's strange, halfhearted twist into the supernatural.
What I didn't like:
The strange, halfhearted twist into the supernatural. I'm not opposed to the devices of supernatural abilities, but it wasn't congruent with the characters.
The timeline is hard to follow (and harder to believe once I re-read some pages to piece it together)
The lack of consequences for the characters' actions (other than 1 very heavy dose of karma at the end).
(SPOILER HERE)
This book isn't quite sure what it is - the setting, the back stories, the development of the plot, the characters' detective work all fall into a realistic story. The story turns to the use of telepathy to eventually solve the case, which just kind of felt like Healey wasn't sure where to drop in foreshadowed clues that eventually built up to a solvable case in the end.
The racial undertone wasn't developed well and it felt like the topic of race was only used as a buzz topic in order to gain some traction as a more relevant story for the current social climate (i.e. to make the bad guy a REALLY bad guy).
Overall:
The story is really not too bad. The characters are revealed somewhat slowly, but steadily. Different characteristics are exposed and the characters are likable for the most part.
Once the final act begins to play out, I certainly felt more interested, though I didn't give up on the book at any point (like I have with some of the monthly Prime books).
For free it was worth reading and I think it was the best choice of the selections offered for that month.
This book took me a little while to get into.
Healey creates some decent suspense by keeping the killer's identity hidden for about half the book.
What I liked:
The dialogue is rather realistic, which kept me reading despite the book's strange, halfhearted twist into the supernatural.
What I didn't like:
The strange, halfhearted twist into the supernatural. I'm not opposed to the devices of supernatural abilities, but it wasn't congruent with the characters.
The timeline is hard to follow (and harder to believe once I re-read some pages to piece it together)
The lack of consequences for the characters' actions (other than 1 very heavy dose of karma at the end).
(SPOILER HERE)
This book isn't quite sure what it is - the setting, the back stories, the development of the plot, the characters' detective work all fall into a realistic story. The story turns to the use of telepathy to eventually solve the case, which just kind of felt like Healey wasn't sure where to drop in foreshadowed clues that eventually built up to a solvable case in the end.
The racial undertone wasn't developed well and it felt like the topic of race was only used as a buzz topic in order to gain some traction as a more relevant story for the current social climate (i.e. to make the bad guy a REALLY bad guy).
Overall:
The story is really not too bad. The characters are revealed somewhat slowly, but steadily. Different characteristics are exposed and the characters are likable for the most part.
Once the final act begins to play out, I certainly felt more interested, though I didn't give up on the book at any point (like I have with some of the monthly Prime books).
For free it was worth reading and I think it was the best choice of the selections offered for that month.
on January 30, 2017
I have not read any other books by this author but was looking for something with action, crime, suspense and new. In those aspects, I got everything I was searching for so the rating based on that should be hire. However, I did not find myself captivated by the book nor waiting to pick it up again as I normally do with most novels. This was my go to sleep book. It was difficult to get into, hard to follow what characters were speaking at certain times throughout the book, and at certain areas I couldn't wade through the Monotony of the repetition any longer and speed read through portions just to skip over the area to reach the next part . (Also, I understand this is an adult book but as adults we can understand what has taken place to a child in a situation without the graphic detail. I know I am voicing my own opinion here but implanting images like that can't be erased and they haunt me. There are too many victims and loved ones of victims that don't care to relive this.)
On the positive side, it flowed easily, the characters were all distinctly different and developed, and once the book finally got moving it had a good pacing and built to a good climatic ending. It had a bit of everything in it from romance, to domestic violence, prejudice, child abuse, murder, corruption, and even the supernatural!
Lastly, there is one area that was totally neglected at the ending and never answered. It simply was deleted or dropped. It had been built upon the last third of the book and hidden under literal lock and key and once solved it never mentioned anything more about the matter. It's as if the author didn't know how to work it back into the story line.
For all the above reasons is why I gave it only a 3 star rating. If bored, it works as a book to read until you find something else.
On the positive side, it flowed easily, the characters were all distinctly different and developed, and once the book finally got moving it had a good pacing and built to a good climatic ending. It had a bit of everything in it from romance, to domestic violence, prejudice, child abuse, murder, corruption, and even the supernatural!
Lastly, there is one area that was totally neglected at the ending and never answered. It simply was deleted or dropped. It had been built upon the last third of the book and hidden under literal lock and key and once solved it never mentioned anything more about the matter. It's as if the author didn't know how to work it back into the story line.
For all the above reasons is why I gave it only a 3 star rating. If bored, it works as a book to read until you find something else.
on March 4, 2017
Terrible writing, and dialogue that constantly rang false. How does someone call his lover, "Kiddo?" I ended up quitting the book about 25% through - yes, it was that bad. Oh and boring. I may have plodded on with all of the aforementioned lousy qualities, but boring will halt me every time.
on January 9, 2017
Hope's peak entertains but rarely rises higher than a molehill. With a slow start, the reader is introduced to big city transplant Jane Harper. A new cop in the drowsy southern village of Hope's Peak. She's hot on the trail of a monstrous killer but will thriller buff's want to follow? That question certainly lingers for much of the novel. Cliches abound with pervasive vanilla dialog. The characters are likeble enough just not memorable (with the exception of the villain). In addition, the story is hampered by untimely plot reveals, a shallowness that cuts through every page and revelations that dead end faster than a murder case with no suspects. Pretty bad so far, right? So why go on? Well despite the overall cheap feel of the book, entertainment can be found for the patient reader. You'll discover yourself sucked in midway through novel as events pick up to a hightened frenzy. It's a b-grade production but the wretched killer at the heart of the book will draw you on. The saving grace of this novel is it's hand (however slimy) never losing grip of the readers. In short if you're a fan of the TV show "True Detective" and now have an insatiable appetite for anything remotely like that groundbreaking first season or simply have a hankering for dollar store checkout southern gothic- you'll find something to appreciate. Just be sure to have plenty of red wine on hand, an open mind, a dark night and a strong stomach.
on February 9, 2017
The story line was ok. Nothing new or even terribly suspenseful. You never really find out the details of a character's motivations, so it was hard to care about what they were doing. The prose is clunky. I had a hard time getting through some of the dialogue, because it's pretty far removed from how people actually talk. It also drove me nuts that Stu calls Harper "kiddo" all the time. Just a pet peeve, but he's her lover, not her father. For being a detective novel, the police procedure seemed thin and terribly far-fetched at times. I finished the book, but would not pick up anything else from this author.
on January 2, 2017
This was one of the worst books I have ever read. The writing is poor; the author does not develop his main characters well at all. The sexual content and violence are salacious and gratuitous. And the characterization - the stereotyping - of the citizens of North Carolina is absolutely atrocious. Apparently we are all a bunch of ignorant, racist, sick yup-yup-yo's who have yet to climb out of the Dark Ages. I was insulted and offended at this author's very lame attempt at literature, not to mentioned sickened by the dark depths of his imagination. I would not recommend this book to anyone, nor would I recommend further attempts on his part at writing. Anything.
