I have to confess, I wasn’t looking forward to this one and had to force myself to start it. The first half was difficult going and, to be fair, it maI have to confess, I wasn’t looking forward to this one and had to force myself to start it. The first half was difficult going and, to be fair, it may have been my attitude toward the novel rather than the story. But then I got into it and it took less than a day to finish the second half. I enjoyed it, was pleasantly surprised by the serial killer and his back story, as well as the cruelty of his murders. So, for the first half I thought it would be a three star book, at best. The second half went so fast and was so enjoyable, I was thinking that it deserved five stars. To split the difference, I was thinking I was going to rate it four stars. Until I got to the end. I’m truly sorry to say this, but I thought it was predictable and couldn’t bring myself to the four stars I was hoping for. ***SPOILER*** If there is one thing I really hate (most of the time), it’s a happy ending � the way things turned out, this was the only way it could have ended to achieve that happy ending. It makes me wonder if the author intended it that way or if it was done to placate the masses. Not a bad book, but not a good ending either. For entertainment value, I want to rate it better than average. ...more
4.5 STARS Until I discovered Bentley Little, Stephen King used to be my be-all-and-end-all when it came to horror. This guy can write, which is why the4.5 STARS Until I discovered Bentley Little, Stephen King used to be my be-all-and-end-all when it came to horror. This guy can write, which is why the very Stephen King dubbed him ‘The Horror Poet-Laureate�. What I discovered with Little is that he does not hold back. Gone were the days when I thought in terms of ‘limits� to what can happen to the main characters in a story. This is a writer you have to try when you want to push the boundaries of your imagination. Be warned, if you want to have the cockles of your heart warmed, you are heading down the wrong path. ...more
This story was the winner of The Bram Stoker Award. It was well written and enjoyable for the most part, but the ending left me with a feeling o3 STARS
This story was the winner of The Bram Stoker Award. It was well written and enjoyable for the most part, but the ending left me with a feeling of: “And�?� Think I might be a bit harsh because I expected too much. ...more
This was the fourth Tim Dorsey novel I’ve read and the first review I write about him. With the first two books, I had to ask myself if I was4.5 STARS
This was the fourth Tim Dorsey novel I’ve read and the first review I write about him. With the first two books, I had to ask myself if I was resorting back to my juvenile sense of humor. Slapstick comedy is something I’ve outgrown � for the most part � and I couldn’t understand why I was enjoying the books so much and laughing so hard. The third novel was even better than the first two and I had to look deeper to discover why. It all became clear with this fourth one. Tim Dorsey is a damn good writer. His novels feels polished to me, the way everything comes together and makes sense in the end. Serge Storms is an anti-hero, but with such heroic values and convictions, you have to excuse his behavior and root for him. How can anyone write stories with a main character who is insane, with friends who are crooked, drug-addicted misfits, who ignores the law and stays one step ahead because of his unpredictability? Who is intelligent and charming when he needs to be, loyal yet viciously psychopathic? Well, in my opinion, nobody but Dorsey can. He writes like no other author I’ve read, with the ability to keep you entertained and laughing from page one. It will not fall into everybody’s taste, that much is clear, but I’m a fan and will recommend it to anyone with a good sense of humor. On average, I haven’t read anything from him that deserves less than four stars. ...more
I actually liked this book, but I have to explain. Found it at a sale, bought it and then I read some of the reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, which were no4 STARS
I actually liked this book, but I have to explain. Found it at a sale, bought it and then I read some of the reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, which were not very favorable. So, I shelfed the book for a few months. But, being too cheap to pay for something without even trying it, I started reading it with the expectation of dumping it after a hundred pages or so. The important thing here was that I didn’t read the blurb again. It was a good story and I enjoyed it. I have absolutely no problem with the supernatural element of the story and, in my opinion, the writer explained it well enough to let everything make sense, ESPECIALLY how the main characters connected. The criticism I have, like other reviewers before me, is that the blurb was misleading. And, maybe the book was a little longer than it could have been, but I wouldn’t say that I was ever bored by the story. Overall, I will NOT recommend it to readers who: - Likes to skim chapters â€� the storyline is too intricate and you will miss something important. - Wants a light read â€� it will need your full attention if you don’t want to get lost in it.
There are two issues I want to raise: One � Dear Mr. Ransom, I don’t know if you write your own blurbs or not, but most people hate to be tricked, especially when they have to pay for something and get something else in return. Your writing is strong enough to avoid such cheap trickery.
Two â€� Dear Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ reviewer, Reviews are based on opinions, and everybody has a right to have their own. However, when you don’t finish a book, how can you rate it? For example, if you take a car for a test drive, and as soon as you leave the lot, you turn to the salesman and say: “What? This car doesn’t have power-steering?â€� So you stop the car, get out and tell the world what a shit car it isâ€� How can you rate an entire car by one feature? If this doesn’t sound like a pretentious asshole to you, then your opinion is not worthy of other people’s time. By all means, if you don’t want to finish a book, write a review and tell people why you didn’t like it, but don’t fuck up the author’s rating if you didn’t, at least, finish the product you are supposed to score.
What a pleasant discovery Peter Swanson turned out to be! The Kind Worth Killing has a cover that does nothing for me (and that’s where my crit5 STARS
What a pleasant discovery Peter Swanson turned out to be! The Kind Worth Killing has a cover that does nothing for me (and that’s where my criticism ends), but some of the reviews were good enough to make me take a chance. There are a few things Swanson does brilliantly. He keeps it short and sweet, giving just enough information to develop the characters without boring you, and it makes the story move along at a fast pace. He doesn’t drag out any death scenes and he never over-describes them to try and create tension, which means the power of his story does not depend on any blood or gore. Make no mistake, he does build tension throughout, but he does it so subtly � and brilliantly � that you find yourself caring what happens to Lily toward the end of the book. The best two things about this novel is the twists. About halfway through the story you will get a one that will be like a cold slap in the face on a winter morning, which is something that always impresses me. And the second � and my personal favorite thing � is the ending! I will not spoil it by giving anything away, but it was the best possible way this story could have ended.
I am not a fan of comparing popular books with each other, because a good story has to be unique in its own way, but I will go on the record to say that this book was much closer to Gone Girl than The Girl On The Train could ever hope to be, and a much better investment. ...more
For a debut novel, this was impressive. Peter Swanson can write. He doesn’t need hugely descriptive paragraphs to paint you a picture, yet he sa4 STARS
For a debut novel, this was impressive. Peter Swanson can write. He doesn’t need hugely descriptive paragraphs to paint you a picture, yet he says enough to show you what he needs you to see. Nor does he need many words, because he’s discovered the secret to “less is more�. It shows a maturity in his talent and enough of a belief in the power of the story to stick to what works. And, I have to add, I usually hate happy endings, so it’s quite refreshing to see an open-ended story that works as well as this one. I don’t think there will be a follow-up, but that’s fine, because some stories just works this way. ...more
Oh boy, this is a tough one. Disappointment! I do not blame Paula Hawkins for this, in the end I think she just wrote a story which may have bee2 STARS
Oh boy, this is a tough one. Disappointment! I do not blame Paula Hawkins for this, in the end I think she just wrote a story which may have been fairly good if you knew nothing about it. However, I do blame the publishers for comparing it to Gone Girl. I could find absolutely NOTHING in this book that made these stories worth mentioning in the same breath. If it was a ploy to sell more books � and, yes, it seems to have worked � I feel sorry for the author who wants to make a career out of writing when many people will remember this disappointment. I mean it from the bottom of my heart, for the sake of a fellow author who may have been screwed, that I am completely wrong about this and that she has a successful writing career. For that reason I will give her two stars for this book. ...more
4 STARS I had to give myself a couple of days after finishing the books before I wrote this review. This is the second book I’ve read of this author. If4 STARS I had to give myself a couple of days after finishing the books before I wrote this review. This is the second book I’ve read of this author. If I had to give him a rating for the story alone, it would be a solid 5 stars. He’s inventive with his murders, his writing is comfortable to read in the sense that he doesn’t use big or foreign words, which makes it easy and enjoyable, and he manages to hide his killer until late in the book. More than that, I think he’s a damn good writer. However…and this is the part I feel very conflicted about, because I don’t know if it’s only a personal preference thing or if others have the same criticism. After all, he is a best-selling author! In most cases, short chapters usually mean a faster read. Many would agree that James Patterson is the absolute master of the short chapter, ending each one well enough to want to make you read just one more. Carter, on the other hand, overdoes it, in my opinion. I’ll have to explain this using television as an example. Nearly everybody knows about the moment they call “the pregnant pause�. It’s that moment when somebody is about to say or do something that will have a huge effect on the story, so they fade out and give you an ad break. Now, imagine a conversation between two actors on a show you are watching, which lasts about five minutes. Will two ad breaks in that five minutes frustrate you? And that is the point I’m trying to make. Carter does not need to chop up a single conversation � let’s say 6 pages � into three chapters. It messes with the flow of the story and starts to feel like an obstacle course you have to go through to get to the point. In this sense, I think it achieves exactly the opposite of what it’s supposed to: it makes it feel longer than it is. Having said that, I’m still a fan of Chris Carter. His stories are twisted and I can’t fault him on them. ...more
It’s usually such a bore when writers gives you stories with a clear message on any given issue, and for the most part I try to avoid them. Bu4.5 STARS
It’s usually such a bore when writers gives you stories with a clear message on any given issue, and for the most part I try to avoid them. But, Carl Hiaasen is a great writer with a sharp wit. He obviously loves Florida and hate what it has become � I’ve read enough of his work to feel comfortable with that statement � but his stories are entertaining enough to enjoy whether you care about it or not. In some ways he is like a history professor who has a solid philosophy about the dangers of the modern society, but the way he tells the stories keeps you interested and laughing until the end. I enjoyed this novel especially and the only thing that keeps me from giving it five stars is the fact that it could have been a little shorter. ...more
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