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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I just loved the suspense in this book!! I could not put it down!
This book was only okay. I didn't like many of the characters but I enjoyed the plot and I was rooting for the main character. I feel like there were three different story lines, but the author did a good job of making them tie together.
Another great read from Scottoline. She has a knack for pulling you into the story from the first page. She has you invested in the characters and keeps the story moving with the short chapters. I'm definitely happy I took a chance on this author. I was not familiar with this author, but once I read her book "Look Again", I was hooked. I've now read 4 of her books and have not been disappointed. This book was heart wrenching and emotional. This was just one of those books that you can't stop reading, but then dread when you come to the last page.
I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I think it had too much going on (almost like it was trying too hard). Good idea for a plot but a lot of other stuff added in just complicated it and didn’t add anything.
More 1.5. I don't get how this was written by Lisa Scottoline.
I had to go back and change my rating to 1 star, because this really was not "ok" at all.
I had to go back and change my rating to 1 star, because this really was not "ok" at all.
I started this book with high hopes, as the premise of the story sounded very interesting.
The hook of this story was done early, and now I know why; it needed a reason to make the reader keep reading despite all the terrible plot devices that followed.
Through out the story, the actions of the characters felt forced; it was very evident that their decisions weren't natural reactions to the events that befell them. It seems that character development and the integrity to remain true to a character's personality were forfeit for the purpose of driving the plot forward. And here's why:
**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT**
The hook was quite well done. It was easily the best part of this novel. Having an unknown person walk in and leave Chloe for dead made me want to find out exactly who it could have been.
Then Dr. Mike comes home... and therein starts the string of unrealistic events. The author reveals tidbits of Danielle (Chloe's sister)'s personality. At times she seems controlling (over Emily, Dr. Mike & Chloe's baby daughter) , at others she seems pathetic (when dealing with her own husband, Bob).
A long string of characters are then introduced. They are all one-dimensional characters with no depth. Their only purpose is to drive the plot forward.
Through it all, I kept reading because I wanted to find out what type of person would have left another person dying. The "whodunit" hook kept me going. I ignored the poor plot devices.
Then... you find out. Dr. Mike makes a decision that lands him in the right place at the right time to hear the killer's confession.
While it is conceivable that the killers were these characters, it feels poorly done. The author seems to have run out of steam with the whodunit plot line and simply rushed to the finish. The characters that the negligence & murder were pinned on were simply never developed at all, so it makes it difficult for a reader to understand their purpose. They were just another plot device. Ending the "whodunit" plot on poorly developed characters robs the reader of the satisfaction of concluding the mystery.
Then comes the dénouement... somehow after Dr. Mike solves the murder, every unfortunate circumstance the author piled on him miraculously evaporates. He's not charged for attacking Pat (who is not mentioned at all in this part. His parents are both going to end up in jail and it's as if Pat never existed). His in-laws suddenly feel differently about him (after finding evidence of his addict behaviour) and want to give him his baby back. Stephanie the lawyer somehow became his new romantic interest.... It's as if the author felt bad for forcing readers through the disappointment resolution, so she thought giving us a happy ending would make us feel better. She failed; the unrealistic nature of "and they lived happily ever after" just made a disappointing read even more pathetic.
The ONE thing that kept me reading ended up failing the story. The author has some skill in driving plot. But without believable characters, a structured plot is just a skeleton of a story. There is no flesh, no color, no depth. This book was overall, very disappointing.
The hook of this story was done early, and now I know why; it needed a reason to make the reader keep reading despite all the terrible plot devices that followed.
Through out the story, the actions of the characters felt forced; it was very evident that their decisions weren't natural reactions to the events that befell them. It seems that character development and the integrity to remain true to a character's personality were forfeit for the purpose of driving the plot forward. And here's why:
**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT**
The hook was quite well done. It was easily the best part of this novel. Having an unknown person walk in and leave Chloe for dead made me want to find out exactly who it could have been.
Then Dr. Mike comes home... and therein starts the string of unrealistic events. The author reveals tidbits of Danielle (Chloe's sister)'s personality. At times she seems controlling (over Emily, Dr. Mike & Chloe's baby daughter) , at others she seems pathetic (when dealing with her own husband, Bob).
A long string of characters are then introduced. They are all one-dimensional characters with no depth. Their only purpose is to drive the plot forward.
Through it all, I kept reading because I wanted to find out what type of person would have left another person dying. The "whodunit" hook kept me going. I ignored the poor plot devices.
Then... you find out. Dr. Mike makes a decision that lands him in the right place at the right time to hear the killer's confession.
While it is conceivable that the killers were these characters, it feels poorly done. The author seems to have run out of steam with the whodunit plot line and simply rushed to the finish. The characters that the negligence & murder were pinned on were simply never developed at all, so it makes it difficult for a reader to understand their purpose. They were just another plot device. Ending the "whodunit" plot on poorly developed characters robs the reader of the satisfaction of concluding the mystery.
Then comes the dénouement... somehow after Dr. Mike solves the murder, every unfortunate circumstance the author piled on him miraculously evaporates. He's not charged for attacking Pat (who is not mentioned at all in this part. His parents are both going to end up in jail and it's as if Pat never existed). His in-laws suddenly feel differently about him (after finding evidence of his addict behaviour) and want to give him his baby back. Stephanie the lawyer somehow became his new romantic interest.... It's as if the author felt bad for forcing readers through the disappointment resolution, so she thought giving us a happy ending would make us feel better. She failed; the unrealistic nature of "and they lived happily ever after" just made a disappointing read even more pathetic.
The ONE thing that kept me reading ended up failing the story. The author has some skill in driving plot. But without believable characters, a structured plot is just a skeleton of a story. There is no flesh, no color, no depth. This book was overall, very disappointing.
Not a typical Lisa Scottoline book. The main character in this book was just such a train wreck, it made it really difficult to connect to him. He made the worst decisions at every turn, it made my skin crawl.
Another one of Scottoline’s better books, an honest 3.75 or 4…can’t decide.
Don't Go...alternate title: Don't Read.
The characters are all detestable - even the baby made me angry! This is the last Scottoline book I'll read.
Warning: spoilers in additional comments.
The characters are all detestable - even the baby made me angry! This is the last Scottoline book I'll read.
Warning: spoilers in additional comments.
The book itself was okay. However, his sister in law - Danielle, was probably my least favourite literary character ever. I didn't even realize the amount of hate I could harvest for a character. She completely ruined the book for me - especially since she was in the whole thing. I rolled my eyes whenever she spoke and I would love nothing more than to hit her - hard, in the face, with a crowbar. Oddly enough however, I pictured her looking like Marie from "Breaking Bad" who I loved.