I cannot believe how quickly I read this book! I was literally hooked throughout the entire story - just couldn't put it down at all. And when I pickeI cannot believe how quickly I read this book! I was literally hooked throughout the entire story - just couldn't put it down at all. And when I picked this up it was already kind of late so I certainly never expected to finish this book the same day I had started it. Yet I did! The pages kept flying by.
And the amazing twist in here!! Wow! It totally caught me off guard! Like how was that possible?? The one thing I did know and I had guessed from the very beginning - someone is watching Faith and stalking her - the identity of that person was very easy to guess. But that other twist?? Never would have even dreamed of that at all!!
So I never dreamed this book would be so powerful or so very captivating. And its kind of weird that it was so captivating because a lot of it is kind of sad and gloomy? Its about how Faith is treated horrid by others but also by her own family. Yet somehow it is written in such a way that the story is just so gripping! I am unsure how the author did that. But she did.
But a lot of this book is about superstition and how people can fear things. You know witches and soothsayers and oracles. And death. People rather not know when death is coming. But what if you just saw it and you had no control over seeing it? An unwanted gift? And then others fear you and treat you horrid all because of this unique curse / talent you have? Well that is the problem that poor Faith has.
And can I add that her family is like awful? These characters are all so well written but many of them, well, you want to hate them.. They are so cruel. Their brains are ruled by stories of witches and curses.
Parts of the book flutter between the past when Faith was 10 years old and the present day.
What a book! The ending ended up being vastly different than what I was expecting and it certainly has left me a tad surprised? Its like one of those What a book! The ending ended up being vastly different than what I was expecting and it certainly has left me a tad surprised? Its like one of those movies with a big twist on the end! And then I am sitting here wondering what I just read. But this sure was a page turner all right. Tons of action, dangerous scenes, fights and of course lots of tricky puzzles! The book also deals a lot with history too which is a nice touch. The puzzles themselves were a bit way beyond me but that is OK - they are explained on the pages as you read.. Some of it was actually very fascinating!
So this is the story of a man whose life suddenly changes after he has an accident. He becomes this rare type of genius where he can instantly see patterns. And he uses this skill to become a master puzzle maker. Along the way he gets involved with this woman who is locked up in a prison and she has actually created a puzzle he cannot solve. But he is determined to help her and to solve the unique circular puzzle.
So this story ended up being much better than I had thought. It had way more action and dangerous scenes. Plus there is definitely some creepy stuff in here! Parts of the plot slide into the horror category. In fact it certainly brought a very popular horror movie series to mind (but if I tell you which it will give a lot of it away). Most of the horror stuff happens off scene but it sure is there as if the aftermath.
This is a very complex story. Its well planned and thought out. Nothing simple here at all.. Its definitely worth a read. Plus parts of the plot reach back into history and even theology (I believe that is the word) so expect some big thoughts & ideas in here.
There are some nasty very powerful bad guys in here and practically throughout the whole story they are chasing after the main character, Mike Brink. And while Mike is a genius at puzzles, these bad guys seem to hold all the power and weapons. I just didn't see how he could win at all. And I think that is sort of rare in a book. Most of the times you just know that the hero will win. But in here its very uncertain. In fact even as I was getting super close to the end I had no idea how this would end at all...!
To be honest I am unsure how I feel about the end. I am definitely surprised. Not by the scene on the very end but what had happened before that. There is just this one big monumental scene that seemed to come out of nowhere and it was shocking!
But if you want a unique page turner than maybe try this one. It has some mind altering themes in here and the history stuff was fun. ...more
So I never read a book like this before, where the main character actually has a bunch of different people (ages, sex, personality) living inside her So I never read a book like this before, where the main character actually has a bunch of different people (ages, sex, personality) living inside her head. At first I found this kind of distracting as it was so new to me. I have heard of "multiple personality disorder" before and I am unsure if that is the same thing as the Dissociative identity disorder that the main character (Ken) has? I would think they are very similar if not the same thing? Anyway Ken has all of these people living in hers head and they can talk to each other and take turns controlling the one body they share.
Now this disorder definitely creates many unusual plot problems. You have one of the personalities doing something that the others may know nothing about. Imagine waking up in a strange place and you have no idea how you got there. Or why. That is what poor Ken faces often in here. That is how she found herself having this new job as a caretaker of this castle on an isolated island as one of the other ones had applied without her knowledge. Its a very difficult way to live.
So the first half of the book was pretty much me getting used to the unique situation and with Ken going to the island, trying to decide what to do. And poor Ken definitely has fears and anxiety too.. There were hints of creepy stuff to come.
The story really took off a tad later. And i just knew bad stuff was going to happen. Once a certain term was used, I just knew exactly what it was going to be too. And I was correct! It actually reminds me of a old short story that I read in the high school literature book... A very popular creepy, dark story. I certainly have never forgotten that story and this is a new twist on that old tale.
Then there is lots of action and scary stuff going on. It's definitely a well written story...
Like I said it was easy to guess but then maybe if you never read that old story you may not be able to guess it??? I did enjoy it. ...more
So this may sound a bit weird but parts of this book made me laugh! And I mean really laugh out loud. I know this is a murBetter Than the First Book!!
So this may sound a bit weird but parts of this book made me laugh! And I mean really laugh out loud. I know this is a murder mystery and a very serious story about a serial killer but there were some crazy characters in here and they just do the most outrageous things. And I found that so funny!! And yes I absolutely loved that too. The humor made the tale more entertaining and fun. Plus it added something new, A type of twist. It was also the last thing I was expecting too.
So Rachel Blackwood and her partner Ethan Morgan are back on another case. This time a dead woman was found on the huge ranch that belongs to the Clarks. And the Clarks are mighty strange people all right. They seem to carry guns everywhere and they certainly don't like the law. It's not exactly clear to me why they don't like the law but they get very argumentative and like to do their own thing. Unfortunately for them there is a dead woman on their land so the Texas rangers get sent in.
Poor Rachel has to deal with their bad behavior. That alone is very entertaining.
Things heat up a bit in here between Rachel and Ethan. I am unsure how I feel about that.
I feel that I am getting to know the characters better now. They are certainly more fleshed out, especially Ethan. His personality is starting to show.
So the story has lots of action and danger. There are also scenes from the killer's perspective even if we are clueless as to who it is. But this is a very decent murder mystery. And I liked this one better than the first one. Mainly because it made me laugh. I was actually laughing at it last night in bed - that one particular scene was so out there it was hysterical!! I don't know how anyone can even think of doing such a stupid thing - but it involves plumbing. I was supposed to be sleeping but I was laughing instead.
The book is not really set up so you can guess who the killer is.
So I read this whole book in one sitting. It definitely was a fast read and it kept me turning the pages. This is also my fA Fast Read with Car Chases
So I read this whole book in one sitting. It definitely was a fast read and it kept me turning the pages. This is also my first book from this author but I will definitely read more.
The main character in here is part native American and she is also a Texas ranger. I admit I had to go look up what a Texas ranger was. Before I had looked it up I was confused why she was doing the job of the police. The only kind of ranger I had heard of before was a park ranger.. But Rachel Blackwood is chasing after a serial killer, one who is dumping dead girls in oil fields. So this is basically a procedure type story where she tries to follow the clues to hopefully find the killer.
Her partner is Ethan Morgan and he is a new to her. I felt I really didn't get to know him very well at all. He seems to be almost a side character. He doesn't say much or do too much either. Which I guess is kind of weird?
I must say that Rachel has a strong drive to get the killer. She doesn't give up and she is willing to take some extreme risks. She is good at tracking and she has family issues. I am unsure about how strong her native American vibe is. She mainly seems to be a very driven officer and that certainly seems to come before any native beliefs or habits.
The plot was very decent but I would not call it a thriller. Its not really thrilling. It's a police procedure story even though she is a ranger.
Rating it 4 stars because the plot is decent and tricky. Plus I was never bored with this one. It certainly is entertaining. ...more
So I had started this one with high hopes, basically I was expecting another 5 star read starring Theo Cray. But instead ofDifferent and Disappointing
So I had started this one with high hopes, basically I was expecting another 5 star read starring Theo Cray. But instead of the excitement I had come to expect from him this story was very different. It's very tone was different too, so much in fact I had noticed it when only about one-fourth of the way through the book. Where was the devious serial killer he was to hunt? Where was his crazy schemes? If you read any of the previous books then you know that Theo is known for doing wild crazy things that are often illegal - but he does it to catch the killer. And I had loved the hunt Theo does. The gathering of information, the asking questions, the thrills of it. And while a little of that was in here somehow it all just seemed off...muted...dull. I was actually losing interest! And I basically had to truly force myself to finish this one so I wouldn't fall asleep! What horror!!
And the end... What to say??! I have absolutely no idea. It must be the most bizarre end of a book ever. I didn't like it... It was too... Weird? I just am without words. I expect the book to end like the others had ended. Maybe I expect that because I have autism. We do like routine. And that ending is the opposite... It's gloomy. I just don't like it and it made me think "what am I reading?"
That is not a good feeling.
I like Dr Theo Cray. But I feel this book has gotten off track. Perhaps it was the hospital setting? I don't know. But the story wasn't exciting or thrilling or any of those things that had made books 2 and 3 so very good. I wanted to see Theo use his brilliance to outsmart the killer, to come up with clever ideas and to take big risks. And somehow that didn't happen. Instead I often felt that I was reading a drama. The story seemed to crawl along slowly, bogged down by other things. Like court dates. And even that seemed to fizzle out.
Unsure how this had happened. But it's very disappointing. ...more
Surprisingly Interesting!! Kept Me Intrigued Until the End
So I am astonished how fun it was to read this book because that surely is A lousy cover. BuSurprisingly Interesting!! Kept Me Intrigued Until the End
So I am astonished how fun it was to read this book because that surely is A lousy cover. But don't let that cover fool you: the writing and the story in here is top notch. I was unsure what this would be about but it truly is an incredible story about a man who owns a lab (and who works for the Department of Defense) who hunts down a very clever serial killer. Apparently he has done this in the first two books - which I have not read yet - but not being an FBI Agent or a cop certainly causes him some issues in his investigation. And yes, I was able to follow it all very easily even if I had not read the previous books.
So I really liked the main character in here. Dr Theo Cray. He certainly cares about people and he is well written too. He seems very real. He takes a lot of risks and certainly does some questionable things. But his whole focus is on catching the killer no matter what. He is indeed very smart but the killer is smart too.
The plot moves at a good pace. I never was bored with this at all. Plus the story line is kind of unusual too. This killer is not a person with a knife or a gun or anything of that nature. No, its someone who works in a lab making nasty stuff. The new spin on the kill was certainly entertaining.
I am glad I read this. I will definitely read the others too. ...more
I felt this one was not as good as the original story in this series. The first one had more tension and the situation seemed more dangeA Pirate Story
I felt this one was not as good as the original story in this series. The first one had more tension and the situation seemed more dangerous somehow. That was lacking in this one and I did find myself somewhat distracted while reading this. Especially when I had reached a certain part of the book and well...I just found parts of the story hard to believe. So I lost the ability to believe what was going on. Which was a pity.
This is a pirate story. And since its a pirate story it has many of those same over used ideas. You can probably guess what a few of them are. There is a lot of action in here and deaths. Lots of danger and there were a few twists that certainly surprised me... But ... I did find myself losing interest at the end. The plot and the characters just couldn't hold my interest. ...more
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