Suspenseful and well-written
934143
Held my interest throughout.  A good solid mystery.
2703836
This was a great suspense novel, featuring three young women who were bonded as best friends in childhood in the sleepy, rundown town of Miller's Falls. While Cecily has gone on to become a well-to-do attorney and lucky in love with a man who is kind and wishes to marry her if she would ever say yes, her other friends have not been as fortunate. Amelia hides her troubles by being an underachiever with little self-worth, working at a low paying job and sleeping with strangers. Hilary struggles with substance abuse and cannot stay sober, because then she will have to face what happened so many years ago. But now the person who ruined their lives when they were still young has possibly returned to town, and the women will no longer let their fear and self-loathing keep them from turning the tables and stalking him this time.
The author writes convincing dialogue and puts Cecily and her friends in enough near-misses with danger to keep you wanting to turn the pages. When the former detective who had handled the assault case when the friends were girls steps in to help them out, Cecily hopes their troubles are over. But the law must follow the rules and there isn't enough time to stop the predator from striking again. Despite the subject matter, there is no graphic violence or mature scenes that detract from the suspenseful tale of vigilantism. This story is well-written and will keep your interest all the way through to the surprising ending.
1615705
Enjoyed the book very much.  It was fairly light reading but very well written.  It was suspenseful and was a "page turner".  I especially enjoyed the ending, which had some elements of surprise.
2306586
Good character development and well written!
I enjoyed the plot and the suspense the author created. Can't wait to read her next book!
463519
I came across this book on Amazon.com when I was browsing through the list of Jane Smiley titles.  A *mystery* by Jane Smiley?  I'm a big mystery buff, so I had to read it.
 And you know what?  I really enjoyed it, both from a suspense standpoint and a literary standpoint.  I guessed the identity of the murderer even before the protagonist, but there was still a great deal of suspense as to how the situation would play out which kept me reading all day until the final page.
 While most standard murder mysteries switch between several viewpoints, Smiley shows the whole story through the eyes of Alice Ellis, so that the reader is as much in the dark as she is; I think this helped tremendously with the suspense.  The novel also examines how the murder affected the friends of the victims, both their self-perception and their relationships with each other.  Most characters were well-drawn and fleshed-out and the changing dynamic of their relationships made the book as compelling a novel as it was a mystery.
2485390
This is a very good suspense novel.  Just when I thought I knew who was who and who was going to do what, thinking that this was too easy, the author turned a corner--or two--and surprised me.  The only reason that I did not give this a higher rating was because I was bothered by the flimsy evidence that kept the detectives convinced of the guilt of the main character.  However, I urge readers to keep going, wait until all the pieces are on the board, before you dismiss this story.  I like the extra added attractions of romance and spiritual journeys that make this novel more than just an ordinary page-turner.
841319
I loved the first sentence. It was enough to make me want to keep reading. Although this book didn't keep me up at night reading, it did keep me turning pages and finishing it in just two or three days. Very suspenseful.

I regret, however, that I guessed who the killer was sooner than I wanted to, but that wasn't too much of a distraction. After all, I couldn't be sure whether I was right.

I was slightly disappointed in the romantic elements of the story, but--to be fair--women novelists write romance entirely differently from male novelists, and I probably would've been fine with the romance if I'd been a woman reader..

Probably my biggest complaint has to do with Jill's relationship with her aunt. I can fully appreciate Jill's desire to establish a warm family connection with her kin, and I can appreciate her being so godly about it. Nonetheless, the way she permitted her aunt to keep walking all over her really drove me crazy.

Regardless of these few criticisms, it was a good read, and I highly recommend it.
948746
Except for some mixed up homophones, the writing was very good. I like the depictions of the Oregon coast. The storyline is well-plotted and suspenseful and the characters well-developed.
2089462
This story is well-written.  Who'd have thought psychologist was a career that would be high risk.  Attorneys one could understand.  This plot plus an ignorant homicide detective adds to the suspense.
1540507
I have really enjoyed this series so far.  Very well written!  I highly recommend.  There's a good level of suspense and descriptions of locations are very well done.
1348528
I loved the story.  I thought it was very well written.  It was very suspenseful and  intriguing from start to finish.  I would highly recommend this book.
4044224
This is a well written, suspense filled book, with a descriptive style that paints a realistic picture of the action in your mind.  The villain of the story has done some vile and disgusting things, and has little regard for anything but his own distorted well being.  But he cannot escape the despicable acts that keep intruding his thoughts and haunting him.  As we learn his back story, we can understand how he got to where he is, but even so, I couldn't dredge up a scrap of pity or sympathy for him.  All the characters were introduced to the reader in due time, and their stories and personalities develop as we get to know them.

The story line is intense, and the villain is free with  language that matches his personality - crude. The details of the crimes were recounted enough that you knew what had happened, but it stopped short of being too detailed or graphic.  I thought the author did an excellent job maintaining the delicate balance between shock and disgust.  I will look forward to reading some of her other work, and watching her soar.  The only plot point that didn't quite make sense was the birth certificate issue.  I don't do spoilers, so will not be able to discuss this fully without mentioning some events that happen towards the end, but it seems that obtaining another copy of the birth certificate would be easy enough, without risking safety to recover the original.  And that document alone would not resolve the issue when other documents were still missing.  But still, well done.  If you like suspense, with clear cut villains and heroes and a well told story, you will remember this book.
3774967
I couldn't put this book down. The author does a great job drawing us into that suspense, giving just enough hints to keep us guessing.
1338190
Loved this!!! I couldn't put it down. Very suspenseful and well written. Looking forward to more by this author! A must read!
3334353
Ron Handbergs book  Dead Too Long was a suspenseful and intriguing tale that draws you in as a VIP observer to the inner workings of television news, the relationship with law enforcement and the dark and best sides of human behavior. The storyline was not full of miscellaneous fluff which made it more enjoyable to read and follow this memorable group of characters . I wanted to keep reading once I started. I plan on reading his other books now!
3743882
Fantastic book with lots of suspense.  I really enjoyed it!
4260382
This was well written and suspenseful.  I thought the concept was cool.  Even though I didn't understand the "science" behind it, it made for a good read.