Don't bother to read this book
927129
One of the few books that I actually returned to the library before I finished reading it. As others have said, the endless detail is repetitious, boring, and often interruptive of conversations and continued storyline. And I'm speaking as a person who thoroughly enjoys long, psychological thrillers such as Elizabeth George's novels. I also dislike storylines and details that strain credulity. Carr's attempt at psychological erudition missed the mark--I've heard of PTSD creating altered states, but certainly not PTSD causing schizophrenia, which is primarily a genetic disease. The character of Ambyr was confusing, I couldn't figure her out at all. And the main characters constant cursing/New York City style made me wonder if I would have to see a movie of the book before I could figure out who in the hell they were (what generations/ages?).

There was an overload of preaching about the dire effects of CSI technology and its ill effects on detecting. The issue is an excellent one, but would have been more compelling if it had just been part of the plot, and not sermons the characters lapsed into.

I couldn't understand the problems of the secret foster parenting. The story constantly hinted at how horrific it all was, yet I couldn't see exactly where it went wrong and how bad it was. Certainly the issue of throwaway children and absent parents was very important, but I couldn't see how awful it was for the children. As a survivor of a childhood porno ring in D.C. in the 1950s, I certainly have seen and experienced worse.
4709947
Overall, I thought this book was terrible.  I only finished it because it was a book club read.  It was impossible for me to care about the characters as they never became real for me.  Perhaps the author has written something I would enjoy, but I will not bother looking.  This was a huge disappointment!
3935872
I cannot help but agree with many of the reviews that I've read here. I feel that this book is an insult to readers. It is formulaic, simplistic, and predictable. I skipped through many pages and to get an idea of where the story was going and didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. Beyond what I have just written, I have no more to write because I do not even want to dedicate more time to this. If you truly like reading, do not bother with this book.
2579752
If my book club had not selected this book, I would have stopped reading it after three chapters.  I would not recommend the book to anyone.
938332
I did not enjoy reading this book. I skim read a lot of it and did not laugh or smile at all. Do not waste your time buying this book.
1587759
I got about 10-15 pages into this book, and stopped reading. There's nothing funny about this book at all.  It isn't "romantic" it's full of  gratuitous, graphic sex. And, the mystery is.... for me anyway, how it got published. Would not recommend this book to anybody. It's a waste of time.
4301754
This is one of the worst books I've ever read. None of the characters were likable, especially the H/h. The setting was depressing. The writing style was annoying as h-ll. If you are really, really into computers, you might like this book. Otherwise don't waste your time.
225998
Got this book because it was one we were to read in our book club. It is a piece of trash. The back cover didn't indicate this, and I read about 50 pages, hoping it would be an ok read. After thumbing through it to see if it would be a worthwhile read, I threw this garbage in the recycle bin. Please don't waste you time.
1595924
Meh. This certainly isn't a book I'd recommend, but it passed the time.

Nothing in the plot, writing, or character development caught my attention or interest at all. This book was borrowed from my mom, and after finishing it, I discussed it with her - she had exactly the same experience. I would not pay money for this book. If you get it free and have nothing better to read, go for it.
2193412
I could not even get through more than 20% of the book.  It was a very disappointing read.  Can I give it a negative star?  I do not recommend reading it.  The characters were not well developed and were very shallow.
4493625
I read a lot (approx. a book or two a week), find a lot of things interesting (ie., historical fiction, suspense, mystery, non-fiction) and read this one for a book club.  I have to say it was one of the worst books I've ever read.  Just a horrible, uninteresting read.  It's the complete opposite of a 'page-turner'.  I wouldn't recommend to ANYONE!
3158008
Don't waste your time reading this book.  It's disjointed, jumps around too much.  It starts out good, then falls apart rapidly.
4083798
I'm in a book club with 15 other readers.  There wasn't a single person in our club who enjoyed reading this book!  We made our decision to read this particular book based on feedback from other supposed readers.  I felt the need to inform other potential reads to not bother!  Nothing of any interest happens in this book!
1885034
The book wasn't funny or entertaining and a complete waste of time, do yourself a favor and skip this book.
649560
Don't bother reading. Waste of time only about 25 pgs long
4962807
I'm a guy who reads a lot.  It's extremely rare that I haven't finished a book that I've started, no matter how bad it is.  This is a book I put down half way through and, oddly enough, have shown no interest in picking it up again.  I felt no attachment to the characters and no sense of intrigue about what was/is going to happen next.
Basically, it appears as if the author read Michener and decided to copy the ideas and plot line without adding soul or the kind of depth that Michener could.  Each chapter was the same story repeated: only the names were changed to protect the banality of the story.
I do not recommend this book.
910239
Not much good to say about this book. First, if you care about dogs, Id strongly advise avoiding this book. The neglectful and condescending treatment and objectification of the dog is heart wrenching-literally. I nearly put the book down twice b/c of it. Second,  about half of the book is filled with mind-numbing dull sub stories irrelevant to the plot. And the infidelity and betrayal of several characters was distasteful, and the entitled personality of one of the main characters was nearly unbearable. The ending isn't worth suffering through the 450 pages. The interesting plot had potential, but failed to deliver.