Way to kill the suspense
353168
This story had potential but every time it had the chance to build suspense resolution was instantly found. I was disappointed.
4874476
Grisham has officially lost his touch. This is simply an ok novel, with none of the pulse-pounding slow-burn suspense of his earlier novels.

Gone is the freshness in the stories, gone is the thrill and suspense.

Grisham, take a break (you can afford one), and write something that you'd be proud of. Don't write something for the sake of yearly quota. We, and you, we both deserve better from you.
4035456
Throughout his writing career Michael Crichton has been charactorized by his excellent use of technological fact. This knowledge was than compiled to make a book that could really get the heart pounding. Timeline failed to  do that. While the story was excellent, the suspense was not there. Sadly,  I finished this book a bit dissapointed.
3923428
The author did a good job with the suspense.
1416088
I didn't find the book particularly intense or deep. Maybe I've come to expect too much from the suspense I read. We too often disregard our 'hunches' and 'odd feelings', but this was ridiculous. When a home is repeatedly searched, don't you think someone could find one of those hidden cameras? With that much 'creepy watched feeling' running through the pages, I'd have been looking for something. Like one of the previous reviewers,I,too,skipped through the pages. I had the book with me on a plane trip. It wasn't a long trip or I would have been out of luck. I have no desire to purchase the cliffhanger follow-up. I don't have another short trip planned to waste it on.
2283920
Ugh.  That's my feeling at the end of the book.  Never a good sign, I was skimming the last pages so I could see that I had indeed correctly predicted the "terrifying" last sequence of events.

I can understand why the author writes under a pseudonym--this stuff is two dimensional; and I have to disagree with some of the other reviewers here, the characters are so trite!  I really believe someone gave David Cray an outline of the usual police procedural/serial killer story.

The brash-yet-secretly-sensitive woman detective is boss over the men.  She is attractive and quite young for her elevated position in the police heirarchy.  She is rearing a top-notch child even though she's never home and living in a dangerous city.

The melancholy, attractive, forty-something man who "breaks the rules" and is permitted into the aforementioned woman's realm.  He dedicates his life to righting the wrongs of a mysterious past...blah blah blah.

So predictable is the serial killer's wanting to kidnap the detective's husband, wife, child, etc. at the end of the novel.  This was so boring!  There are so many authors who breathe excitement and depth into their plots and characters!  Don't settle for this tripe!  This would bore you even on a short airline flight!

This book would be interesting and gripping to someone who reads a book a year--usually when she or he is unable to watch television.  If you read more than that, you're bound to recognize just how similar the plot devices and characters are to many other medium-grade books being written!  Unflatteringly, we North Americans have to read UK authors to see some quality writing and psychological suspense.  Word to the wise--skip this one.
3016247
It is rare that I get truly bored with a book. I couldn't wait for this one to be over. It just kept going and going, ridiculous turn after ridiculous turn.
It seemed like the author wanted to stuff in every suspense trope known to man. If you, like me, are tired of narrators "forgetting" large parts of their lives, don't bother with this one. I cannot wait for this trend in suspense/thriller writing to vanish. It is such a copout.
I read this on my kindle, so I don't know how many pages it has, but I'd say it could have ended at 75 percent or so. But no, it kept "twisting and turning," but by this point was so irritatingly predictable I had to force myself to finish.
4800277
Plot: yawn.

Entertainment: fine page turner.

Suspense: present.

Hidden messages: plenty.

Purpose: to introduce VFD mysteries.
2257480
I've been a long-time fan of Karen Rose and eagerly awaited her newest novel. While it started off great, lots of suspense with the main character returning to the scene of her childhood trying to escape a stalker, finding out there is a serial killer who has taken up residence in her old house, and meeting the incredibly sexy FBI agent Deacon Novak (who has made guest appearances in several other of Ms. Rose's books), it failed to keep that momentum going. It was like being on a roller coaster that was one trip too many and you just wanted the ride to end.

There were several peaks that would keep me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, and wondering what was waiting around the corner. But then there would be lows, where there was too much dialogue, too many irrelevant scenes, too much police procedure, and too much side drama to keep me interested. I found myself skipping over pages, which is something I've never done with a Karen Rose book.

Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of "holy cow!", "omg!", and "whoa, did not see that coming!" to keep you glued to this book. I just think it could have been trimmed down by about 150 pages or so and still kept the suspense alive. But don't let my personal opinion sway you from picking up this otherwise terrific novel and making your own determination. It's worth it just to meet up with Special Agent Novak again!
1485701
A good story with lots of suspense and action. Unfortunately the book was diluted with 'off the scene' junk and 'soap opera junk'. By speed reading through the 'filler' the reader enjoyed the story.
445239
I really enjoy any suspense story, tho I was disappointed in the way the author ended this one.  .
1605712
"206 Bones," by Kathy Reichs, opens with Tempe Brennan realizing, to her horror, that she has been handcuffed and buried in some sort of underground crypt. She does not remember how she got there, but is understandably terrified. The author then traces the complicated series of events that led up to Tempe's abduction and entombment.

 For the uninitiated, Temperance Brennan is a renowned forensic anthropologist who divides her time between laboratories in Montreal and the North Carolina. Her pal and partner in detection is the hunky Lieutenant-d&eacute;tective Andrew Ryan, who works for the Sret&eacute; du Qu&eacute;bec. The two have an on-again, off-again romance that is currently off, although they remain good friends. Tempe and Ryan have their hands full probing several convoluted mysteries, including the deaths of three elderly females as well as that of a fifty-nine year old woman whose body was found thirty months after she disappeared in Quebec. As a favor to a friend, they also try to learn the fate of a young man who fell or was thrown into a quarry. Ryan spends many hours tracking down potential witnesses and searching for physical evidence, while Tempe follows up leads of her own and carefully studies skeletal remains.

 Reichs' strength lies in her encyclopedic knowledge of forensic anthropology. When Tempe talks bones, we listen. In addition, the author skillfully captures the bleakness of a harsh Montreal winter, with its icy temperatures, slick roads, and heavy snowfall. The bitter weather is a fitting counterpoint to Tempe's mood. She is indignant that some of her colleagues are challenging her competence, especially an ambitious newcomer named Marie-Andr&eacute;a Briel. The reader suffers, as well, because Tempe's inquiries are not all that interesting. They lack the suspense and nail-biting tension that we have come to expect from this talented author. This is a talky novel with too much cutesy dialogue, and the author telegraphs the identity of the villains far too soon. When the bad guys are unmasked, few will be surprised. Another annoying element is Ryan and Tempe's silly banter; these two act more like lovesick teenagers than mature adults. "206 Bones" offers little suspense, a drawn-out and dull plot, and almost no character development. This series may be close to running its course.
306405
> In "The Deepest Water" Abby Connor investigates the murder of her novelist father (Jud), and learns much about her father, and of course, identifies his killer.
> The novel  is a well constructed, well paced, suspense novel in.  It is mostly set in a cabin on an picturesque intriguing isolated lake in Oregon.
> There are only about 5 main characters, and they are easily identified and memorable.  The three main female characters are fairly well developed.  The development of the two main male characters is a little "off"---they just don't feel quite real.
> The novel is VERY predictable.  I hit on the solution of the inflatable boat in the first chapter.  I found it highly implausible that the detective did not consider a variety of other solutions to the "access problem" (such as a trail-bike).  Toward the end, I kept waiting for the big twist, which never came.
> The description of Jud's writing method---writing fragments in random order, and then stringing the beads together---apparently describe how Wilhelm writes---as a result the novel often feels fragmented and choppy.  Listening to the audiobook version, I frequently felt that I had accidentally skipped a CD.
> The last several chapters (the resolution) were disappointing.  The events of the resolution felt highly contrived.
-- The death of the killer was essentially an accident, helped along by third parties, with a very small probability of occurring.  Among many other things, the plot against him depended on there not being any moon or stars, no sounds in the woods (which could provide directional hints), nor him having a flashlight, plus him having extraordinarily bad luck.
-- He was killed while paddling a canoe and/or rowing a rowboat (apparently the author could not decide which and wrote in both, and none of the proof-readers or editors caught the glaring error).
-- We know what happened only by the detective's deductions---for which he did not have remotely sufficient information.
-- The mystery of special mysterious codicils to Jud's will  loom over the novel as a major mystery, but at the end boil down to just a 30 day in the will taking effect.  The author needed the delay for the plot, but the rational given in the story for the delay is very thin and barely plausible.
-- Similarly, the plot resolution required the electrical panel (and fuses) for the Jud's cabin to be in another cabin on the other side of the lake, which would require an under-lake cable.  That seems highly unlikely and very dangerous.
> There are several other defects.  For example, the Forest Service road directly to the cabin is inconsistently described as difficult or  impassible for passenger vehicles (obviously to leave the author's options open)---but on several occasions the author describes characters as "driving to the cabin".  Perhaps the author's intent was to imply that they had driven to the other side of the lake and rowed over---but the omittion of the "rowing-across-the-lake" part is confusing.
> Despite the caveats above, this was an entertaining and engrossing read and I'm looking forward to reading more of Kate Wilhelm's works.

> Click on Stoney just below the product title to see my other reviews, or leave a comment to ask a question.
604793
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena is a recommended novel of suspense.

Anne and Marco Conti are attending a dinner party at their next door neighbors. Their sitter cancelled on them at the last minute and they know Cynthia and Graham don't like children, so they have left 6 month old Cora asleep next door, in their attached home. They have the baby monitor with them and are taking turns checking on her every half hour. As the party drones on, Anne is drunk and bothered by how much Cynthia is shamelessly flirting with Marco. When Anne finally persuades Marco to leave after 1 AM, they return home to find their front door open and baby Cora gone.

Detective Rasbach knows there is more going on than the couple is telling him and he works to slowly uncover hidden secrets and potential theories regarding what happened to Cora. It doesn't appear that anyone else has been in their home. However, the back door motion sensor light has been unscrewed and the Conti's garage door, which opens to the alley, was left open. There are tire tracks not from the Conti's car in the garage. It seems that someone went out the back door with Cora, but why was the front door open? Could the Cont's be covering up something more sinister?

This is a riveting, suspenseful debut novel that had me glued to the pages, overlooking, but noting, all the many flaws while I read. The chapters alternate between narrators so you can follow what each character is thinking as the search progresses. There are plenty of secrets which mean there are plot twists and reveals of secrets along the way. And, let's face it, in any case, real or fiction, with a missing baby the parents are the main suspects.

I kept reading wanting to know what happened next, as Lapena throws one surprise after another at the reader. Many of these twists I saw coming so they just confirmed my predictions, which is sometimes a motivation for reading a mystery. Some of the plot elements are also just a tad bit too convenient.

Now the flaws are numerous. The characters seemed very much all convenient cliches: the doubting detective, extremely wealthy parents, disappointing son-in-law, poor first time mother with postpartum depression and other issues (and postpartum depression is real, but somehow marginalized here), the sexy next-door-neighbor, a difficult fussy baby. Add to that the lack of real character development, and it's hard to like or truly care about these people.

In the end this was a hard one for me to rate. The ending almost led me to a two star rating. It is not an outstanding-must-read-book-of-the-summer. The writing is okay and the plot is pedestrian, BUT I did read it wanting to know what happened next, which is sometimes the whole reason to read a mystery. This is worthy of airplane book status. It's going to keep your attention, provide entertainment, and will be easy to jump back into during your trip.

Disclosure: My advanced reading copy was courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.
4124909
Good suspense.  Enjoyed the story.  While not bad, I was not too excited about the ending.  It could have been less rushed.  I gave it a 4.
1981247
While one can appreciate the suspense one wishes it depicted the storh line to be more practicle. While one wants to read a thriller it should progress in a convincing manner.
3557724
I like a little more suspense. I'm reading my 2nd one of this series to give it a try.