Didn't start well, but definitely ended well.
350535
The power switch broke off after setting it up, luckily it broke off in the "on" position. So I just plug it in when I need it. No complaints with neighbors about it being too bright and it works great. I recommend this.
3657429
The first ~60% of this book were a struggle for me. It's only in the last three-quarters that things start to pick up and get really good. It's only then that I see why this book was such a milestone in criminal fiction. Personally, I'm not a fan of Will Graham. He bores me. I found him whiney and dis-interesting. The various FBI characters were meh. Absolutely the saving graces of this book are Reba and Dolarhyde. They are interesting and dynamic and their interactions are very well written. Overall, I enjoyed this book for the most part. I don't know if I'll go on to read Silence of the Lambs for a while, but that's just because I'm not entirely convinced that this is a genre of book I'm particularly interested in (although it's my favorite type of movie or tv show). Overall, I'm glad I read it.
4634205
This was a tough book to review.  I didn't really like the first half of the story, but not for the reasons I normally dislike self published authors.  Usually the author can't create believable characters, or possibly can't build a believable world.  That wasn't the case here.  The writing was excellent, as far as I was concerned, and the characters were well developed.  The author managed to tackle the tough challenges with aplomb, but then fell down when it came to having the protagonist DO anything.  Instead the main character was blown from place to place like a leaf on the wind.  I almost gave up on the story about halfway through ... I'm glad I didn't.

The book really kicked it up a notch in the second half, and by the end I was sucked in and wanting to read more.  It was a Rocky-like comeback.  I'll be keeping my eye out for the next installment.  This was worth the money.
2813220
This book was hard to get into in the beginning, but it sure made up for it in the end. Well, at the cliff hanger ending.
3974293
It was rather long,  but had a great ending.
2850209
The first chapter of this book, with its awfully overdone dialect, made me wonder if I should stick with it, but I did, and I was very pleasantly surprised. It wasn't long before I was completely drawn in. The characters became very solid in my mind and the plot moved along pretty decently. I wanted to spend more time with the ladies that were the focus of this novel, so I expected to give this one four stars or so by the time I was done with it.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, this book failed in the home stretch. The ending, as others have suggested, did seem a bit rushed. But, further than that, the ending made no sense to me, as I couldn't see the characters involved behaving they way they did, emotional distress or not. It was almost as if the author just gave up, wrote the quickest thing she could, and walked away.

Now, I didn't expect a happy ending from this, but I expected the ending to fit, and this one just didn't. It's too bad, too, because I very much enjoyed the rest of the book.
2775498
I loved it by the end. The way the setup was written annoyed me and I almost lost interest. Looking back, it was well done but nonetheless frustrating. The story would build then stutter and stall only to start again and repeat the process. Once it took off, I liked it and the foreshadowing kept a some suspense going in sections that were predictable. Not stay-up-all-night-reading suspenseful; but, very enjoyable and worthwhile.
4310517
I had somewhat mixed feelings coming into this book, as the close of Book 1 had left me slightly unsatisfied. I know that there was plenty that wasn't tied up (in preparation for this second installment), but I felt like it was rushed and I didn't really know where the narrative was going to go from there. Tucker and Monica make quite the comeback in this second book, however, and the unexpected twists and painful losses in these pages was palpable. The maturity of the author began to shine through, and I could sense a patience in the writing, which was somewhat lacking in the first one. I was confused a few times, as it seemed like there were a few too many active plot lines at once in the book, but I managed to figure out most of the plot by the time the "big reveals" started. Despite deducing what would come next by the end of the book, the descriptive passages and the carefully manipulated tension was wonderful, to say the least, and showed that Jack Dancer has a lot more great books in him. I look forward to more in the future - especially Book 3 to see how this all finally plays out.
987228
I felt like there were too many main characters In the Beginning which made it hard for me to get really into it. But after the first chapter it settled into a rhythm and got good  and I  was anxious to see where it was gonna go.  I'm looking forward to reading number 2.
1831812
Beginning was slww, middle was very good, ending was so so.
2866169
Unlike most of Marillier's books that I have read, this one took some determination to get through.  Very slow in the beginning and the characters just didn't seem very likable for the most part, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it really picked up around the last third and was pretty darn good. If another one comes out, I would definitely give it a read.
915327
This was actually good. I was getting frustrated at times with the plot but it all worked out in the end.
3287210
The book starts very strong, lags a little in the middle and then picks up again at the end. I really enjoyed the writers descriptive style of writing, but his characterization is a little weak. Overall, I enjoyed the book even though it fluctuated from brilliant to amateurish back to brilliant.
197287
Great beginning!  Most of the first half of the book is (to my tastes) too bogged down in personality conflicts and political intrigue, both individual and international.  I almost gave up on it.  Once the mission finally begins, it retained my interest.  Unfortunately, the later sections seem rushed and the ending suffers.  The concept is good, but the writing is uneven.  I wonder if this is a artifact of the collaboration of two writers.

 Based on the popularity of the 'reality' shows with folks younger than me, perhaps I am just too old for this style of writing.
1660305
Started out great, got sort of sidetracked in the middle and ran out of steam at the end.
2972510
It was a bit slow getting started, but the ending was great.
3496714
It was a little slow for more than half of the book.  The last few chapters made up for it, although it ended too soon after finally getting good.