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bookstasamm 's review for:
An Isolated Incident
by Emily Maguire
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“An Isolated Incident” by Emily Maguire tells the story of the gruesome murder of Bella Michaels and how it affects the people in her life, mainly her sister Chris. The story is told from two perspectives, Chris’s and May’s a reporter sent to cover the story. This book is not so much about the investigation of the crime, but rather an examination of the impact of the horrific crime.
The two main characters, Chris and May, were both way too obsessed with their relationships with their ex-partners and used sex as a way not to think of them. They aren’t the best female role models especially in a book about violence against women and misogyny in general. I didn’t really care about either of these characters although I did feel sympathy for Chris for loosing her sister. The only likable character was Nate, Chris’s ex-husband and Bella’s ex-brother-in-law although he too had a history of violence against women.
I understand the setting of this book is a small, rural town where everyone knows each other and turns a blind eye to what people do behind closed doors. The problem is that there was nothing to show how these views can hurt women and even lead to a violent murder. There was nothing written to show how a murder such as the one of Bella Michaels could bring a town together and change these bad behaviors for the better.
I struggled with my review of this book. I didn’t like the writing, and still can’t figure out who Chris was telling had story to. There were side plots that weren’t clear if they had anything to do with Bella’s murder or not - dead animals, other murders, ghost stories. None of these side plots were fully written about so there was no closure, and it was confusing to the story.
The ending was the worst part of this book. Introducing a new character at the last minute just to have the murder solved made no sense especially when the entire book was about how our relationships can lead to violence and at times murder. It would have made sense if the killer was someone Bella knew. It was as if the author didn’t feel like giving the book and Bella the proper ending they deserved. I would not recommend this book.
“An Isolated Incident” by Emily Maguire tells the story of the gruesome murder of Bella Michaels and how it affects the people in her life, mainly her sister Chris. The story is told from two perspectives, Chris’s and May’s a reporter sent to cover the story. This book is not so much about the investigation of the crime, but rather an examination of the impact of the horrific crime.
The two main characters, Chris and May, were both way too obsessed with their relationships with their ex-partners and used sex as a way not to think of them. They aren’t the best female role models especially in a book about violence against women and misogyny in general. I didn’t really care about either of these characters although I did feel sympathy for Chris for loosing her sister. The only likable character was Nate, Chris’s ex-husband and Bella’s ex-brother-in-law although he too had a history of violence against women.
I understand the setting of this book is a small, rural town where everyone knows each other and turns a blind eye to what people do behind closed doors. The problem is that there was nothing to show how these views can hurt women and even lead to a violent murder. There was nothing written to show how a murder such as the one of Bella Michaels could bring a town together and change these bad behaviors for the better.
I struggled with my review of this book. I didn’t like the writing, and still can’t figure out who Chris was telling had story to. There were side plots that weren’t clear if they had anything to do with Bella’s murder or not - dead animals, other murders, ghost stories. None of these side plots were fully written about so there was no closure, and it was confusing to the story.
The ending was the worst part of this book. Introducing a new character at the last minute just to have the murder solved made no sense especially when the entire book was about how our relationships can lead to violence and at times murder. It would have made sense if the killer was someone Bella knew. It was as if the author didn’t feel like giving the book and Bella the proper ending they deserved. I would not recommend this book.