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winecellarlibrary 's review for:
The Child Before
by Michael Scanlon
First, I would like to thank Boukouture publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a free Kindle ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I typically do not like to read a book from the middle of a series if I have not read the first book, but the synopsis sounded intriguing and gave me the impression that I could read it as a stand-alone novel, so I took a chance on it.
When reading this book, you really forget that it is part of a series. It is easily read as a stand-alone novel. However, my biggest complaint with the book is its lack of character building, which perhaps occurred in the first installment in the series. The first book seems to have garnered a lot of positive feedback, so maybe I set myself and my review up for failure by reading this novel on its own.
Initially, the prologue gripped me. I was so excited to read this book because the prologue was full of imagery. I read the short prologue three times over because I wanted to soak in every word.
Unfortunately, that is where the fun stops, my friends.
This book was exceedingly boring. For a mystery, one would expect some intrigue, case development, and police detective work. Honestly, I just felt as though I was watching Detective Inspector Beck Finnegan wait for someone to hand him the killer on a silver platter without lifting a single finger. Not only is Beck completely devoid of character, but he is painfully boring to read about. He doesn't do anything. He doesn't investigate anything. He doesn't really talk to anyone in the book or even the reader. The author sums up his lackluster qualities perfectly when Mikey says to Beck, "You're emotionally stunted, mate, you know that?" and the author narrates, "Beck did not reply, thought: I already know that." (This is an irritatingly incomplete sentence, by the way.)
The excellent writing in the prologue did not carry on throughout the book. Instead, obnoxiously short chapters composed of choppy, short sentences take hold. For instance:
"It was cold now in the room. And with it came a feeling, solid and heavy, pressing down on him. Which was this. The baby was dead. God, he thought. Please. God. Let me be wrong."
By this point, I had lost all hope that the book would redeem itself. I refuse to DNF books, so I carried forward, but I struggled to stay focused and kept getting lost jumping between characters (since there is nothing really unique about anyone). Again, perhaps I could have appreciated this book more if I had read the first novel in the series, but I found this book to be rather disappointing.
I typically do not like to read a book from the middle of a series if I have not read the first book, but the synopsis sounded intriguing and gave me the impression that I could read it as a stand-alone novel, so I took a chance on it.
When reading this book, you really forget that it is part of a series. It is easily read as a stand-alone novel. However, my biggest complaint with the book is its lack of character building, which perhaps occurred in the first installment in the series. The first book seems to have garnered a lot of positive feedback, so maybe I set myself and my review up for failure by reading this novel on its own.
Initially, the prologue gripped me. I was so excited to read this book because the prologue was full of imagery. I read the short prologue three times over because I wanted to soak in every word.
Unfortunately, that is where the fun stops, my friends.
This book was exceedingly boring. For a mystery, one would expect some intrigue, case development, and police detective work. Honestly, I just felt as though I was watching Detective Inspector Beck Finnegan wait for someone to hand him the killer on a silver platter without lifting a single finger. Not only is Beck completely devoid of character, but he is painfully boring to read about. He doesn't do anything. He doesn't investigate anything. He doesn't really talk to anyone in the book or even the reader. The author sums up his lackluster qualities perfectly when Mikey says to Beck, "You're emotionally stunted, mate, you know that?" and the author narrates, "Beck did not reply, thought: I already know that." (This is an irritatingly incomplete sentence, by the way.)
The excellent writing in the prologue did not carry on throughout the book. Instead, obnoxiously short chapters composed of choppy, short sentences take hold. For instance:
"It was cold now in the room. And with it came a feeling, solid and heavy, pressing down on him. Which was this. The baby was dead. God, he thought. Please. God. Let me be wrong."
By this point, I had lost all hope that the book would redeem itself. I refuse to DNF books, so I carried forward, but I struggled to stay focused and kept getting lost jumping between characters (since there is nothing really unique about anyone). Again, perhaps I could have appreciated this book more if I had read the first novel in the series, but I found this book to be rather disappointing.