shelfreflectionofficial's Reviews (844)

This was a very short read. It was a typical legal thriller where the action happened in the courtroom. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking or amazing. It was well-written and I enjoyed reading the trial parts of the book. I think if it had been longer he could have developed a more complex plot and characters. I like that he explored a gray area of law from a defense attorney’s point of view.

I realize, as a mother now with a young daughter, that I have to be careful what I read about because my imagination is often on overdrive so the details of the defendant’s daughter’s murder were hard to read and that type of crime alone is enough for me to not read any other books that have similar instances. So I might have been able to enjoy the book a little more if it was a type of case I could be detached from.

If you’re looking for a fast read and enjoy the legal thriller (using thriller very loosely) genre, then this would be a good book to try. But don’t expect as complex of a storyline as John Grisham’s books. There are no twists or surprises. It’s just the unfolding/retelling of a story then anything else.

Not my favorite John Grisham book. It was less a legal thriller and more like a drama/narrative/retelling of a story that wasn’t very compelling. It took me awhile to figure out where he was going with the plot- I thought the characters were going to pursue a trial against the Rackley scheme- which I think would have made a lot better book but it was a very small part of the plot. Then the whole immigration side of the book seemed disjointed. That part could have been it’s own stand alone story and didn’t fit well into the whole of this book. The characters weren’t very likable and there was no mystery or surprises. It wasn’t so bad that I hated reading it or didn’t finish it- I got through it pretty fast- but I much prefer Grisham’s other books.

In short- well-done suspenseful read! I didn’t read this book because I expected to be shocked by it’s ingenious and never-before-seen-characters-and-story as apparently some people did. Sure, the main character had the memory and deduction of Sherlock Holmes and the backstory of more than one fictional detective but who cares? Sherlock Holmes is a good character and universally intriguing. Why not borrow what people will enjoy reading- normal characters just aren’t that interesting. And I also don’t care if it was all ‘realistic.’ I’m pretty sure we read fiction books because we want to be entertained and intrigued, not because we want everything to be verifiable. I found this book well-done and really liked it.

I don’t like reading thrillers when we already know who the killer is, so I appreciated being led along by Decker’s finding of clues and slowly putting the pieces together. It made for a good page-turner and added to the complexity of the plot. I liked Amos Decker better than Baldacci’s Camel Club books main character and the writing of this book better as well. It was also refreshing that the main character, working with the police, actually passed on all his findings right after finding them instead of being stupidly ‘heroic’ and pursuing his own personal vendetta (at least the majority of the time) as if the police are worthless.

Also the little things: bonus points for Baldacci for NOT describing a woman’s scent as strawberry shampoo or lavender- NO ONE smells like this!

Another great Steven James book! In comparison to Every Crooked Path, this was not as heavy subject material-a big theme is the racial profiling, terrorism discussion. It had been awhile since I had read the first book in this series and all the other books so it took me a bit to get my bearings on what had happened thus far chronologically so I would recommend reading these books close together for that reason.

While reading this I noticed some elements of the story that reminded me of both David Baldacci’s Memory Man and A.G. Riddle’s The Atlantis Gene. The suspense and ‘clue finding’ of Memory Man and the incorporation of historical or events or folktales, etc of Atlantis Gene that makes you want to google things. James definitely has a way with suspense and his work does classify as intelligent thrillers. I like his wit and ability to properly use humor without it feeling forced or unnatural.

I’m not really a fan of when authors write a series and then writes another prequel series because I prefer to get all my information in order, but the quality of Steven James’ books allows me to look past the inconvenience and really enjoy the story.

I really enjoyed this book. I like that they took a historical event and created a story around it. It made me google a lot of things which I deem as a successful book. The back and forth between present day and history helped draw out the suspense. My only problem with the book was the ending. I found it rather incomplete and unsatisfying. I think the author could have done a better job of wrapping things up and explaining more of what actually happened.

Great read! If you enjoy Agatha Christie books, you will like Magpie Murders. At first it threw me off that right away it went from the present to having you read the manuscript of a whodunit novel. I wasn't sure where they were going with it and what role the editor had in the book as a whole, but it really was an interesting thought to create a book that way. Two mysteries to be solved- the murders within the manuscript and then the supposed suicide of the author of the manuscript. Typical of Agatha Christie books there was a host of suspects for both crimes, all with motive, and true to form- several red herrings. I thought the story was very clever and hope I'll like some of Horowitz' other books as much. My only criticism is how the editor handled the confrontation with the killer at the end- why would she not assume her own life was in danger?! That part was kind of stupid, but overall, excellent book. It was long, but reads fairly fast.

Another great peculiar book! It’s kinda Harry Potter meets Agents of SHIELD. There’s so much of the peculiar world yet to discover. The characters continue to develop, the plot takes turns, you wonder who you can trust. There were more photographs in this book, but I found they didn’t add as much to the story as with the first couple books. Looking forward to more from this series!

Just okay. And my lack of stars isn’t even mainly for the long character list as was with a lot of people or comparing it to Girl on the Train because I can’t even remember my thoughts on that one. I didn’t really mind the switching of POVs to tell the story-I didn’t find that too confusing. Though within each perspective it wasn’t always clear whether they were referring to current or past events. The worst parts for me were the language (that much swearing just isn’t necessary- I find it cumbersome, unhelpful, and annoying), the constant reference to the river and the water (which, I get it, the plot revolves around it, but it just got old and repetitive. Not even poetic. Just tiresome), and that all the characters were unlikable and completely dysfunctional (I didn’t even know how I wanted it to end. I just wanted it to be done. I didn’t care what happened to any of them). Oh and I also had to roll my eyes a lot at all the ‘talking to the dead’ stuff. It takes away from the authenticity of the story. I don’t like cases that are ‘solved’ through premonitional means.

There was a bit of mystery to unravel but it was fairly predictable and uncreative in my opinion. She teased the aha!-moments enough that they lost their punch. Nothing felt surprising, shocking, or intelligent.

On a lighter note: I’ve read 3 British books recently and I am now very familiar with what an Aga, solicitor, and torch are, and where Devon is. Reading British books is kind of fun with the different vocabulary.

"Perhaps that was what it was like to love someone deeply: to feel that no matter how many moments together you were granted, there would never be enough."

Part love story, part WWII historical fiction. Nothing extraordinary about the plot or book, but a compelling and heartfelt story. The prologue bothered me at first because I don't like when author shows you a snippet of present-day when most of the book is the unfolding of the past. I don't want to be told what happens before it happens. But as the book progresses you realize you may not actually know what you thought you knew about the present.

I thought Harmel told the story well. I have read The Nightingale, but these were the only two books I had read that took place in/near Paris during WWII so I liked the different than normal setting. I'm currently pregnant so I think I felt connected to Ruby in imagining what it would be like to be pregnant or have a baby during hostile war times. There are so many aspects to events like WWII that affect different people in different ways, so I am always interested in reading books that open up and explore all these avenues.

I've read so many WWII stories, but every time it's a sobering reminder of realities people have had to suffer. I am thankful for historical fiction books like this that remind us of where the world has been and hopefully instill in us a proper sense of humanity.

I’ve never read Kate Morton before and probably won’t read her again if this book typifies her writing. I wasn’t much drawn to the descriptive, poetic prose that filled these pages. I found myself reading and realizing I wasn’t paying attention to what I was reading because it was slow and excessive. I appreciate details and beautiful writing but this went beyond that. And with so many characters and time periods surrounding the mystery, it became tedious trying to figure out which details and characters were significant and which ones weren’t. It was too long. The end was anticlimactic. Always took a few pages in between sittings to remember who everyone was and where they were in time. Too much work for not enough reward. If you have time to read a slow-moving book with a little intrigue, then you might enjoy this one, but those looking for a thrilling mystery to solve- look elsewhere.