The discussion was animated, lively and entertaining - which is more than can be said for the novel.
The average score that Whodunit members gave the book was 3.5 out of a possible ten points.
The overall comments reflected disappointment by the readers. The premise held promise, but the poor execution failed miserably. The situations and relationships were unrealistic. The writing was amateurish and the narrative was far-fetched. One member equated the novel to a school boy's essay, with juvenile writing and stilted dialog.
The protagonist was an unprofessional and unintelligent social worker. He was unbelievable in that his actions were unlikely to have happened. The favourite character of the readers seemed to be Ray, the villian - mostly because his character was more fleshed out than the others. Some characters seemed to be surplus to requirements altogether. There was an unexplained kidnapping, a mole that was not revealed, an unnecessary sex scene, and a non-existent ending. Some members commented that they thought there were several pages missing from their books as the ending just wasn't there. No resolutions. Nothing explained. Nothing.
The book was not entirely without merit. The cover and the title were good. The contemporary premise promising.
Of the author, one member said kindly "Bless his heart, he tried".
Curiously, this debut novel , The Killer Trail, was short listed in 2013 for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger. Whodunit wonders.... "What were they thinking?"
1. Marilyn
2. Marlene
3. Carmella
4. Cathy D.
5. Jean
6. Lynne
Whodunit book club's next meeting will be held on September 30th when we will discuss the British mystery novel "Under your skin" by Sabine Durrant.
Whodunit members enjoy a 10% discount for book club selections.
"Under your skin" is also available as a Kobo ebook.
2 comments:
I am so disappointed that this book wasn't as good as the cover made it look. It was on my list of books to read.
I Wish all crime thrillers could be like Ann Rule's books http://www.planetannrule.com/. She is my favorite author! "The Stranger Beside Me"- A haunting first look into the real life of Ted Bundy, is my favorite of all. Oh well. I will check back to see what other books you have in store for the future. Thank you so much for your review!
Great review and I will not be putting this one on the shelf :-). Thanks, Becky, for sharing Ann's website. Her books are excellent and I will check that out.
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