Now when you say you picked it up, do you mean you tried it in the store? Because I thought you said you could never NOT finish a book! :)
I don't think this book has much to do with being a "pure" mystery fan. Pure fans, according to some of the negative Amazon reviews, and seen this before and aren't wholly impressed (again, I should've read more reviews!).
This won't turn me off of mystery though. I really liked Tana French's IN THE WOODS, and I'm interested in the sequel, THE LIKENESS. The writing was VERY good.
Re: You have to forgive my double post because (a) I'm dumb and (b) LJ is dumb and (c) I adore you.calico_reactionFebruary 4 2010, 22:50:52 UTC
I would recommend IN THE WOODS. The writing is VERY good and the narrator is VERY human (almost frustratingly so for some readers), but the cast is great and the book treats the two mysteries very realistically in the end. So if you read it, I want to chat ASAP. :)
And no worries about the hypocrisy. :) I don't blame you at all! And don't worry, I adore you too. ;)
Wanna spoil the hell out of me? My guess, based on what I read, was that Harriet was never murdered but instead kidnapped by her own brother and kept in his basement as a sex slave or something. :-/
I had flipped through this book several times myself at the bookstore, and it just never caught my attention. I know some people just love it...but I never really understood why. Thanks for the honest review. Hopefully your next book is more enjoyable! :)
Late to this reviewdigitalcloneMarch 25 2010, 13:41:02 UTC
I finished this out of dogged determination, however, I guessed who the initial murderer was pretty early. Simply had to read to the end to confirm my suspicions.
The end pissed me off--but I didn't know then that this was the first of a trilogy. I can't see reading the next two books, a) because I just don't care about either POV character and b) because I doubt the prose or story will improve.
Re: Late to this reviewcalico_reactionMarch 26 2010, 01:33:02 UTC
Yeah, considering he wrote these all before getting published (to say nothing of the fact he died before publication) indicates to me that the level of writing had no impetus to change, you know?
I ordered this book from Amazon because I wanted to try something popular that had good reviews that wasn't fantasy or science fiction, which are my preferences. Somehow this book came on my radar, and I received it today. I've put it down a few times already, wondering if it will get any better. The entire intro seemed to be an info dump, but I'm hoping it will matter in the end (if I continue). I was initially happy when the actual 'girl with the dragon tattoo' came into the story, but the whole boss attraction bit was useless to me. The cafe scene, the awkward conversation followed by the hug. Now she seems less cool and more stereotypical rebel chick in goth clothing. The introduction of characters strikes me as 'too labored'. For example, the whole Erika part--she sleeps some of the time the Mikael and some with her husband. The whole backstory of that was not believable. It struck me as a middle-aged man's fantasy relationship, and since this isn't supposed to be fantasy.... ;-D I too wonder if something was lost in the
( ... )
I hear people who RAVE about this book, but it's a very slow starter. When I put it down, I tackled down friends who'd read it and could tell me about the rest of the story, and it pushes a LOT of my hot buttons that I won't try reading it again. However, I may try the film.
If you want to try a mystery/thriller that aren't SF or fantasy, try IN THE WOODS or THE LIKENESS by Tana French, or EXIT STRATEGY by Kelley Armstrong.
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I don't think this book has much to do with being a "pure" mystery fan. Pure fans, according to some of the negative Amazon reviews, and seen this before and aren't wholly impressed (again, I should've read more reviews!).
This won't turn me off of mystery though. I really liked Tana French's IN THE WOODS, and I'm interested in the sequel, THE LIKENESS. The writing was VERY good.
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(The comment has been removed)
And no worries about the hypocrisy. :) I don't blame you at all! And don't worry, I adore you too. ;)
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Wanna spoil the hell out of me? My guess, based on what I read, was that Harriet was never murdered but instead kidnapped by her own brother and kept in his basement as a sex slave or something. :-/
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The end pissed me off--but I didn't know then that this was the first of a trilogy. I can't see reading the next two books, a) because I just don't care about either POV character and b) because I doubt the prose or story will improve.
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If you want to try a mystery/thriller that aren't SF or fantasy, try IN THE WOODS or THE LIKENESS by Tana French, or EXIT STRATEGY by Kelley Armstrong.
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Well, thanks for the recs!
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But without a doubt, that opening is boring as HELL.
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