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Sleuthy heroine has a mysterious past

Revisado: 02-08-25

I enjoyed the main character’s sense of humor while she satisfies her curiosity for mysteries in the small town where she lives under a witness protection type of program. The budding romance with a local police officer is sweet.

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Disturbing focus on weight

Revisado: 09-11-23

I enjoyed many of the characters. I understand the critiques in other reviews like Fortune’s lack of awareness and knowledge, how she started trusting people too quickly, etc. But one thing that stuck out to me is her constant negative focus on weight. This is how girls develop eating disorders. She’s making comments like how she has to go for a run so she doesn’t “get as big as a barn”, analyzing people’s weight when she first meets them, assuming bigger characters have diabetes based off of appearances, and always thinking about how eating the baked goods her friends make will make her gain weight. It’s very negative and ableist. It would be better to focus on fitness in a positive way, not a constant threat of being fat like fat is the worst thing you can be. She even states that she’s okay with being called names other than stupid- like crazy “or EVEN FAT” with lots of emphasis like that’s the worst insult. And how at least she’d know it was a lie if she was called fat because she doesn’t have an “ounce of fat”. Very odd and tone deaf to current social standards. With so many people struggling with eating disorders or health issues surrounding weight, this is disturbing and harmful. Very disappointing. And I’ve never noticed this in any other book or audiobook. So it’s abundant throughout the story for me to notice.

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Unique and Exciting!

Revisado: 09-28-22

This had to be written by someone with knowledge of how a medical examiner works. It’s all new to me and I haven’t read anything from this perspective before now. The protagonist is someone real whom I want to know. The villain is Interesting without being over-the-top. It all seems very realistic so the story keeps you engaged.

I have to wonder how many real-life serial killers the author has studied, since she cohosts her own true-crime podcast. I’m certain I recognized Israel Keyes in the beginning, and saw a bit of Ted Bundy’s smile, charm, and pickup style near the end. I’m sure there’s more, but I’m fairly new to true crime. I do enjoy her Morbid Podcast with niece/sister/best friend Ash Kelly.

It’s hard to believe something this good is a first book. Read it. You’ll be glad you did. I rated it an usual-for-me Five stars. Keep ‘em coming, Alaina!

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Weirdly Haunting

Revisado: 10-03-21

Totally unbelievable story that grabs your mind and doesn’t let go. More fantasy than fiction, with characters who display obvious flaws and deceptions, but I found myself hoping the best for them anyway. Still, I wasn’t left feeling comfortable with the female protagonist’s choice. The men were not portrayed in a very good light, and the women were manipulated and victimized. The female protagonist and the teenage girl at least had plans to be in charge of their own futures, and that is what saved the book for me. The performances definitely added to the book’s appeal and I doubt I would have finished this listen if not for them.
This is a strange book, overall. I kept comparing it to Jane Eyre from the beginning. I’m sure others did, too.

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Snarky Fun

Revisado: 05-27-21

Not Harper's best but it still rates five stars. Lots of fun. Molly Harper has improved her writing over the years, but there's nothing wrong with this. A light treatment of a serious event which shows the main character growing up while.keeping her sense of humor. A fun listen while the kiddies.aren't around.

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Slow beginning, better finish

Revisado: 05-01-21

This book was not an easy listen. There was a very slow exposition, due to the back and forth first person narratives and timeline. It was a confusing way to learn about the characters and events. I felt like I needed to make a chart to keep it all straight, and tired of backing up to repeat a chapter. I think chapter titles on this audible needed names and dates in print just as they were announced by the characters.

I won't go into the plot, as others have done that. I will say that the characters mostly talk about what they're thinking, without much action until the last 25% of the book. I prefer more action, and not just hearing the story told by characters thing about short scenes of what had happened in the past in that chopped up back and forth style. The characters are mostly unbelievable and they are as farfetched as the story. Agatha Christie is the obvious inspiration, but she has more richer characters and doesn't throw every trick into the same story. I kind of wish I hadn't wasted a credit on this Audible of a book that's been hyped up as more than it is. Print might not be so bad.

The readers did a fair job. Their various UK accents sometimes made words hard to distinguish and by the time I figured out who was speaking and when, I had missed a point. This story just doesn't work as effectively in Audible form as it would in print, I think, because of the way it is written.

If you are a visual learner, as I am, you'd enjoy this more by reading the book. It will be easier to follow the characters, dates, and times of events in print and be a much quicker read than it is a listen. Listening while I did something else didn't work for me. It certainly put me to sleep at night.

I'm giving this a generous 3 because of the earnest narration. The writing is not as good. But the premise might make a decent movie.

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Best Current Irish Author and Series

Revisado: 01-03-21

I'm really enjoying this series and I always anticipating the next book. The characters are well-developed and their actions are believable. Good thing, because the author shows them in some unbelievably disappointing situations. She shows the good, bad, and questionable sides of people. I won't say more about that because I won't spoil the readers' surprises. First-hand narration adds a lot to the story. There are many twists and turns as the story progresses, but even though a mystery is solved, the protagonist is left with major changes in his life. Not what I'd call a cliff hanger, but it left me wondering about what could be in the detective''s future. Since there are characters from past books in this one, it is better if you read the previous books. The characters actions will make more sense.

This is a wonderful listening experience. Highly recommended.

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Another Excellent Gavin Narration

Revisado: 01-02-21

I wrote an excellent, considered review, but once again, the changes in the allready-challening Kindle keyboard have annoyed me to the point of starting over! I will get another external keyboard, since my old one bit the dust. This keyboard is my number one problem with Kindle. The last update changed many things for my Kindle experience, none of them for the better. 🤐 I have been a heavy Kindle user and a fan since the first reader, so that says a lot.

Now onto the review, Gavin is great. The book is too long. The story action is good, but there's too much repetition of the Ivy/Rachel dynamic by the three Vampiric Charms partners and Kisten. All four of them in every configuration discuss it endlessly. We knew all this from book one, and I'm sick of it. Harrison should have let this develop naturally in a more subtle fashion within the stories. She probably could have cut this book down by a third and saved the readers some time and irritation. The scene in the van and Rachel's continuous inner dialog are too much. Folllowed by another endless discussion between the four, two and three at a time, one directly after another! Where is a decent editor? You'd think somebody would pay closer attention to the writer's first hardcover print! Many readers didn't finish the book or continue the series because of this pointless detail.

Recommended, but if you are as bothered by these issues as I am, you may choose to read this installment of the series instructions of listening. It's easier to skip over the repetitive parts.

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Beyond weird

Revisado: 12-18-20

I'm having a hard time rating and reviewing this. The narration is great. Even the narrator's female voices are distinct and not as annoying as most performed by men. Great expression and emotion without over acting. The writing is the issue. It probably is well-written by most standard. However, the female characters are disgusting. Other than the Hispanic neighbor, they are vulgar, crude, and unsympathetic. I kept wondering why this decent but neurotic guy tolerated either of them. His best friend was unkind and didn't want to bother with him. The other woman is worse but I can't say more without spoilers. I kept hoping she'd have a deadly accident. So how does one rate a well performed audio book with the only likeable character allowing himself and his beloved dog to be repeatedly mistreated by women of questionable values?

The tale is properly creepy and it keeps you guessing. The author wants you to see and guess at who and what one of these women is, what she's capable of, and what is real or imagined. It does that to a degree. But the factors I mentioned in the first paragraph were such an incredible distraction that they overshadowed the plot. I was angry for the victim and I didn't like the ending. At least the author succeeded in making the man sympathetic, even if he was a user when something was freely offered. If a man had written this I'd believe he hates women and needs to get some held. Actually, the female writer does need therapy. It's that weird. I didn't like this story and I don't like the picture it paints of the stereotypical untrustworthy female. I'm giving more stars than it deserves due to the skill of the writer, not her taste nor her judgment. I was just left unsatisfied and offended.

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esto le resultó útil a 31 personas

OUTSTANDING!

Revisado: 12-12-20

The perfect short listen in every respect! Well written and great narration. This held my attention from beginning to end and I really cared about the characters. In a short time, we learned enough about each of them to understand their feelings, actions, and motivations,

Warning: things heat up and move quickly by part 7. When you hear the narrator's announcement of part 7, you'd be wise to stop what you're doing and just listen. You won't regret if. Fantastic action occurs at this point and your heart may beat fast. You might want to shout. It's thatt good.

Listen to this one! I'm going to look for other work by these authors and this narrator right now.

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