Joey

It lacks interesting characters and plot

Revisado: 03-14-25

I found the story lacked complexity. The characters were uninspiring and combined with the plot, I didn't find it interesting. This is likely a good YA book for those that want a relatively well defined tale of good and evil. There is a bit of a twist at the end, but it takes a fair amount of effort to get to a lackluster finish for me.

I really enjoy Australian authors that write amazing stories. Consider books from these authors before listening to this book.
Liane Moriarty, Josh Kemp, J.P. Pomare, Benjamin Stevenson, Caroline Overington, Gabriel Bergomser, David Whish-Wilson, Patricia Wolf, S.R. White, Chris Hammer, Derval McTiernan, Jane Harper (although she is British).

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Raw, Gritty, and Exceptional

Revisado: 02-24-23

An exceptional story of significant suffering and perseverance. It wasn't an easy story to listen to but was extremely satisfying. I realize it is not fair to compare writers and stories, but I appreciated this story much like I did Tim Winton's Shepard's Hut.

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A high school romance story with a bully theme

Revisado: 01-22-22

I found the romance and bullying aspect boring and overdone. The story likely is intended for young adults.

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Entertaining!!!

Revisado: 02-15-20

The writing is clever and characters are interesting. Initially I missed Caroline Lee's cultivated Australian accent, but quickly got over it.

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A series of bad decisions

Revisado: 02-04-20

I found the protagonist to frequently act against her self interests and unnecessarily put herself in harms way. At times I wanted her to die so the book would end.

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gratuitous gore

Revisado: 03-16-14

What would have made White Bones better?

The graphic descriptions of sadistic violence were distracting and seemed unnecessary. I find stories that leave some of these details to the imagination and focus on the forensic analysis to be far more interesting.

What could Graham Masterton have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

As stated above, there were elements of the story that were interesting; however, I found the descriptions of the sadistic acts to be unnecessary.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Several of the characters were interesting.

Any additional comments?

I recommend against downloading this book if you are sensitive to butchery and extreme suffering. I have read six of Chelsea Cain's Archie Sheridan/Gretchen books and found them to be gruesome, but enjoyed the series. White Bones far exceeded my threshold for gore.

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Not bad, but not great

Revisado: 03-16-14

Would you try another book from Lynda La Plante and/or Davina Porter?

No, I don't believe I would intentionally select another of Lynda La Plante's books to listen to or read. I didn't find the writing to be all that clever. I find the writing styles of Tana French, Gillan Flynn, Donna Tartt, Adrian McKinty to be far more interesting.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I felt the book to be fairly predictable and at times tedious. I admire and respect the fact that she is interested in highlighting the inequality female detectives are subjected to. However, I found the presentation of it to be mundane.

Which character – as performed by Davina Porter – was your favorite?

I tend to enjoy stories with flawed characters with complex backgrounds that allow me to appreciate certain qualities and loath other aspects. In this story, I found the character descriptions to lack depth. The author's descriptions seemed generally limited to relatively concise descriptions that motivated the characters to act as I would expect them to.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. By the way, the audio book starts with a narrative from the author describing how she came to write a TV script that the book is based on and the real life female detective that helped form the main character.

Any additional comments?

The book is a New York Times Best Seller, so clearly many people enjoy Lynda La Plante's work. I would guess that the reader who likes a concise story with an "underdog" protagonist, may like this book. A reader that prefers books with complex characters may be less likely to find it a great read or listen.

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