Bibliophile

Exceptional

Revisado: 06-08-21

I get why some people didn't like this book. More than that, I even get why they hated it. but don't believe them when they say it's because the writing was terrible, or the story poorly conceived. I personally think this novel is the kind that is so disturbing, you can't bring yourself to say you liked it exactly. I know it's been listed in some places as psychological suspense, but I think of it more as literary horror.

Something evil is about to be unleashed on Maple Street. It's 2027 and a new family has moved into the crappiest house in the neighborhood. After their first uneventful year there, the neighborhood queen bee, Rhea Schroeder imagines a slight from Gertie Wilde, the mother in that family and decides that she is her sworn enemy. Coinciding with the waging of a very public war between the women is an environmental disaster--a sinkhole opens up in the park adjoining Maple Street emitting a mysterious, noxious, black claylike substance called bitumen. As the bitumen spreads, so too does a series of poisonous whispers and rumors about the newcomers, the eccentric Wilde family--comprised of former rocker, Arlo, former professional beauty queen, Gertie who is hugely pregnant, and their two misfit kids, Julia and Larry.

What follows is a cross between mass hysteria, mob rule, and madness that leads ultimately to murder. And all the while, in the background are the mysterious environmental phenomenon of the sinkhole, the strange substance it emits and hints of a changing world and American society. I found this book to be scarily true-to-life about human nature and the ways that people can gradually sink to ever deeper levels of something close to depravity, driven almost solely by their fear of the unfamiliar. Before I was even done, I bought another of Sarah Langan's books. I plan to make my way through her entire backlist.

This is really smart, scary and scarily-smart horror ... or psychological suspense. But doesn't matter what you call it, it was also scarily good. Highly recommended.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Never Fails

Revisado: 02-27-21

Fast becoming one of my favorite writers of this genre, Dervla McTiernan never fails. Can’t wait for the next Cormac Reilly book because this one was completely satisfying. I highly recommend it but definitely start with the first in the series.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Excellent

Revisado: 11-09-20

Excellent character-driven mystery. This author never disappoints. On to the next one. Even her short audiobooks were great.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Wait ... WHAT???

Revisado: 05-24-19

This was so lovely! When you get to the story, you'll see why I'm a little leery of calling it lovely, but it was. The story, despite its twists and turns, is at its root about a mother's love for her daughter, a daughter's love for her mother and how unbreakable that bond is. LOVED it. LOVED. I hope Audible does more original work like this. I wish it was a full-length book, but not because the story was lacking, or felt rushed in any way. It was more because I wanted so much more of these characters. Well done, Audible. And the performers? FLAWLESS.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Never a dull moment.

Revisado: 04-13-19

A friend dies under circumstances others think of as all too common but you see as mysterious. So, you investigate. But what you discover isn’t just the key to how she died but secrets about how she lived. Intricate plotting, and non-stop action. A fun and diverting read.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Enjoyed this one!

Revisado: 11-16-18

A great premise. I wondered what the author could possibly come up with that would justify the ghosting without having the reader dislike the person who did it. But she pulled it off. It definitely made the disappearance without explanation make sense.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A total miss for me

Revisado: 10-26-18

A hodge-podge of cheqp plot devices and 'twists' strung together without a single sympathetic character in sight. I think th is officially ends my BA Paris run.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Unflinching, non-judgmental

Revisado: 10-01-18

Worth the short listen. A look at one man's experience incarcerated as a juvenile and growing to adulthood behind bars.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Riveting, heartbreaking

Revisado: 10-01-18

The story and the performance ran the range of the human experience. Love, hate, elation, despair, humor ... it covered it all and then punched us in the gut at the end. Marvellously written, perfectly performed. Bravo.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Horrifying and compelling

Revisado: 09-30-18

A haunting and tragic story. Well performed and spectacularly written. Lisa Jewell has a new fan in me.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona