I have never written a book review before. I always felt my opinion was too subjective. But I figured, I read them right? I chose this for the first one because I felt so strongly about it, but I am afraid it won't be a popular opinion.
While I really did enjoy her first book in this series, "Sworn to Silence", I cannot say the same for this one. You could actually save your money or your credit and just re-read the first one. There is enough repetition between the first and second and then just in the second one alone, deja-vu comes to mind. If you removed all the repetitious and unnecessary dialogue, I believe you would have only half a book. The rest felt very much like filler. The words sigh, grimace and shrug (and all variations thereof) were used so many times I started to laugh when I read them.
I think the editor dropped the ball on letting this one fly. There were so many ridiculous and implausible scenarios. Two of my favorites being: Frost on the windshield of a car and sweltering heat in the same day. Is that even possible? They were also swarmed by mosquitoes that day and I'm pretty sure the frost would have killed them. Also, going to a noisy pool playing and football watching bar for some "peace and quiet"? Men should try that one more often.
There were also a constant barrage of clues and mysteries that the Chief of Police couldn't figure out right away, that were so rudimentary it made realty hard to swallow. However, I did finish the book just to see how it turned out, albeit cracking up every time someone sighed, shrugged or grimaced.
In a nutshell, there are always certain similarities involved in every series of books, but this really lacked any (or enough) fresh ideas or new scenarios. It even stormed during the big climax just as it did with the first book. Enough said....
While I really did enjoy her first book in this series, "Sworn to Silence", I cannot say the same for this one. You could actually save your money or your credit and just re-read the first one. There is enough repetition between the first and second and then just in the second one alone, deja-vu comes to mind. If you removed all the repetitious and unnecessary dialogue, I believe you would have only half a book. The rest felt very much like filler. The words sigh, grimace and shrug (and all variations thereof) were used so many times I started to laugh when I read them.
I think the editor dropped the ball on letting this one fly. There were so many ridiculous and implausible scenarios. Two of my favorites being: Frost on the windshield of a car and sweltering heat in the same day. Is that even possible? They were also swarmed by mosquitoes that day and I'm pretty sure the frost would have killed them. Also, going to a noisy pool playing and football watching bar for some "peace and quiet"? Men should try that one more often.
There were also a constant barrage of clues and mysteries that the Chief of Police couldn't figure out right away, that were so rudimentary it made realty hard to swallow. However, I did finish the book just to see how it turned out, albeit cracking up every time someone sighed, shrugged or grimaced.
In a nutshell, there are always certain similarities involved in every series of books, but this really lacked any (or enough) fresh ideas or new scenarios. It even stormed during the big climax just as it did with the first book. Enough said....
Helpful Score: 3
In the second outing for police chief Kate Burkholder, a person--or persons--have slaughtered all seven members of the Amish Plank family at their home in Painters Mill, Ohio. The bodies of the two teenage daughters show signs of torture. At first, it appears the father, Amos, killed his wife and five children, then shot himself. When clues point to a killer outside the family, Kate, who left the Amish community decades before, zeroes in on 15-year-old Mary, who may have flirted with the idea of living in the English world. Lending a hand is Kate's on-again/off-again boyfriend, John Tomasetti, an agent suspended from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Identification for failing a recent drug test in the wake of his own family's murder about two years earlier. Castillo excels at detailing gory crime scenes, but she leaves Kate and John as little more than cookies cut from the same troubled cop mold.
Castillo can describe crime scenes in detail, but here it seems overwrought. And, let's face it, with what both Burkholder and Tomasetti have done in their personal and professional lives, it's a wonder they still have jobs. The case rattles Burkholder, who left the Amish faith as a teenager after she was raped by an Amish man. Helping her through the stressful investigation is John Tomasetti, a big-city cop battling his own demons (his wife and young daughters were murdered a few years before). The two had a brief affair, but time has passed and both have hesitations about rekindling the romance. They have plenty to distract them as they search for a killer who may have more sinister acts in store. Though the plot fizzles a bit at the end (I guessed the killer), a unique setting and a very human heroine make this a good recommendation.
Castillo can describe crime scenes in detail, but here it seems overwrought. And, let's face it, with what both Burkholder and Tomasetti have done in their personal and professional lives, it's a wonder they still have jobs. The case rattles Burkholder, who left the Amish faith as a teenager after she was raped by an Amish man. Helping her through the stressful investigation is John Tomasetti, a big-city cop battling his own demons (his wife and young daughters were murdered a few years before). The two had a brief affair, but time has passed and both have hesitations about rekindling the romance. They have plenty to distract them as they search for a killer who may have more sinister acts in store. Though the plot fizzles a bit at the end (I guessed the killer), a unique setting and a very human heroine make this a good recommendation.
Helpful Score: 2
Very ineresting book, gripping and action packed. A lot of cursing. This book keeps the blood pumping fast.
Marianne S. (sfc95) -
Helpful Score: 1
Absolutely excellent. Read it in one day because I could not put it down. I can't wait fo rthe next installment.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a strong sequel and I do hope that this series continues! It is very good. While, like the first book, the plot was not entirely unpredictable, the level of suspense was well maintained throughout. The resolution wasn't completely satisfactory, but it was still a thoroughly enjoyable mystery. As I much as I want this series to continue on, I do wonder how much it can feasibly continue. For a town that seems renown for its lack of violence, there sure does seem to be quite a lot of violence present!
