2.0 out of 5 stars SORRY - this was not for me., October 19, 2011

This suspense thriller about four disaffected friends whose unique business venture goes dreadfully wrong was not for me. I would call it a complicated mess. As a device, the author used shifting points of view throughout the narrative as well as all different voices (first, second and third person) alternatively so that the reader was often confused. Not only that, but there were also backward and forward movements in time so that any sense of an unfolding sequence of events was absent. In addition, often things that happened were hinted at rather than fully described which also left the reader constantly guessing about what was going on.

Ordinarily I like a thriller that makes me think and gives me a lot of clues to analyze or things to ponder, but this was all over the place. Themes of child pornography and sexual abuse, torture, gratuitous killing, etc. advanced the plot: someone is using the concept of "sorry" to commit revenge murder. The ending wasn't satisfying nor am I sure that I completely understood the whole point of everything or who did what to whom. I didn't like it. It was hard work to read. I'm glad I finished it, finally. And I won't be recommending it. PASS.

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Four friends are having a rough time of it. Frauke's mom has been committed to an asylum and since her father can't sleep alone, he relies on Frauke to retain his sanity. Wolf is heartbroken and filled with grief; the woman he loved overdosed and died. Kris is a journalist but was fired and Tamara lives with the guilt of giving custody of her daughter Jenna to her ex-lover, and the fact that she is a terrible mother in her own mind.


One evening when they are hanging out, they come up with the idea for a business, Sorry. They will apologize for corporations and businessmen, offering financial compensation and telling them how sorry their client is. It's an instant success and the friends have more money than they know what to do with. They purchase a villa, renovate it and all move in together, running their agency from there.

However, everything changes with a new client. They do all of their normal contracts and background checks, so they don't anticipate what is at the apartment, where they are to go to apologize. A woman is nailed to a wall mural, nails through her wrists and forehead. With a phone call, their client tells them to do their job and if they want to throw in the perk of getting rid of the body, that would be a bonus. To ensure they do their job, the client threatens them with violence to their family members, with pictures at the crime scene to show that he means business.

Their friendship is tested. Frauke wants to call the cops, Kris wants to go after the client, Lars Meybach, and Tamara and Wolf just want to do what he wants and then it will be over. But it is far from over and the more they chase Lars, the more dangerous it gets for them. You can't say you're sorry if you are dead and the cat and mouse game that Lars takes them on is chilling.

Translated from German, Sorry reads in several perspectives, but the parts in the book make it easy for the reader to follow along. With the ghastly murders, the backstory of the characters, the current investigation and the clues leading you to a shocking conclusion, shivers will run up your spine. I couldnt put it down - it's clever, unique, heart-pounding and disturbing!

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