Friday, April 13, 2018

Mini Book Reviews (2)

On to the second set of mini book reviews...


I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

I'd heard about this book only after Michelle McNamara died in her sleep a couple of years ago. I know who Patton Oswalt is and that she was his wife. I learned about her book in-progress and became fascinated about her search for this killer. I didn't know a thing about this case before I read the book. Parts of California were terrorized for 10 years while this killer was active. McNamara takes us through the crimes, all the clues left behind and what the investigations have yielded after all this time. It's been a truly frightening look into the actions and psychology of a serial rapist/killer. I can't deny a nightmare or two or checking my windows more than once before bed. I can only hope they finally catch this man and bring him to justice. But read with the lights on....


In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

This was Ware's first book. A lot of people on Goodreads said this was her best and their favorite. Well, I read the Woman in Cabin 10 right after and can tell you I enjoyed that one much better.

This one was a bit rough for me. Nora is a reclusive writer of crime novels at age 26. She likes it that way. But she receives an email from an old friend she hasn't been in contact with for 10 years, inviting her to her bachelorette party (or hen party in the UK). She agrees as long as another friend from high school agrees to go too. It's rough for me because I didn't quite buy that she would go to this party. But OK. The person hosting the hen party seems a bit unhinged and overly dramatic. She seems obsessed with Clare (the one getting married). Well, we find out Nora dated Clare's fiance in high school and something happened with him to make Nora leave school and never contact anyone again.

The story goes back and forth between Nora at the hen party in the dark, dark woods and Nora in the hospital bruised and broken and unable to remember much. It ended up being a bit convoluted for me and the characters a bit weak. It wasn't my favorite but it's quick and maybe it would appeal to a slightly younger audience? At 26 and still hung up on a boyfriend she only dated for 6 months when she was 16 just had me rolling my eyes...


The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

This was a lot better experience for me. Her world and characters seem a lot more mature. I also listened to it on audio and Imogene Church does a fantastic job with voices. She does accents from Sweden to American to Bostonian to Irish...amazing. The story truly came alive for me.

The story did drag in a few spots at the beginning and toward the end. And the protagonist does make a few weirdly plot convenient mistakes. But overall, this was Ware's better book. It's a great thrill ride and listen to it if you can!

I've been reading a lot of thriller/mystery/horror/true-crime for Michelle's Spring Into Horror Readathon!



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