RJ ParkerRezensionen
Autor von The Good Neighbor
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This book was very easy to read, short chapters had me flying through the story. I did quite enjoy the majority of the story even though Leah did make some silly decisions. Had she not however then case closed very quickly and no thriller.
This isn't the strongest thriller I've read and is definitely a story in thrillerland especially with the ending. I did enjoy most of the book but did want to get to the end as I knew it was most likely going to end well for Leah.
As a fan of "true crime" this was a pretty easy read, but left me wanting a lot more detail. The author named movies made out of each case, which was an interesting twist.
There were quite a few crimes that I had known about, but most of the crimes within these pages I had never even heard of before so it made for a very interesting read. I won't go into detail about all the crimes that were compiled by the author as this book was loaded with the most crazy and nutty criminal/serial killers to ever walk this earth!
The author went into quite a bit of detail for each criminal with background story and how justice was served in each case. Kudos to the author for the extensive research on all the criminals! Four stars for this one.
The main character Sarah was well written, but I would have liked her to be rounded a little more, but given that this was a short fiction, I felt it was is fine. Sarah is a teenager at Lon Chaney Jr. High. She has a close relationship with her dad and share the same birthday with him and her grandfather (I can relate. I share my birthday with my great grandfather). She gets an assignment about her genealogy, but with that assignment, she ended up opening a big can of worms. I liked the character of Sarah. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, even with what she finds out about her grandfather. I can see where the author was heading with her. I was glad to see her as a strong character for her age and not whiney like I have read and seen in the past.
Like Sarah, I enjoyed the other characters in this story. Her friends felt real and the friendship chemistry felt strong. They were strong secondary characters and I can not wait to read more about them in the next books. They each have their own personalities and you can tell them apart. Sarah’s father I liked as well. I wished there was a little more built with him, but again with this being a short fiction, the author wrote him well. You can tell the closeness Sarah and her father had throughout this story. I hope the author continues this in the series. The grandfather I fell in love with. I had the actor Terence Stamp pictured in my head for this character. I do not know why lol. He felt the most well-rounded character in this story. The way the author showed his background story was a neat idea. I loved the fact that even though it was a flashback; it did not pull you out of the story.
The amulet - the Telum Deos is an interesting idea. I enjoyed how, as a reader, we discovered the origin and why it is important in the story. Because of this amulet, we, the readers, are introduced to Dracula. The setting in this story is your regular neighborhood vibe. It was not elaborate, but as a reader, you knew enough to help the story move forward.
I enjoyed this story. Introductions to a series are always the set-ups. I recommend it to those who want a Goonies vibe book, fun read, and loveable characters. I loved the corny comic vibes, even though they kind of feel like they came from left field. It helped break up the seriousness of the story. I look forward to the others in this series.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
R. J Parker unfolds the story mostly from Leah’s perspective, but flashbacks let readers know what she does not. The timelines eventually converge in a terrifying manner. Events spiral downward at a frantic gripping pace, and readers do not whom to believe. The line between good and evil blurs, the choices become untenable. Is there a way for Leah to get things under control, or are the circumstances unwinnable?
“The Good Neighbor” is a story filled with comprehensive geographic details, complex thought processes, and gloves, always a fresh pair of surgical gloves. I received a review copy of “The Good Neighbor” from R. J. Parker, One More Chapter, and Harper Collins Publishers.
It's a nice premise for a murder mystery, but I found most of Leah's actions incomprehensible and ultimately annoying. Martin becomes obsessed with her and starts killing off the people she's had interactions with. Instead of Leah cooperating with the police, she withholds information that could save some of those people because she shared a kiss with Martin. She could have just told the police he kissed her but she makes a huge deal out of it and can't tell anyone.
The story is told back and forth from Leah to Martin's POV which becomes a bit repetitive but it's a quick read and an easy way to pass a couple of hours.
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review
There were a lot of action and crazy scenarios, which I often enjoy in suspense and thrillers. The Good Neighbor even had a touch of graphic horror which I would normally love, but there was way too much repetition and Leah’s character fell flat for me.
Some reviewers may find the lack of back story on Martin Tate not to their taste, but I thought this just enhanced the creep factor. And I really liked where R.J. Parker was headed towards the end when Martin was talking to Leah during the showdown. The idea of Leah freeing herself the way Martin was hoping added a very interesting layer to the story. And the final little twist put a smile on my face, but it just wasn’t enough for me to rave about The Good Neighbor.
If you have nothing else to read (yea, right!) then I would say to give The Good Neighbor a read. I will try at least one more book by R.J. Parker since the synopsis for both The Dinner Party and While You Sleep sound interesting, but I won’t be recommending this one to strangers… like I do The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides!
Actual Rating: 2.75
The blurb for this sounded intriguing right off the bat. You wake up one day in your own bed. It feels like nothing's different, and yet as time passes you realize: you're not home at all. You're in a replica of it, and there's no way out. This is exactly what happened to Lily and her five-year-old daughter Maisie, one day after she sees someone standing in her garden, wearing a mask of Maisie's face.
Not only is the premise of the story just really original, but this story and the writing was undoubtedly the best part. From the very first page, I was hooked and it was the type of book where I couldn't put it down because I spent every page trying to figure out the mystery for myself. The whodunnit build-up was done really well, and it's satisfying to read an antagonist that acts smart.
As the mystery is actually revealed in the last 10%, however, a lot of the good things about the book — like the tension of secrets — just fall apart. It isn't just that the reveal and reasoning are unsatisfying; it's that it came completely out of nowhere. All that time I had spent trying to figure out the mystery from the hints that were dropped about other characters... but in the end, it felt like there actually hadn't been any clues at all, no build-up or logic whatsoever.
Another issue that I had was with the characters; Lily is alright, and under the circumstances, I think the way she acted was pretty smart at times and relatable. Maisie, however, really seems out of character. She was suspiciously coherent and logical for a five-year-old and honestly just sounded and acted like a child who was at least ten. It was really hard to square the dialogue that she had with her explicit characterization, which is something that probably just needs to be reworked a little.
Ultimately, I still enjoyed most of this reading experience, since I liked the feeling of tension and mystery that clouded everything that was going on. The basics of the characters and the plot definitely need some more fleshing out, but there's a LOT of potential here.
Welcome to the reality of Lily and Maisie Russell as they fight for understanding and their lives.
I enjoyed most, but not all of this book. Lily's ex Ewan would have been the obvious choice for the kidnapper, but it was far more sinister once you found out the who and why. I do not recall any mention of a deceased relative, so it was something that was simply thrown in to the story later and really didn't feel like it fit very well. The last sentence was a terrible way to end it and from my perspective, had incestuous implications and really did not wrap the entire story up. Thanks NetGalley once again for this book, all opinions are truly my own.
I’m honestly not even sure how to categorize this book as I’ve seen it listed as MG, YA, and simply as Fantasy. There are elements of all three, which was kind of mind boggling. I’m not a big reader of Middle Grade books, but do enjoy the charm of innocence, and am always on the lookout for books my kids might enjoy when they are older. I thought this book sounded like a lot of fun, and right up my alley as I love clashing worlds. I really liked the idea of a fantasy world coming into ours instead of people from our world heading into a fantasy world. A portal fantasy in reverse. I hoped for a fun, lighthearted read with lots of adventure, but I’m afraid I got something that felt a little too adult.
The Characters: What Lovely Siblings!
The book description only mentions Clint, Corbin, O’Neil, and Banks, but the book itself has so many more characters. I found it difficult to remember who this book was supposed to be about, and often wondered if I was even right. From the description, it should be Clint and Corbin, at least, but it seemed to be more of a family affair. I did love that Clint has so many siblings, both blood siblings and stepsiblings. They were each a lot of fun and had quite a bit of character and spunk, as well as fun moments of being completely befuddled. At the same time, the story focused on them as a group though much of the story was told from Clint’s perspective. It was a little confusing to figure out who the story was supposed to be about. I suppose it’s the whole family, but then there were parts when Clint was clearly the focus and the whole story revolved around him. I suppose I just wish the POV had been nailed down a little better, but I really loved reading about the whole family.
I did so love the characters. They were probably my favorite part of this book. I thought Kayla was quite mature for her age, though, and Tamara’s change was so sudden it felt like it came from left field, but, really, the characters made the story fun and interesting. The only one that bothered me was Corbin because he honestly felt like a rubber ball pinging off every wall in the house. The only consistent thing about his character was that he was fun. Cody was probably my favorite. As the second oldest (I won’t even go into the oldest kid because she isn’t seen much and was really painted as being too self-absorbed for my tastes), he had quite a bit of responsibility on his shoulders, so his freak outs and wanting to be noble at the same time was so much fun.
I also really liked the characters from the other world. The bad ones were really bad and the good ones were typical good ones. They kept the Earth kids in the dark until they couldn’t anymore, but were really set on protecting them. It was kind of sweet, but also infuriating. Still, they were a lot of fun, especially O’Neil, though I was torn between thinking him lazy and dangerous.
The Setting: A Portal Fantasy in Reverse, So…Here
Most of the book takes place in the San Francisco Bay Area. I haven’t spent much time in that area, so I don’t know it well, but I didn’t get a strong Northern California feel from the book. I couldn’t help but wonder where all the natural fog was. Though there was mention of a lot of hills. Still, I got more of a sense of a small city or even a large town more than I did San Francisco. Unless the city was named, I actually stopped thinking it was anything other than some unnamed city. There is a nearby farm that’s mentioned, along with the couple who run it, and I just completely failed to believe it could exist in the Bay Area. Though, I could be very wrong.
The fantasy world felt quite intriguing. The reader only gets a small slice of it as most of the book takes place in our reality, but it felt like it was more detailed and had a better sense of place. That doesn’t mean I know much about it from reading this one book, but it did sound intriguing and I liked that part of the world was comprised of completely ordinary inhabitants who changed because of the evil intent in their hearts. It was such a unique concept, I almost wish the story had taken place there rather than on Earth.
The Plot: A Lot More Dangerous Than Expected
This is one area that really left me wanting. The book opens with quite a bit of action and excitement, but then it doesn’t really tie in with anything else in the book. I spent the entire thing wondering when we would get back to it. It felt like the first 10% or so was just a really long build-up to the real story and, at the end of the book, you realize it’s all actually just set up for a greater series. I felt like the whole purpose of this book was just to get a bunch of kids from one place to another under the guise of looking for something called the Requiem.
From the description, I expected a fun story of two middle school kids attempting to juggle school and trying to help two weird beings from another world find some kind of relic. Instead, it was a whole family of kids being roped into really dangerous missions that actually injured and nearly killed them all multiple times. This is actually where the idea of this book being MG completely lost me. Too much of the content is for an older audience and I think, if I were to let my kids read this when they’re in middle school, it would probably freak them out. It was so far from the fun book I envisioned. Instead, it’s full of death and destruction, as well as a whole bunch of opening scenes that didn’t really add much to the story and could have been left out.
I really wanted to like this book. I was really hoping it would be a fun read, especially as we now find ourselves being told to stay home. I find myself requiring fun, adventure, and excitement. Instead, this book kind of horrified me. It may read like a book for a younger audience in terms of the writing itself and how the story was laid out, having a really nice focus on family, and heavily involve a middle school kid, but I think I’d rather firmly shelve this on the adult shelves and wonder just why some people might call this MG, unless that genre has really shifted in recent years, in which case my kids will be stuck reading picture books until they’re 18.
Lastly, I’d like to point out that this book required a heavy dose of willing suspension of disbelief for me. There were bits and pieces strung all over the place that were never returned to or were seemingly forgotten. The details were lacking. There was more of a focus on all the action and driving the story forward than on putting the time and energy on really fleshing out the story so it made terrific sense, so I found myself having to ignore all these bits of pieces and suspend disbelief so I could believe it.
Overall: Great Characters, But the Story Left Me Wanting
This book has some good points and some points that I wasn’t too keen on. I adored the characters and I loved their relationships. They were so much fun. But the story itself was anything but fun. It was full of death and destruction and, frankly, a lot of the content just horrified me. Some might label this MG, but, unless it’s really changed lately, I can’t see myself calling it that. Some have called it YA, which might be more appropriate, but I didn’t get many YA vibes from it. The teenage characters were painted through more childlike eyes, though there is a touch of romantic interest. But I really, really, really loved that this book brought fantasy characters into our world, though I was disappointed by how the end went. Overall, great if you enjoy daring missions involving children and can forgive a lot of the trauma these kids are likely to face.
Thank you to the author, R. J. Parker, for a free e-copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
This book took me about three hours to read, very easy and fast. Now the synopsis...
Lily is at work when she receives a notification on her cell phone from her home security app. There is a man in her backyard wearing a mask, a mask of her five year old daughter. Police are called and Maisie, the daughter, is picked up from school early to keep her safe and close. The police deemed is was someone that Lily knew and they were playing an evil trick. Next day, Lily awakes and goes about her normal day, until she realized it wasn’t. Her home seemed normal to her, but little clues threw her off, especially the window in the kitchen. The window is supposed to look out into her garden, but now it looks out to rubble. Lily and Maisie are kidnapped and are thrown into a personal jail which is the exact replica of their home for...comfort? The photo albums in their prison has photographs in them, but Lily didn’t take them, but they are replicas of the photos Lily has at home. How long has this person been watching them? How were they always so close? Who took them? Who wanted them to feel like they’re at home while prisoners?
So, I LOVED the concept. Super freaky right?? Can you imagine going about your day believing your home until you realize you’re not and you’re being held captive??
The reason I’m giving this book 3/5 is because it was so short and rushed to me. I feel like there could have been a little more in the history of the secondary characters (read and you’ll understand why I say this). The ending was completely out there! You never really know who is always watching you.
Take a little magic, a jovial Scottish Dwarf, a misshapen Fury, an ordinary teenage boy, add an ogre or two and drop them all into a typical family, and then wait for the fireworks! Holbrook School has no idea what’s happening! Dead bodies have the police baffled. Mystery lies over the town as supernatural beings create havoc. Clint Holden (unbeknownst to him) is supposed to be the holder of the Requiem. A race is on between The Spell Binder and his ogres and imps, and Banks and O’Neil and their crew to reach the Requiem first. Amongst all the mayhem Clint and his brothers and sisters endeavor to carry on regardless, making trips to school an out-and-out war zone.
Not only did I find this book exciting, but it also made me smile nearly all the way through. I don’t want to spoil things, but I have to say that the Dwarf O’Neil made me chuckle the most, loved his appearance at the school Halloween dance! Also, I really enjoyed the chapter titles, for example a chapter where Clint has to take his parents a letter from school about his bad behavior is called, Do I Need a Lawyer!
All fantasy creatures and mayhem aside, this book is about family. Still raw from the death of his father, Clint finds it really hard to accept that his mother has married again. Thrown into a household of strangers he’s supposed to call family, Clint finds a rage within him that he doesn’t know how to handle. His step-dad John has also been married before and already has children. With a batty, TV crazy grandmother confined to her room upstairs, and a Goth step-sister isolating herself in the cellar and everyone in-between, the house is teeming with people, but loneliness keeps Clint feeling brittle. Through the extraordinary events that come crashing down on them they start learning what it means to be family.
R J Parker has created a well-written, exciting page-turner that you won’t want to miss. Requiem, Changing Times is a fun, gripping fantasy, and comes highly recommended
Clint has no idea his life is about to change. When he goes to school, it seems like any other day where Mrs. Christenson targets him for the principal’s office. But two groups of fantasy creatures have crossed over into his world. Each of them searching for Clint and his ties to the mysterious Requiem. But which side will find him first? And in the end, will the Requiem be used for good or evil? Requiem, Changing Times takes familiar creatures from the fantasy genre and crosses them into the real world. Using a combination of mystery and humor, young readers will immerse themselves in a world of action and adventure.
R.J. Parker made sure to keep a steady stream of humor throughout his story. In particular, the dwarf O’Neil and his trusty sidekick Nuts the squirrel end up in a few situations that will make readers laugh. The witty banter and comical interactions are definitely intended for the younger side of the YA audience. Although with the number of insults used, I’m not sure it is appropriate for the age group. Clint is an opinionated young man, but he isn’t the kindest to people who are different than he is. Anyone who is overweight or older is scrutinized by him.
I also found that there was a large number of similes used. Instead of using descriptions, Clint was often compared to animals. “Clint felt like a cat keeping away from areas with a lot of noise…” “Clint felt like a dog jogging behind his master…” Make sure you like to read similes because as a style choice it held the story back for me. However, I think it would help the younger audience connect to what was occurring in the story.
I do think a younger audience will appreciate this book. Clint goes through many things they can relate to. He deals with the emotional rollercoaster of having a stepfather he hasn’t quite accepted yet. He and his best friend Corbin have innocent antics in school that land them in trouble. And the grand adventure of searching for the Requiem will certainly keep them reading! The only reason I took a star away was for the number of insults used, as I don’t think I would want my kids to repeat some of them.
A story about someone as twisted as Heidnik should have much more dynamic in the writing. I'm not typically one to leave a negative review, but this honestly read like a high school biography assignment. Parker was accurate and thorough, but very unimaginative in how he told the story.
I did read it with a lot of sadness that such a thing exists. There’s clearly a problem especially in the states but then gun control has been a hot issue there for so many years. I did cringe in disbelief at one area in the second case where civilians came armed to assist the police. That’s just scary.
It does seem that there are blatant warning signs of perpetrators long before the event and until other people around them clue in to warning signs of family and friends and maybe preventing a massacre, these will continue. I think a lot of people need to wake up.
I'm extremely disappointed with this book. The collection of cases was generally good, though there were a couple of entries that had me raising an eyebrow. I think listing Dr. Kevorkian as a serial killer is a bit of a stretch and including Vlad Tepes without also including other warlords like Genghis Khan seems a little silly as well.
On top of the selection issued, the book is in need of a decent copy editor. Aside from the general grammar and spelling issues, half of the stories are written in a scatter shot manner, completely disregarding the order in which events occurred.
I'm also left wondering how much information I really gained from this book. There is a disclaimer at the beginning that mentions this is just a collection of brief bios, but there were a few entries I already knew a great deal about and I don't think the blurb included painted a very accurate picture of those individuals.
Overall, I had to force myself to finish the book based solely on the principle that I refuse to leave a book unfinished. Without such a principle, the book would be shoved to the back of a shelve to collect dust. Maybe burned.
Nope. Definitely burned.
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For a book that is meant to be "an addictive and twisty psychological thriller," it didn't provide many thrills. If the book had not started with the main character, Ted, fighting for his life, I don't know if I would have gotten through it nearly as quickly as I did. As it was, I did want to know how it got to that point, but it was quite a chore to get there. And more than once, I got to the end of a chapter and had no real compulsion to continue immediately, like I'd expect to have in a good book, especially a good thriller.
All four of the couples came across dull and lifeless to me--not necessarily as individual people, but in their relationships. Ted and his wife probably showed the biggest spark of life, but that was likely just because he was the main character. As such, I had a difficult time connecting with anyone in the book.
After the first murder victim appeared, most of the suspense seemed to be attempted through Ted questioning things repetitively--like why the victim had died, if the person they'd suspected to be the murderer had really done it, and if "the game" was responsible.
And that brings me to one of my biggest gripes. This trust game that they played was silly at best, yet became far too pivotal in the book. Everyone but Ted basically decided that the police shouldn't know about it, or they'd all be blamed for the death...I mean, just far too much emphasis was put on this party game. And worse yet, it turned out to be a big part of the underlying cause for everything.
In the end, the reason behind each death was weak and, frankly, boring. I had theories of twisty goodness that would be revealed at the end, but when it ended, and no exciting twists had occurred, I basically was left with my mouth hanging open, and not in a good way. No, I didn't guess at the motive behind the killings, but that didn't make it good. A few surprises and betrayals did come up in the second half, especially relating to Ted's wife, but none of them delivered on the punch they set up.
For those who want to know about how clean a book is before reading--there are no sexual situations and no language whatsoever that I can recall. The violence and bloodshed does get a bit much near the end, but nothing more than I could handle (and my threshold is fairly low).
I really wanted this book to deliver on its twisty promises, but it was unimpressive. It wasn't terrible, though, and I think there are those who will enjoy it. It just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for providing me a copy of this book to review.