Fran McDonnell

The idea for this book was fantastic and original. However, it’s the details that really make this story lag. First off, Isobel keeping her cancer a secret was strange, adding an unnecessary and trivial “secret” that would have been much better just out in the open. Second, her bossy brother was irritating, as was the way Isobel let him and other men talk to her, it was frustrating reading her getting walked all over with no character development that led to her eventually standing up for herself. Third, I’ve never read a more emotional book, and not that it made me emotional, but it felt like someone was always close to tears or crying. It was just a bit much. It also didn’t quite add up why a psychotherapist was doing all this detective work, often with the help of a receptionist. The clues and evidence were often too tidy and fit together too well, or far-reaching but somehow still managed to work out in their favor. I ended up skimming or skipping the majority of the dream sequences because they added little to the actual plot.

This book could have done better with a lot more editing.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.… (mehr)

I read this as an early reviewer and found the book well written, enjoyable and fun to read. It says in the title that it is a gripping thriller. It was a mystery with some interesting twists and turns, but I figured out early on what was going on and have to say that the only “gripping” part of the story was the garden scene and even then I somehow knew what would transpire. After watching many television mysteries on PBS and BBC, transferring the thrill and suspense experienced watching a mystery takes skill in the written word to create that same suspense. But still, this was well done and I liked it!… (mehr)

I received a copy of this book for LibraryThing Early Reviewers and I just don't know how to categorize it. It was an easy read and relatively enjoyable but it was not very suspenseful or thrilling. I found it to be very predictable. I kept hoping for plot twists that never came.

It's my understanding that this is the author's debut novel, and while this isn't a story that will keep me thinking about it long after putting it down, I think she has a lot of potential. I would definitely give her future work a read.… (mehr)