I wanted to really like this book, and it turned out to be really good. The 1 reason it is not 5 stars is the book is overwritten. The author is an excellent writer but in a way that is the problem. There is to much going on in this book:
*How gritty, and dying and run down Atlantic City has become.
*Women- primarily prostitutes, are being murdered, some are professional dominatrixes, some are drug addicts and some have been cast off and thrown away
* A 16 year old fortune teller who has increasingly disturbing visions of the women being killed. Whose mother is no longer around and whose aunt is deeply troubled as well.
*A former art gallery worker who was wronged by her boyfriend and is now working in Atlantic City.
*A deaf mute with whole story of his own - this alone could have been a separate book.
*A lot about how hard it is to be a woman, but not nearly enough about the women themselves.
There are more subplots but you get the idea.
Talented author but she needs to reign in the storylines. ( )

this one is difficult to rate. I really liked the characters, the way the plot unfolded and the writing in general. reminded me of a Victorian gothic, especially the way it would change perspectives from one character to another throughout, a lot like the moonstone or one of those epistolary novels. I'd have given it a 5 and probably should, except the characterization of women upset me. I'm assuming it was intended to, but pretty much every female character chooses to sell herself? I get that the selling is supposed to be preferable to having it taken or given away only to have it be abused or unappreciated, but it got a bit hard to take. ( i know, probably the point) ( )

Suspense

Made it around 26% and still had no clue what was going on. DNF ( )

Gave up ( )