Review: The Becoming of Noah Shaw

The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great follow-up to the Mara Dyer Trilogy .
That you should have read before, although some flashbacks to it are integrated into the story, necessarily, even for me - as it has been nearly 3 years since reading the last book.

Also have all these on Audible, so I listened to some part of it. Should have read Mara Dyer again before, or listened to it. Will probably listen to it soon, when I find the time.

Interesting, but short. Still recommended, these books are among the best I read this part of the century. For some reason the book, that now comes to mind, is A Clockwork Orange, which I also want to read again and/or listen to.

Pre-ordered this as soon as read of it, and have pre-ordered The Reckoning of Noah Shaw, which I will buy as an ebook (as I do most books nowadays) and if possible as an Audio (meaning I try to get the Kindle-Audible-Whispersync-Deal if possible).

(Added later)Realized that have given no reason to read this book or why I liked it. And in light of some other reviews (and a few 1-2 stars even from people who liked the Mara Trilogy) I will change that, but this might take a few days, sorry.

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Review: No Escape

No Escape by Michelle Gagnon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rather short addition (was free for me, I do not think it is worth anything to pay for it, so be aware).
OK introduction, but no hacking, and I did not really get into it, not having read anything else yet.
Bought the first novel today, to read it. It may be a mistake to read this first, or add no value.
Hopefully the novel is better, else I see a DNF coming...
Will add to this review wether it may be necessary to read this after finshing the novel.

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Review: The Becoming of Noah Shaw

The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great follow-up to the Mara Dyer Trilogy .
That you should have read before, although some flashbacks to it are integrated into the story, necessarily, even for me - as it has been nearly 3 years since reading the last book.

Also have all these on Audible, so I listened to some part of it. Should have read Mara Dyer again before, or listened to it. Will probably listen to it soon, when I find the time.

Interesting, but short. Still recommended, these books are among the best I read this part of the century. For some reason the book, that now comes to mind, is A Clockwork Orange, which I also want to read again and/or listen to.

Pre-ordered this as soon as read of it, and have pre-ordered The Reckoning of Noah Shaw, which I will buy as an ebook (as I do most books nowadays) and if possible as an Audio (meaning I try to get the Kindle-Audible-Whispersync-Deal if possible).

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Review: Find Me

Find Me by Romily Bernard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trigger warning: suicide, abuse, child-abuse/teen-abuse, a little bullying.
Had this on my TBR for nearly a year now, but not yet bought, which I did today.
Just read a recommendation and liked the blurb.
Although I had been burned in the past by a few of these recommendations and will stay away if the bad-word-tag (Gone Girl-alike, Psychological Thriller, meaning to me DNF / total-bore) pops up, still think, I will like this and am just in the mood for it. Price was ok.

Could have more hacking, but ok, for what it delivered. MC was ok, but not totally convincing, feel at a loss to put my finger on why.

Recommended, but a little too much romance, no sex. For a debut 1 star extra, not sure if and when I will read more of this series. Reasonably fast read, had to wait for a delivery which came late and nearly read 80% during the hours of waiting.

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Review: You Were Gone

You Were Gone by Tim Weaver
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Dead Good Books recommended - have to be more careful with these recommendations, way too many bad books started / bough in the last years. If I ever see the moniker "psychological thriller - page-turner" again, I should stay away from it.

Boring, way too long. Two stars for a good idea.
This certainly brings to turn the page - to get to the reveal much faster.
No suspense, not enough twists, one was obvious to me nearly from the beginning (only revealed in the final crime scene at the house with the woman).
One more of author for never-buy-never-read-again-pile. Pitty. Sounded good from the blurb.
While after reading it, a lot felt unreal and ridiculous, stranger things have already happend in RL, so I cannot safely say it is to far out there.

There was too much not needed and boring information about the life of the MC and others in there, that could have been cut without changing the story. And it was as much as 50%, by my best guess.
Not recommened. Skipped a lot, going fast-forward through it, but the time it took me (a week) is testament to the unnecessary length of the novel, even after the solution-reveal there came more story I really did not want to know.
Not very entertaining. And it was not even cheap, I paid full price for it, which I regret now!

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Review: First Grave on the Right

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For a first book, start of a series, I rate this a generous 4 stars. Not really sure if that is entirely deserved. As the main case ended it felt too long, then came the side story of Charly's love-live.

Nice sex-scenes (explicit but rather non-kinky and straight).
Like the POV-tone of the MC Charley, snarky, but sometimes also a bit unsure and whiny, but not too whiny.
World-building nicely integrated in the story as the MC does not know everything, even in the end there are things hidden from her. So far luckily no Zombies, no Vampires, so that is a plus, also no love-triangle, and no insta-love (open to interpretation, some might say it is insta-love).

For the older YA-Generation, would not really see this for a 12 yr-old, I guess 14 and above. Bloody death scenes, torture described, and all that. Maybe not even YA but more NA.

Recommended four stars, might read the next book, but not too soon, I think.

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Review: Mitgift

Mitgift by Kirsten Wendt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Das Buch alleine hätte knapp 3.5 Sterne bekommen, je nach Stimmung auf- oder abgerundet auf 3 bzw. 4 Sterne.
Drei Sterne sind jetzt für die ganze Serie.
Das Buch, ebenso wie das vorige war einfach zu kurz. Als ein etwas längeres Buch alle 4 Bände würde ich besser finden. Die beiden Krimifälle, ein eigener und der Buch-übergreifende Fall der Kindesentführung werden beide gelöst, wobei bei einem die Lösung klar ist, aber nicht zuende geschrieben wird, das Buch endet einfach.
Die Fälle im letzten Band waren ok, aber nicht kompliziert, keine überraschenden Wendungen. Das hätte gerne länger und komplizierter sein können, die übliche Mischung aus Privatleben und Fall, aber durch die Kürze ist mir das Privatleben etwas viel geworden Die Technik ist up-to-date, spielt aber selten eine Rolle und leider auch keine tragende. Hätte gerne mehr sein können (social media, IT, Computer, Mobilphone-Ortung etc.).

Zurückhaltende Empfehlung, alle 4 Bände zusammen können wohl an einem Wochenende oder schneller gelesen werden, hätten anspruchsvoller sein können und länger. Würde für einen angemessenen Preis auch eine Fortsetzung lesen. Diese 4 Bücher sind auch was zum Leihen, glaube nicht, daß ich die Bücher nochmal lese.

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Review: Gone Without A Trace

Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

DNF at 15 % / Page 44 from 293 (as per Tolina epos display).
Skimmed the last few chapters and the epilogue.
Not my kind of book, this was recommended by BookRiot, and I have to remind myself, to check other sources before buying or reading a book.
MC and all other characters unlikeable, could not even pity Matt. And Jamie is a creep as bad as they come.

Some of what I said in the review for Girl I used to be also applies here, so I will not waste time repeat it, read it if you want to be warned. My 2star review of Girl I used to be

The ending in the epilogue is the main reason for the second star with this book.

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Review: Straßenköter

Straßenköter by Stefan B. Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Trigger Warnung: Pädophilie.
Die ersten beide Bände der Serie Mordkommision Leipzig hatten beide je etwa 140 Seiten, dieser hier 109 (Anzeige Tolino epos). Entsprechend schnell war ich fertig mit dem ebook.

Der Hauptfall ist ok, nicht übel vor allem am Ende. Die Kindesentführung war im 2. Buch kaum Thema, hier ist es fast genauso wichtig, wie der Hauptfall, vor allem, da aus allen Teams Leute abgezogen werden.

Mit der um ca. 1/3 reduzierten Länge des gegenüber den anderen Bändern hat das Buch einen Preis von knapp 1 ct./Seite. Wobei ich nicht sicher bin, ob das ein dauerhafter Preis ist, oder nur als Einführung herabgesetzt - dann würde es m.E. bei einer Preisanpassung zu teuer.
Angemessen währe ein Sammelband für 2,99 Eur, oder weniger, wenn der 4. Band erschienen ist (ca. 1 Woche).

Guter Krimi, glaubwürdig, Technik (Handyortung etc.) aktuell, aber nicht dominierend und auch nicht übertrieben. Solide 3 sterne Empfehlung von mir.

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Review: Hurenball

Hurenball by David Gray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wie das erste, ok, 3 sterne, wobei in dem Fall der Kindesführung nichts passiert, ausser das einer der beiden Polizisten Gewissensbisse bekommt.
Nette Aktion-Szenen, wilde Schiesserei und mehrere Schwerverletzte.

Was ich beim ersten Band geschrieben habe, gilt auch hier, kein Sex, kleine romantische Anwandlungen, die aber nicht ausgelebt werden. Dafür wird Missbrauch, Padöphilie und Kinderpronografie gestreift, aber nicht explizit oder ausführlich.

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Review: The Girl I Used to Be

The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Trigger Warning: boredom, nearly no sex, too much family, no suspense. Real trigger warning: Rape, but not very explicit.
DNF, will go FF till the end.

Fell (again) for a blurb which made the book sound way more interesting than it is.
Also some reviews had "page-turner" in the reviews. Well, more like, stick-together-pages-I-had-to-cut-if-I-was-not-reading-an-ebook.
Just checked, the main recommendation was from BookRiot, also I have Gone Without a Trace (bought it cheap), which was also a BookRiot-recommendation, now I am wary, I will probably look into it, with the goal to decide early on, wether to read it and finish it, or if that is also another DNF.

Stopped reading in earnest at the beginning of chapter 12, I think.
This reads more like a romance, than a mystery or thriller.
Boring, takes to long and too much familiy with barely a hint, what is wrong. No page-turner so far, and I am near DNFing it.

Still wonder what other people read, that they think it is a fast-paced page-turner.
Two stars for a good blurb, and I regret pre-ordering this and paying for it, price was ok, though. Will FF to the end and add to this review a little then.

Skimmed a few 4/5 star reviews. And one said, this is "on the lighter side" in comparison to Gone without a trace, so here's hoping, that will be better. There is supposed to be a twist, bit so far I have not read it.

(Added a day later) So, now I have FF through until the end. What a chore! A few little twists, of which one was obvious, the others not so much, but did not save the book from the boredom it transpires. Not sure, wether this warrants 2 stars, but at least there was no vigilant-killing and the reason for not calling the police before the finale was well written.

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Review: Rampensau

Rampensau by Marcus Hünnebeck
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Short series, with 4 different authors writing about the murder-squad in Leipzig.
Review in German, this is so far not available in English, I think.

Kurze Serie, 4 Bände, die in Abstand von 2 Wochen publiziert werden, 2 habe ich schon, einer erscheint morgen (07. Mai 2018) und der letzte am 14. Mai 2018.

Die Bände sind preiswert (noch?), aber auch nur so ca. 140 Seiten kurz. Also alle 4 Bände kosten knapp unter 4 Eur, und sind zusammen etwa ein langer Roman.

Die Titel sind etwas reisserisch, ich hatte auf so etwas wie die Sex & Crime-Reihe vonm Harry Hold gehofft, das war es nicht.

Normaler Krimi, mit netten Polizisten, etwas Lokal-Kolorit, und einem kurzweiligem Fall. Nix perverses, kein Sex, als Trigger höchstens die Kindesentführung, aber die ist im 1. Buch auch nicht aufgeklärt. Mir währen ja vor allem Polizisten lieber, die sich an Gesetze halten, mal sehen, wie sich das in den nächsten Büchern entwickelt.

Empfehlung für ein verregnetes Wochenende (bzw. evtl. nur einen verregneten Nachmittag). Bin gespannt, wie die anderen Bücher sind, und wie gut die Zusammenhänge sind. Aber eben auch nur 3 Sterne, mehr nicht, sorry. Das werde ich anpassen, wenn ich die anderen Bücher gelesen habe.

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