Helpful Score: 5
The prose in this book is economical, evocative and nearly immaculate. It's the story of a caretaker at a small, exclusive upstate New York college (think Colgate University ;-) during the wintry months. He's watching his marriage dissolve in the wake of a death of a child. His grief and desire to undo this damage causes him to take an interest in one of those tragic, missing-girl cases that are so often in the news. The book's perfectly rendered that bleak, snowbelt feeling. And some of the narrator's observations of the campus culture and student life are pretty funny. But I grew too sad watching the marriage dissolve and couldn't quite make myself warm up to the new love interest. So it's not a keeper for me. Still, the book's worth it for Busch's lovely prose style.
Helpful Score: 4
This book was hard to follow for me. Because of the writing style, I found myself re-reading sentences and paragraphs just to get the tone right and really understand what he was talking about. I think the main character was supposed to be sarcastically witty, but it didn't get pulled off...and the wife, although going through a tragic pain..annoyed me.
Helpful Score: 2
Really good thriller. This book has some incredibly sad moments that have to do with children. I don't want to give anything away. I thought it was excellent, but it may be too disturbing for some readers.
Helpful Score: 1
Loved this book! One of the best i've read in years.
Helpful Score: 1
Dark crime story. Easy to read but disturbing. I was compelled to write the author after reading it but found out he has passed away. The prose is exceptional.
A mystery and character study...NY Time Notable book. Good read.
