Helpful Score: 2
There are two problems with this novel. The first is Kellerman's writing style. He may be the son of Jonathon and Faye Kellerman, but he writes like he is the offspring of Dean "I never met an adverb I didn't like" Koontz. Kellerman's writing `tries too hard'. He writes sentences that are loaded with adjectives, adverbs, awkward similes and obscure references. Kellerman's bloated writing bogs his story down.
The predictable ending to this novel is made even more anti-climactic when Kellerman jumps forward in time, out of the action and into an epilogue where he explains what happened `after the fact'. What little suspense he had managed to build is completely lost.
The second problem with this novel are the characters, particularly Eve Gones, Jonah's psycho girlfriend. Good suspense novels require a good villain and while Eve is indeed sinister, unfortunately she is also tedious, pretentious, and annoying.
This is a problem. The villain can be a lot of things (creepy, disturbing, cruel, demented, evil) but most of all, they need to interesting, not irritating. Eve's lengthy, self-indulgent, and painfully trite monologues are nothing short of torture to read. And Jonah's complete inability to deal with Eve's increasingly bizarre behavior is just as frustrating for the reader.
Reading this novel is like banging your head against a wall.
The predictable ending to this novel is made even more anti-climactic when Kellerman jumps forward in time, out of the action and into an epilogue where he explains what happened `after the fact'. What little suspense he had managed to build is completely lost.
The second problem with this novel are the characters, particularly Eve Gones, Jonah's psycho girlfriend. Good suspense novels require a good villain and while Eve is indeed sinister, unfortunately she is also tedious, pretentious, and annoying.
This is a problem. The villain can be a lot of things (creepy, disturbing, cruel, demented, evil) but most of all, they need to interesting, not irritating. Eve's lengthy, self-indulgent, and painfully trite monologues are nothing short of torture to read. And Jonah's complete inability to deal with Eve's increasingly bizarre behavior is just as frustrating for the reader.
Reading this novel is like banging your head against a wall.
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