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Snow Escape

by Roberta Goodman (Goodreads Author)

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 15 ratings · 13 reviews

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Published (first published September 29th 2011)

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Jul 03, 2012 The Chaotic Reader rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

My review of Snow Escape is posted on The Chaotic Reader.

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Nov 14, 2011 Majanka rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama, horror, thriller

Snow Escape begins by introducing us to Allegra, a single woman in her thirties who works as a teacher and spends her spare time hanging out with friends or looking for possible dates on an online dating site. Ever since things didn’t work out with her ex-boyfriend Danny – he wanted to keep things simple, while she was convinced they had an actual relationship – things in the love department haven’t been working out for Allegra. She went on a couple of dates, but none of those guys sounded relat...more Snow Escape begins by introducing us to Allegra, a single woman in her thirties who works as a teacher and spends her spare time hanging out with friends or looking for possible dates on an online dating site. Ever since things didn’t work out with her ex-boyfriend Danny – he wanted to keep things simple, while she was convinced they had an actual relationship – things in the love department haven’t been working out for Allegra. She went on a couple of dates, but none of those guys sounded relationship material to her. Now, with a historical snow storm coming her way, Allegra finds herself stuck home on a friday evening with nothing better to do than grade homework and watch a movie, or reply to some of the mails she got from potential dates.

However, when Allegra gets a mail back from a man named ‘Charles’ and starts chatting with him online, the conversation grows eerier with the second. Not only is Charles supposedly living in her building, he also has some unsettling plans for her…Allegra’s panic increases with the minute as Charles not only is able to tell her exactly how many minutes she was asleep, indicating that watched her, but also threatens to harm her. Panicking, Allegra goes to her neighbours for help. However, not all of them believe her so willingly, and some might even be involved in the foul play…The clock is ticking mercilessly, and it’s up to Allegra to find out who she can trust and who she can’t, especially with the power falling out, clothing the building in unforgiving darkness. With a stalker and potential killer on the loose, who can Allegra turn to for help? And how well does she really know the people she’s called her neighbors for the last couple of years?

Snow Escape has an excellent premise, and it certainly delivers. The novel is captivating from the start, building tension slowly and gradually until you as a reader feel you might just be buried underneath the same amount of tension and despair as the main character.That being said, Allegra does make an interesting protagonist. The way she is being portrayed by people differs greatly. There seems to be a category of people who think she was obsessed with her ex-boyfriend and stalked him up to the point he was forced to leave town (Miguel, ex-boyfriend of one of her best friends, is one of those who seem to think that way) whereas others, including me, think that account is greatly exaggerated. From what I gathered from Allegra’s brief interactions with her friends, some of them really don’t threat her right, or have no insight in human psychology whatsoever. Allegra, honey, you definately need to find yourself a new set of friends. And stop dating on the internet.

Anyway, I found it intriguing to see how different some people can think about the same events, and how much opinions can vary. The residents in Allegra’s apartment building all hold secrets of their own as well, and it’s up to Allegra (and the reader) to find out what exactly they’re hiding and whether or not they’re the culprit. The first part of this novel is simply amazing. As I said, it’s a build-up of tension, anticipation and fear. But then the novel takes a different direction with the arrival of police officers and two detectives, and the constant feeling of dread vanishes. It’s as if this book miraculously transforms from an outstanding, nailbiting thriller into a mystery novel featuring two detectives who have to solve a crime.

I wasn’t too fond of this twist of events, but I did like how the officers had to put a timeline together and decipher who was telling the truth and who was lying in order to find out who really stalked Allegra, or if her supposed stalker was, as some of the tenants suggested, imaginative. I found this thought-process interesting to say the least, but it did drop the pace of the story significantly and all the tension that had been building up from page one simply dissapeared. The twist at the ending was unexpected and interesting, but it didn’t make up for the lack of tension in the previous chapters. Especially the fact that the detectives seemingly repeat everything that has just happened not once, but twice is a bit annoying. I would’ve preferred it if this novel had stayed with its original starting point, as a fast-paced, frightening thriller. The second part seems to belong to another book alltogether.

Solid characters with intriguing personalities offering a look at humanity in total, and on how perspectives can differ a lot from one individual to another. A nailbiting thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat for more than the first half of the story and then changes into a mystery novel with two detectives taking the front row. I enjoyed Snow Escape, and I read it in one sitting, desperate to know who was stalking Allegra this entire time, but it could’ve been better had the pace not dropped significantly in the second part, hence why only the 3,5 rating rather than a 4. But all in all, for a debut novel, Snow Escape has an intriguing premise, it’s well-executed, the characters are intriguing and Roberta Goodman’s fluent writing style makes up for a lot of the flaws in the second part. I would definately recommend it to people who are fans of thrillers like Night Stalker by Carol Davis Luce. The novel is intriguing and captivating, and I certainly enjoyed reading it. I’m looking forward to reading more works by this author.

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Nov 16, 2011 Reanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Roberta Goodman's Snow Escape was based around Allegra Maxwell, a single teacher, who's innocence is portrayed and threatened during a massive snow storm in New York.

Being a single woman, she feels the need for companionship. So she meets other single men through an online dating shop that she attempts to date. But after her relationship with "Danny", her ex, she doesn't seem to find the right person. But after coming home from her class that was cut short because of the snow storm, she sees a...more Roberta Goodman's Snow Escape was based around Allegra Maxwell, a single teacher, who's innocence is portrayed and threatened during a massive snow storm in New York.

Being a single woman, she feels the need for companionship. So she meets other single men through an online dating shop that she attempts to date. But after her relationship with "Danny", her ex, she doesn't seem to find the right person. But after coming home from her class that was cut short because of the snow storm, she sees a profile from a "Charles" that catches her eye. After several hours of talking on the chat feature on the dating website the conversation takes a turn for the worst.
Her night gets progressively worse as "Charles" seems to make her life a living hell and destroys the evidence along the way, to make her look like she's going insane. It doesn't help when the person who's tormenting her lives in her building. To make matters even worse, there's a terrible snow storm outside. With no escape from her tormentor, herself, or the building, she's stuck inside, running for her life and trying to prove that she's not mentally unstable.

I really enjoyed Roberta's writing style, though I found it was a little hard to read sometimes, as a whole it was well written. And though it was difficult to get started, once I got started I read it in basically one sitting. It kept me curious about who the villain or villains of the novel would be as she kept so many different options open as to who would be the stalker. But I did find that there were some left confusing and weren't fully explained or clarified. Such as when you find out who the villain was and you she was supposedly the stalker of her ex-boyfriend. Roberta never clarifies that Allegra was either a stalker or she wasn't it was just a he say she say kind of mention and that was a little aggravating for me as I really wanted to know the truth of the past. You also never find out what happens to Danny. So though it was overall enjoyable, there were a couple tidbits that bothered me and a lack of information in some locations.(less)

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Nov 01, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me begin by saying if you are one of the people who get really wrapped up in a book, so engrossed that you almost feel what the character is feeling, and your husband is out of state, your son isn't home to protect you, you live in New England and it's dark, prepare to not sleep. Just kidding, well sort of! That's what happened to me when reading this story. Roberta Goodman will get you so wrapped up in the story of Allegra and her plight that you'll be double checking your locks, looking ov...more Let me begin by saying if you are one of the people who get really wrapped up in a book, so engrossed that you almost feel what the character is feeling, and your husband is out of state, your son isn't home to protect you, you live in New England and it's dark, prepare to not sleep. Just kidding, well sort of! That's what happened to me when reading this story. Roberta Goodman will get you so wrapped up in the story of Allegra and her plight that you'll be double checking your locks, looking over your shoulder, and definately not logging into a dating site! Now that that's out of the way, onto the storyline.

It's winter time in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn and Allegra, a fourth grade teacher, is about to endure the worst experience of her life. Sick of being single, after a devastating break-up with her "boyfriend" Danny, Allegra decides to try a dating website. Stuck in the her apartment complex, with a cast of scary and odd neighbors, due to a blizzard that is quietly dumping feet of snow on the state and shutting down the city, Allegra decides to renew her interest in the infrequently checked website and see if her profile has brought in anyone worth her while. Here starts the thrill ride.

Charles, a shoe salesman, has contacted Allegra and caught her interest. She decides to email him back. He quickly responds to her email and asks her to chat on the sites IM. Bored silly, she agrees. During the IM chat, nice enough at first, Charles starts to ramble on about the storm and how some people wait for storms of this magnitude to commit the most heinous crimes imaginable because the police can not get there in time. Just as Allegra starts to not like the flow of the conversation and wants to get off the chat, Charles continues with "our building" and "live here". Now she knows something is wrong. When she asks him who he is and if he lives in the same complex as her he replies that he is going to burrow in her head and turn her inside out. From here is the roller coaster of a ride that Allegra experiences, changing her life for good.

I true mind twister with a mystery plot and a cast of sinister characters that keep Allegra, and the reader, on their toes, this is a book you won't be able to put down. Every new turn will have you suspecting someone else. Each new detail will have you just a little more engrossed or scared. This psychological thriller is a must read for anyone who is a fan of this type of genre. If you happen to be caught in the perfect storm you might want to pick the book up to add that little extra thrill factor! Thanks for reading! -Melissa

A room without books is like a body without a soul. -Cicero(less)

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Oct 25, 2011 Trevor Kidd rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: indie-fiction

Roberta Goodman's novel Snow Escape is a real page turner of a mystery, but it could use some tweaking in the character development and writing style.

After about 25 pages in, Snow Escape becomes a real page turner. I seriously couldn't put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next. Goodman puts in several good red herrings that throw the reader off. I also wondered several times whether Goodman's protagonist, Allegra Maxwell, was a reliable narrator, or if she was not totally sane.

On...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Ioana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-reviews, mystery, adult

Snow Escape is exactly the kind of novel I think would make a great thriller. Something like The Resident, if that movie were half decent.

Allegra, the main character, is a school teacher who lives in Brooklyn, NYC. Even when she was being whiny, I liked her. Because as annoying as her lamentations were, she’s was a very real, fleshed-out character. A lonely woman, innocent and a bit too naive for her own good, with insecurities and problems just like anyone else. And when push came to shove, she...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Katie Cody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

“Snow Escape” is a Heart pounding thriller that will keep you up at night and its just in time for Halloween.

I’ll think twice before trying online dating after reading this horror story. Allegra Maxwell is just a sweet woman who is looking for love, but after her brief online dating experience she may not even survive to see the light of day. What do you do when your sanity is questioned and you are trapped in your small apartment with a crazy stalker on the loose? Find out what Allegra does in...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Dee rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was such a simple story, but quite chilling. Being trapped in an apartment building during a blizzard and being stalked by an unknown person, creepy tenants and a murder, this book left me with goose bumps.

Allegra is a young, single woman living alone in an apartment within a large apartment complex. Arriving home early from work because of the threat of an approaching blizzard, she prepares herself to be stuck home for the weekend. After checking her email and responding to a message fro...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Carmen Knight rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is absolutely wonderfully well written by a talented writer. The Story consist of an Erie feel of a well known familiar fear we all face when putting personal information online, much less when meeting a new person online or in chat rooms. The Novel takes a twists as she learns more of her stalker and is forced to questioned her own sanity. Under a snow storm she is forced to hide from her stalker, one of her neighbors gets killed. She later finds out this person is from her past. I wo...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Nilsa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Snow Escape starts off introducing us to Allegra Maxwell, a single school teacher who turns to an online dating site in hopes of meeting Mr. Right. In the beginning of the book I found myself drifting back and forth because I wished the author wrote it in the Allegra's P.O.V, instead of writing it in the third person omnipotent...it felt kind of boring...I wanted to experience what Allegra was feeling, instead of being told how she felt.
BUT as I read on, I found myself wrapped in the story and w...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Loved the premise, suspenseful, stuck inside a building during a snowstorm, possibly with your
"stalker" in the next apartment, and...downhill from there. Too out there, too many loose ends which were woven together even though they didn't fit...I really wanted to enjoy it, but it just wasn't that great.

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May 26, 2012 Roberta Goodman added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: my-novel

Up until now, I've been reluctant to review my own work and I still won't, but I've decided to say a few words about it. The premise for Snow Escape came to me and I was powerless to fight it. I experienced an overwhelming inspiration to write this story. In fact, my fingers typing the words couldn't keep up with the thoughts that were flowing from my brain. I'm proud of the job I did writing it. Some readers might agree, others might disagree. Opinions are always going to be subjective, that's...more

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Oct 27, 2011 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

You can see my review here: http://www.beautybrite.com/2011/10/sn...

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May 12, 2013 Diana Quincy marked it as to-read

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Apr 22, 2013 Mike Reid marked it as to-read

Apr 12, 2013 Roy Huff rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Jan 13, 2013 Vivika Cordeiro marked it as to-read

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Dec 31, 2012 Cellardoorians marked it as to-read

Nov 25, 2012 Suzanne marked it as maybe

Shelves: kindle-wish-list

Oct 13, 2012 Marcia - Book Muster Down Under marked it as to-read

Sep 11, 2012 Marianne marked it as to-read

Aug 14, 2012 Darla Broadwater marked it as to-read

Aug 26, 2012 Elisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jul 10, 2012 Michelle (MsRomanticReads) marked it as to-read

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