"An enthralling and intelligent thriller swirling with dark, beguiling shadows. This is a gripping, haunting work."--Joseph O'Connor
Jay Hami... read full description
reviews
Jun 14, 2011
Cornelis
rated it: 
Maybe my expectations were too high because of the raving reviews, but I was disappointed by this book. Jay Hamilton, the main character, is an American who has moved to London. He has a psychoanalysis practice and uses the case histories of his patients as inspiration for the fiction he writes under a different name. This applies to some extent also to Aifric Campbel, the author of this book, who, according to the biographical information inside, studies psychotherapy and creative writing in En
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Aug 09, 2009
Karen
rated it:
What makes a good book? It's something I've been contemplating for quite a while since I finished reading Aifric Campbell's first novel THE SEMANTICS OF MURDER. This was a book that came completely out of left field, but I guess that's not surprising with an author who was born in Ireland, as a Convent educated schoolgirl had a greyhound win the Irish Derby, co-wrote a hymn which went on to become a winning entry in a national TV song competition, went to Sweden as an au pair, completed a ling
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Dec 10, 2009
Jane
rated it: 
This book was highly recommended, but I found it disappointing. Though it is really intriguing in the beginning, the last chapter (which I won't discuss because it would spoil the book) is a huge letdown. I don't need everything to be wrapped up in a tidy box, even in a mystery/suspense novel, but this is one of the endings that just floats away from the novel, and so the reader is left with a big hole in the end. All that said, the book is beautifully written, and the psychological insights hav
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Jul 27, 2011
well written but it's not the book of the year (as suggested in DS). I knew quite early in the story who murdered who and why. maybe I've read too much of this stuff for the last 25 years :-) it's not a page turner but nice to sit out a rainy weekend.
Aug 18, 2011
Een wetenschappelijk roman met als thema's psycho-analyse en semantiek. En een onopgeloste moord. Goed geschreven, mooie wendingen. Een aanrader.
Nov 19, 2010
Stacy
rated it:
It was all right. The author relied on so many "tricks of the trade" that it got really tiring to try and finish. The flash backs, the expected plot twists, and the silly sexual sidebars were all a little over done.
I did like the reference to Montague and other linguists, and the description of LA was vivid.
I did like the reference to Montague and other linguists, and the description of LA was vivid.
Nov 19, 2010
Kate
rated it:
I'm sure there are lots of solid intellectual reasons to like this book, but I found the main character so unpleasant I really couldn't warm to it at all.
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