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Naked Cruelty (Carmine Delmonico #3)
Carmine Delmonico returns in another riveting page-turner by international bestselling author Colleen McCullough.
America in 1968 is in turmoil and the leafy Holloman suburb of Carew is being silently terrorized by a series of vicious and systematic rapes. When finally one victim finds the courage to speak out and go to the police, the rapist escalates to murder. For Capta...more
America in 1968 is in turmoil and the leafy Holloman suburb of Carew is being silently terrorized by a series of vicious and systematic rapes. When finally one victim finds the courage to speak out and go to the police, the rapist escalates to murder. For Capta...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
December 28th 2010
by Simon & Schuster
(first published November 9th 2010)
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International bestselling author Colleen McCullough needs little introduction to most readers. Her classic novel, The Thorn Birds, placed her firmly in the world stage of high-powered novelists and writers. Since then, she has expanded her formidable talent with numerous works, including the critically acclaimed Masters of Rome series which chronicles the lives and careers of leading figures in ancient Rome. Somewhere in between that particular colossal collection and numerous other stand-alone...more
‘It had been an upsetting day, and the only cure was sleep’
This novel is set in America in 1968, in the Connecticut town of Holloman. In the suburb of Carew, a number of women have fallen victim to a vicious and systematic rapist, but each of them has been too afraid to involve the police. When the latest victim finds the courage to speak out, the next victim is murdered. For Captain Carmine Delmonico, this case has come at a difficult time. The Holloman Police Department has its own problems, i...more
This novel is set in America in 1968, in the Connecticut town of Holloman. In the suburb of Carew, a number of women have fallen victim to a vicious and systematic rapist, but each of them has been too afraid to involve the police. When the latest victim finds the courage to speak out, the next victim is murdered. For Captain Carmine Delmonico, this case has come at a difficult time. The Holloman Police Department has its own problems, i...more
Glad it's finished. One of the strangest books I've read. The story wasn't bad and I enjoyed it at first, but the flowery language she uses gets in the way. The rapes and murders were described in gory detail, then in the next breath it felt as if Mills and Boone had taken over. She used words that I've never heard of and it felt as if I was reading a 17th century novel, then she writes "he ate his gun". The characters came across as shallow and uncaring to me. There were mad twins who made me f...more
This is the third novel staring Carmine Delmonico, Captain at Holloman Police Department. I didn't read the first two. When I picked this book up (for $4.99, off the bargain table at my local mall book store) I had a feeling that there were previous books but it wasn't super clear. I had no idea how many came before it until I started writing this review. I rightly assumed that it didn't matter - almost always when a book says it's an [insert name here] novel, it's just a bunch of books that tha...more
Jan 16, 2011
Sam
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
crime fans
Recommended to Sam by:
read other books in the series
Naked Cruelty is the third in a series starring Captain Carmine Delmonico, detective in the Holloman police in the 1960s. The first book was the excellent On, Off, a truly creepy thriller, followed by Too Many Murders that had me throwing my hands up in the air in despair at the conclusion. (It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I felt really sorry for Carmine).
Naked Cruelty doesn’t continue with the murder theme from Too Many Murders. It starts with a series of rapes (described rather graphical...more
Naked Cruelty doesn’t continue with the murder theme from Too Many Murders. It starts with a series of rapes (described rather graphical...more
Troisième aventure mettant en scène le personnage de Carmine Delmonico, après Corps manquants et Douze de trop, ces Fleurs sanglantes, serpentent entre suspense de convenance et personnages caricaturaux au possible.
L’un des intérêts de ce roman réside dans le fait qu’il se déroule en Amérique, en 1968, la veille des élections. Nous sommes dans la ville de Holloman, dans le Connecticut, et plus précisément dans la banlieue huppée de Carew. Des femmes sont victimes de viols atroces et vicieux, mai...more
Naked Cruelty taught me one very valuble lesson. Dont judge a book on its blurb as you may end up feeling pretty disappointed after you finish. Not to say this was a bad read as it wasnt but it did fall well short of my expectations. Firstly the positives, the main crimes of a sex offender calling himself Didus Ineptus (Dodo) who later in the book becomes a murderer i found quite interesting trying to find the link between between the female victims and who was the one behind the crime. Secondly...more
Captain Carmine Delmonico is back with a new thriller. While his 6'2" wife, Desdamona, struggles with a new baby, together with their toddler son, Carmine is on the trail of a "nude" rapist, who looks like he is escalating to murder. At the same time, Carmine is dealing with a young, rich trainee detective, who is very smart, but also headstrong and spoiled. This all makes for a very interesting novel.
Warning: This book isn't for the feint of heart. While fairly clinical in description, the rape scenes are nevertheless fairly graphic.
It's 1968 and the Holloman suburb of Carew, CT, is under the thumb of a vicious rapist. Carmine Delmonico and new Detective trainee, Helen MacIntosh, are focused on stopping him. In the last two paragraphs, there is a twist you won't see coming.
It's 1968 and the Holloman suburb of Carew, CT, is under the thumb of a vicious rapist. Carmine Delmonico and new Detective trainee, Helen MacIntosh, are focused on stopping him. In the last two paragraphs, there is a twist you won't see coming.
May be the worst book I ever got all the way through. I listened to it on tape, and only the skill of the narrator kept me going. I hope he got extra pay for having to utter some of the most stilted, improbable dialogue ever. To this day, Thornbirds remains one of my treasured favorites, reread several times. This is only the second McCullough I have ever finished. Tried several others and put them down. If she ever writes another saga like TB, I'm in--otherwise, I'll save my time. Very disappoi...more
Set in 1968, Carmine investigates a series of brutal rapes that turn into murders, the first seven of which go unreported for months. Alongside the rapes, by a person who calls himself the 'Dodo' is a series of bank robberies, a kidnapping, and personnel issues with a drunk cop, arrogant lieutenant and ambitious 'trainee' detective. Good but perhaps a bit too much going on?
This was strange read, I found the dialogue was not believable and the multiiple plot threads distracting and some were unnecessary, and yet I also found myself compelled to finish it, so that must say something. I'm not sure all the threads were tied up by the end, and I sort of liked and at the same time disliked the surprise at the end.
Jun 14, 2011
Tess Mertens-Johnson
added it
Very interesting character development.
I felt the story moved well and kept my interest.
I found the villan to be compelling to follow, but in the end his demise was very sophmoric.
He was a very well planned criminal, and let a very obvious sign be his demise. Was this his wya of ending it? And his wrath?
I felt the story moved well and kept my interest.
I found the villan to be compelling to follow, but in the end his demise was very sophmoric.
He was a very well planned criminal, and let a very obvious sign be his demise. Was this his wya of ending it? And his wrath?
Great characters in this suspenseful mystery. McCullough placed these serial rapes and murders in the time frame of the late 1960s. That made the police investigations all the more difficult. It brought me back to a time before DNA results and computers helped identify criminals and solve crimes.
I cannot get over the writing in "The Thorn Birds" and how I loved it. I've tried 2 of her books since "The Thorn Birds" and cannot believe they were written by the same person. This book had a good theme, but the writing was just BLAH. I don't even know why I finished it.
I picked this book up because I had read all of her books set in the Roman republic. I thought this one to be well a well-written police procedural. Plot was complex without being obtuse, characters three dimensional. Dark, bordering on noir.
First book by Colleen McCullough that I have read since reading the Thorn Birds (don't remember exactly when I read the Thorn Birds but it was quite a long time ago). She certainly comes up with some interesting characters.
A forma como começou deixou-me com a expectativa que ia ser um óptimo livro, mas tal não chegou a acontecer... Muitas histórias em simultâneo, um assassino "fraco" e uma resolução em 3 ou 4 páginas!!!
Não me convenceu :\
Não me convenceu :\
I loved the first book in this series (On, Off) but found this one borderline ridiculous. The plot is fine but the dialogue, motives and ending were respectively implausible and disappointing.
Just not as good as On, Off. I have read most of what McCullough has written and did not feel this was up to the standard I set for her. I'll keep reading if she keeps writing, though.
I can't finish reading this book. I'm 4 chapters in and it's still slow and at times the writing is disjointed and its hard to tell who is saying what and to differentiate between different characters speaking.
Uneven and only partially credible. I found it all the more disappointing because I know what a great writer Ms McCullough can be. The ending was kind of gratuitously nasty.
i would probably only give it 2.5 stars, but the characters are very interesting, and the mystery aspect is well done....the writing is certainly nowhere near her best.
really enjoyed this book. a really great mystery. you didn't know who the guilty party was until the end of the book. has a lot of twists and turns.
A lot of improbabilities in the plot, which is told as seemingly divergent tales, but they in fact are not--very far fetched, even for a murder mystery
Dark and cruel beyond my comfort level.
The characters were hard to engage with and the plot was scattered like kitty litter!
Not my cuppa!
The characters were hard to engage with and the plot was scattered like kitty litter!
Not my cuppa!
Another one that I listened to on CD in my car. I wasn't real impressed with this one.
The Story is Still fine but the narration is boring and literally kills suspense.
Colleen McCullough is my favorite author but the Carmine series isn't her best.
Hard to follow. Too many characters, Didn't make sense. Worthless,
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Colleen McCullough AO (born 1 June 1937) is an internationally acclaimed Australian author. Colleen was born in Wellington in central west New South Wales to James and Laurie McCullough.
She grew up during World War II. In her first year of medical studies at the University of Sydney she suffered dermatitis from surgical soap and was told to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Instead,...more
More about Colleen McCullough...
She grew up during World War II. In her first year of medical studies at the University of Sydney she suffered dermatitis from surgical soap and was told to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Instead,...more
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Apr 12, 2011 05:30am