Marred – a review
I’m still behind with my book reviews as my reading
continues to be faster than my writing.
Lies, all lies: I keep getting distracted and wasting time
with trivial pursuits. I’ve switched off my Kindle and shelved my next physical
reads.
So, I’ve forced myself back to proper keyboard work. Maybe
the reviews will get written now – and the Audible reads get caught up.
However, I’m ahead in my 2019
Goodreads Challenge– 22 books read from my target of
35. So, I might make that target.
As for the other challenge, this will be my tenth Cloak
and Dagger review of 2019; with three more to review. I should
end up reading the 5-15 books that earn ‘Amateur sleuth’ title. The next grade
matches my Welsh policewoman: 16-25 books – Detective. I have three more mystery/suspense/thriller/crime
novels on my desk and more on my Kindle and Audible.
But I have ‘shelved’ books in other genres like historical, fantasy/SF,
and alternative history. My other three outstanding reviews are one historical
and one historical-fantasy – plus, a non-fiction writing guide.
So, back to the review:
Marred
By Sue Coletta
When a serial killer
breaks into the home of bestselling author, Sage Quintano, she barely escapes
with her life. Her husband, Niko, a homicide detective, insists they move to
rural New Hampshire, where he accepts a position as Grafton County
Sheriff.
Sage buries secrets from that night—secrets she swears to take to her deathbed.
Three years of anguish and painful memories pass, and a grisly murder case
lands on Niko’s desk. A strange caller torments Sage—she can’t outrun the past.
When Sage’s twin sister suddenly goes missing, Sage searches Niko’s case files
and discovers similarities to the Boston killer. A sadistic psychopath is
preying on innocent
women, marring their bodies in unspeakable ways. And now, he has her sister.
Cryptic clues. Hidden messages. Is the killer hinting at his identity? Or is he
trying to lure Sage into a deadly trap to end his reign of terror with a
matching set of corpses?
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Review 4.4 stars
I was looking forward to reading this novel as I follow the
author’s blog on crime. This was my genre and it’s a well-written and crafted novel.
But I’m not sure I can take more graphic details though – even with the promise
of corvids in the rest of the Grafton County series.
However, there was so much excellent elements that stood out
and swept me along – most of the time.
The characters were memorable and complex. At the novel’s
heart, bestselling author, Sage Quintano, who is living with the painful
memories and secrets from three years earlier when a serial killer broke into
her home. A past that drives her to resolve things for herself and to keep
things from her husband.
Not easy when her husband, Niko is a homicide detective and
Grafton County Sheriff. So, when a strange caller threatens her, she doesn’t tell
Niko everything – enough to disturb me as the caller made rules about who to
tell. I asked, ‘Will he ignore them too?’
Anyway, with a sadistic psychopath preying on innocent women,
Niko has his own concerns – as do his team. The investigation with its clever
introduction of forensics explores the evidence and the other officers.
The dynamic between the deputies is realistic, especially as
promotion is at stake. I was rooting for Frankie, despite her ability to rub
people up the wrong way. She was my kind of detective and I wanted more of her.
But we get more bodies marred in horrific ways instead. And
more graphic detail which to me felt excessive. But that’s me and most readers will
lap it up. It’s realistic and Sue Coletta’s knowledge of forensics and pathology
is outstanding – and why I follow her blog.
It makes for a rollercoaster read, but I get scared on some
rides and even in bloody movies. The other extreme from cringe cute cozies.
Back to Niko with all his problems – a sadistic psychopath, competing
deputies, and Sage…
Despite his troubles, my reaction was, ‘Why are men so
difficult?’ – we struggle to multi-task unlike women. I understood his
frustration but wished he could do some lateral thinking.
Unlike Sage who joins the dots between the caller and the
psychopath. And now, he has her twin sister, Chloe. Sage gets a clue to Chloe’s
location and, as all mystery writers do, follows down the rabbit hole. But why?
Distracted Sheriff husband? Her own secrets? The killer’s rules perhaps?
But I hesitated from reading on – like that moment in the
horror movie when the teenager wanders off. Who was braver Sage or me? I eventually
had to keep reading.
And the plot twists kept coming – in ways I never saw
coming. The tension builds. The resolution and revelation of the psychopath are
unexpected – and ingenious.
There is so much to look forward to in the ongoing Grafton County
series with superb characters to savour. So, I would recommend this novel from
an author that researches crime meticulously – even if I felt too swamped to
tackle more gore for now.
Story – four stars
Setting/World-building
– five stars
Characters – five
stars
Authenticity –
five stars
Structure – four
stars
Readability – four
stars
Editing – four
stars
