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Carmine Delmonico #1
On, Off
In 1965, the dogged Lieutenant Carmine Delmonico is assigned to solve what appears to be a single murder. Part of a young woman's body has turned up at one of the world's leading neurological research centers, but it's not long before Delmonico realizes he's hunting a serial killer. All the center's members are hiding secrets Delmonico must unearth: what does Professor Robert Smith do in his basement? Why doesn't Dr. Walter Polonski's wife know about his cabin in the woods? As the murders mount, Delmonico joins with the center's tough female business manager to dig up the dirt on everyone.
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First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Colleen McCullough
127 books3,125 followersColleen Margaretta McCullough was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being The Thorn Birds and Tim.
Raised by her mother in Wellington and then Sydney, McCullough began writing stories at age 5. She flourished at Catholic schools and earned a physiology degree from the University of New South Wales in 1963. Planning become a doctor, she found that she had a violent allergy to hospital soap and turned instead to neurophysiology – the study of the nervous system's functions. She found jobs first in London and then at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
After her beloved younger brother Carl died in 1965 at age 25 while rescuing two drowning women in the waters off Crete, a shattered McCullough quit writing. She finally returned to her craft in 1974 with Tim, a critically acclaimed novel about the romance between a female executive and a younger, mentally disabled gardener. As always, the author proved her toughest critic: "Actually," she said, "it was an icky book, saccharine sweet."
A year later, while on a paltry $10,000 annual salary as a Yale researcher, McCullough – just "Col" to her friends – began work on the sprawling The Thorn Birds, about the lives and loves of three generations of an Australian family. Many of its details were drawn from her mother's family's experience as migrant workers, and one character, Dane, was based on brother Carl.
Though some reviews were scathing, millions of readers worldwide got caught up in her tales of doomed love and other natural calamities. The paperback rights sold for an astonishing $1.9 million.
In all, McCullough wrote 11 novels.
Source: http://www.people.com/article/colleen...
Raised by her mother in Wellington and then Sydney, McCullough began writing stories at age 5. She flourished at Catholic schools and earned a physiology degree from the University of New South Wales in 1963. Planning become a doctor, she found that she had a violent allergy to hospital soap and turned instead to neurophysiology – the study of the nervous system's functions. She found jobs first in London and then at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
After her beloved younger brother Carl died in 1965 at age 25 while rescuing two drowning women in the waters off Crete, a shattered McCullough quit writing. She finally returned to her craft in 1974 with Tim, a critically acclaimed novel about the romance between a female executive and a younger, mentally disabled gardener. As always, the author proved her toughest critic: "Actually," she said, "it was an icky book, saccharine sweet."
A year later, while on a paltry $10,000 annual salary as a Yale researcher, McCullough – just "Col" to her friends – began work on the sprawling The Thorn Birds, about the lives and loves of three generations of an Australian family. Many of its details were drawn from her mother's family's experience as migrant workers, and one character, Dane, was based on brother Carl.
Though some reviews were scathing, millions of readers worldwide got caught up in her tales of doomed love and other natural calamities. The paperback rights sold for an astonishing $1.9 million.
In all, McCullough wrote 11 novels.
Source: http://www.people.com/article/colleen...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
July 3, 2025
Oho, nu aš čia ir pakliuvau🙈 pradžia buvo be galo sunki ir varginanti - begalės medicininių terminų, kurių nė velnio nesupratau maišėsi su neįsimintinų ir neinančių atsirinkti kas yra kas veikėjų gausa. Vėliau reikalai lyg ir pagerėjo, bet to jausmo, kad pagaliau man patinka taip ir nesulaukiau. Knyga parašyta labai varginančiai, sausai ir nuobodžiai, nors aprašymas teikė labai daug vilčių. Galiausiai pritrūko nusikaltėlio motyvų, o pabaiga iš vis pramušė dugno ribas.
February 3, 2014
Wow! I have mostly ignored Colleen McCullough after The Thorn Birds. What a mistake. This is the first of her books about an old fashioned detective in a small university town in Connecticut. It seems to drag at times, as we see the detective use an employee of the research institute for information and then change his feelings about her. There is a strange death, the body discovered by accident at the research institute in a restricted area. All the employees of this university research lab are suspects and the detective and his crew keep having missing girls in the area. Sometimes the girls show up dead but always on the property of a researcher at the lab. There are many false clues but the ending is well worth the slow description - it was a shocker, on the very last page. This is a possible spoiler - do not read the last page until you have read the entire book! The book was published in 2006 but there are following up books with Detective Carmine Delmonico.
If you enjoy mysteries, it is time to go back to McCullough.
If you enjoy mysteries, it is time to go back to McCullough.
March 19, 2011
This disturbing serial killer mystery leaves the biggest surprise for the end and may show that McCullough can succeed in any genre but but there is something kind of foreordained about the book. ALmost like the author is playing with the reader.
I really do not like when authors present something at the very end that is not even remotely revealed in the book. Part of a mystery is that we the reader are involved with the detective in solving it, and many times we guess way before the detective, but this ending left me seriously peeved.
So although the mystery was well presented, and the dtective was a good character I was ultimately unsatisfied with it and a lot of that had to do with the ending.
I really do not like when authors present something at the very end that is not even remotely revealed in the book. Part of a mystery is that we the reader are involved with the detective in solving it, and many times we guess way before the detective, but this ending left me seriously peeved.
So although the mystery was well presented, and the dtective was a good character I was ultimately unsatisfied with it and a lot of that had to do with the ending.
September 30, 2019
Ubicado en Estados Unidos en los años 60’s, este libro tiene un thriller muy bueno, de asesinatos y de la investigación de dichos asesinatos, pero todo rodeado de un ambiente social relacionado con el racismo.
Aunque tengo que decir que el tema del racismo se maneja de manera muy superficial y no tanto como se debería de acuerdo a la época, sin embargo, no me ha molestado, al contrario, el libro está centrado en el tema de los asesinatos y de los posibles sospechosos, todos tienen algo que esconder, ninguno se salva, así que no es fácil adivinar con quién es el asesino.
El protagonista, Carmine, me ha gustado mucho, no es el típico personaje policiaco con problemas y traumas y tragedioso, es un personaje más bien inteligente y con una forma de ser bastante positiva y eso me ha gustado, por supuesto este libro rosa un poco la relación de este personaje con Desdemona, la relación entre ambos le da un toque ligero enmedio de tantas muertes horribles.
El thriller es muy bueno, de esos que tanto nos gusta a quienes nos gusta este género, es bastante morboso, el caso es de esos que jugosos y la investigación inteligente y entretenida.
La verdadera sorpresa, sin embargo, está en el final, es brutal y realmente me ha dejado impactada, cuando he pensado que todo estaba resuelto, me han dado una pequeña vuelta de tuerca que para nada me esperaba
La autora ha hecho un trabajo genial ambientando la historia, sin duda puedes sentirte en los años 60’s, sin entrar en grandes descripciones, con muy pequeños detalles puedes darte cuenta de que se trata de esa época y eso me ha gustado mucho.
Me ha gustado y pretendo, si es que el tiempo y la vida me da suficiente para leer todo lo pendiente, en seguir con la serie.
Aunque tengo que decir que el tema del racismo se maneja de manera muy superficial y no tanto como se debería de acuerdo a la época, sin embargo, no me ha molestado, al contrario, el libro está centrado en el tema de los asesinatos y de los posibles sospechosos, todos tienen algo que esconder, ninguno se salva, así que no es fácil adivinar con quién es el asesino.
El protagonista, Carmine, me ha gustado mucho, no es el típico personaje policiaco con problemas y traumas y tragedioso, es un personaje más bien inteligente y con una forma de ser bastante positiva y eso me ha gustado, por supuesto este libro rosa un poco la relación de este personaje con Desdemona, la relación entre ambos le da un toque ligero enmedio de tantas muertes horribles.
El thriller es muy bueno, de esos que tanto nos gusta a quienes nos gusta este género, es bastante morboso, el caso es de esos que jugosos y la investigación inteligente y entretenida.
La verdadera sorpresa, sin embargo, está en el final, es brutal y realmente me ha dejado impactada, cuando he pensado que todo estaba resuelto, me han dado una pequeña vuelta de tuerca que para nada me esperaba
La autora ha hecho un trabajo genial ambientando la historia, sin duda puedes sentirte en los años 60’s, sin entrar en grandes descripciones, con muy pequeños detalles puedes darte cuenta de que se trata de esa época y eso me ha gustado mucho.
Me ha gustado y pretendo, si es que el tiempo y la vida me da suficiente para leer todo lo pendiente, en seguir con la serie.
April 24, 2019
On, Off (Carmine Delmonico, #1) by Colleen McCullough.
It's 1965 in the northeast when the dismembered body of a woman is discovered by a neurological research center. Lt. Carmine Delmonico determines this is a single murder and not connected to any other cases. That determination doesn't last long. This murder and soon to follow -murders occurred by serial profiling was considered. Delmonico knows he is at least two steps behind the killer. Something is missing in his thoughts as he attempts to link the few clues in this case.
The writing is superb. An excellent storyteller as well as suspense builder. The end caught me off guard as it was more than just a jaw dropper. This is a marvelous series and one that I will continue.
It's 1965 in the northeast when the dismembered body of a woman is discovered by a neurological research center. Lt. Carmine Delmonico determines this is a single murder and not connected to any other cases. That determination doesn't last long. This murder and soon to follow -murders occurred by serial profiling was considered. Delmonico knows he is at least two steps behind the killer. Something is missing in his thoughts as he attempts to link the few clues in this case.
The writing is superb. An excellent storyteller as well as suspense builder. The end caught me off guard as it was more than just a jaw dropper. This is a marvelous series and one that I will continue.
July 15, 2008
What a departure this is for Colleen McCullough. Best known for The Thorn Birds and her historical writings, this book journeys into the genre of the serial killer thriller and the brutality of this excursion is one that will leave the reader horrified and disgusted, but quickly turning the pages to discover the identity and motivation of the murderous monster capable of committing such appalling crimes against innocent teenage females.
The story begins in October 1965 with the gruesome discovery of the torso of a young girl found at a neurological research center in Connecticut. This is back in the days before we coined the term "serial killer" or utilized DNA testing as an aid in crime solving. The protagonist of the piece is one Lieutenant Carmine Delmonico, an old fashion sleuth, who continually seems to be a few steps behind the clever murderer. His suspects are a myriad of research center employees and directors, each with obsessions and varied quirks as well as a few camouflaged secrets.
The killer is devious, driven and bold and the outcry from the media and terrified parents of potential future victims makes the Lieutenant's job a real tightrope walk.
Readers who are turned off by scenes of torture and rape should steer clear of On/Off. If, however, you would like to use your wits to see if you can arrive at the complete solution to the puzzle and can "hang in there" until the last page you will be presented with an ending that will leave you agape.
The story begins in October 1965 with the gruesome discovery of the torso of a young girl found at a neurological research center in Connecticut. This is back in the days before we coined the term "serial killer" or utilized DNA testing as an aid in crime solving. The protagonist of the piece is one Lieutenant Carmine Delmonico, an old fashion sleuth, who continually seems to be a few steps behind the clever murderer. His suspects are a myriad of research center employees and directors, each with obsessions and varied quirks as well as a few camouflaged secrets.
The killer is devious, driven and bold and the outcry from the media and terrified parents of potential future victims makes the Lieutenant's job a real tightrope walk.
Readers who are turned off by scenes of torture and rape should steer clear of On/Off. If, however, you would like to use your wits to see if you can arrive at the complete solution to the puzzle and can "hang in there" until the last page you will be presented with an ending that will leave you agape.
December 1, 2024
Overwrought serial killer thriller.
January 4, 2008
As a fan of McCullough's _Tim_ (one of my all-time favorite books), and also of _The Thorn Birds_ and _The Ladies of Missalonghi_, I was incredibly surprised to spot this book at the bookstore. That didn't stop me, of course, from buying it immediately.
Briefly, the book takes place in 1965 in Connecticut and follows a detective, Carmine, as he attempts to solve a "multiple murder" case that is closely tied to the heavily endowed neurological research center, the "Hug," in the earliest days of forensic science and criminal profiling. This is a difficult case with many details and characters, and the climax and resolution, along with a surprise twist, occur in the last few pages.
McCullough is expertly detailed and accurate (from what I could tell), from the intricacies of neurological research to the 1960s setting and chronology. She is an excellent writer, but I agree with another review that pointed out that the first part of the book was overwritten - I was surprised to find quite so many details about a woman's outfit coming from a male detective, even if it was explained by one sentence, that a detective had to be observant of everything. Also, in the beginning, some descriptions are overdone. McCullough does fall into stride, however, and the writing isn't an issue within a few chapters.
Like other reviewers, I found this book to be impossible to put down - I read it in a little more than a day, even with working full-time. The story never stumbles or bores, and the characters, even though there are a lot of them, are easy to know and keep track of.
My biggest criticism of the book is the same as that of other reviewers, that there are a few red herrings and details that are not explained or tied up by the end of the story. Although I understood the overall outcome and general motive by the end of the book, I was left with many unanswered questions, such as the Hug's specific involvement and why the crimes were committed in the exact way that they were.
Other than the niggling of those questions, I really enjoyed the thrill of this book, and am wondering if there will be a sequel.
Briefly, the book takes place in 1965 in Connecticut and follows a detective, Carmine, as he attempts to solve a "multiple murder" case that is closely tied to the heavily endowed neurological research center, the "Hug," in the earliest days of forensic science and criminal profiling. This is a difficult case with many details and characters, and the climax and resolution, along with a surprise twist, occur in the last few pages.
McCullough is expertly detailed and accurate (from what I could tell), from the intricacies of neurological research to the 1960s setting and chronology. She is an excellent writer, but I agree with another review that pointed out that the first part of the book was overwritten - I was surprised to find quite so many details about a woman's outfit coming from a male detective, even if it was explained by one sentence, that a detective had to be observant of everything. Also, in the beginning, some descriptions are overdone. McCullough does fall into stride, however, and the writing isn't an issue within a few chapters.
Like other reviewers, I found this book to be impossible to put down - I read it in a little more than a day, even with working full-time. The story never stumbles or bores, and the characters, even though there are a lot of them, are easy to know and keep track of.
My biggest criticism of the book is the same as that of other reviewers, that there are a few red herrings and details that are not explained or tied up by the end of the story. Although I understood the overall outcome and general motive by the end of the book, I was left with many unanswered questions, such as the Hug's specific involvement and why the crimes were committed in the exact way that they were.
Other than the niggling of those questions, I really enjoyed the thrill of this book, and am wondering if there will be a sequel.
August 15, 2017
Perfect! Simply perfect!
May 20, 2019
An entertaining mystery story, though I felt the ending dragged on a little.
July 7, 2020
Un thriller interesante...
ON, OFF nos cuenta cómo unos investigadores del instituto de neurología de Connecticut encuentran un torso femenino en el lugar destinado a los cadáveres de animales. A raíz de este descubrimiento el teniente-investigador Carmín Delmoníco debe averiguar quién o quiénes son los culpables y posibles asesinos seriales...
Es un thriller policiaco muy a lo serie estadounidense, sin embargo es una historia que te atrapa desde un inicio. Durante todo el libro acompañamos al teniente Delmoníco en esta investigación, y debo decir que en muchos momentos se torna lenta, tediosa y repetitiva, sin embargo se entiende el tinte realista que intenta darle el autor.
Me gustó mucho como se va formando la historia, y es justamente gracias al final de película que nos plantea el autor que decidí brindarle tres estrellas, ese giro de tuerca que, aunque podía verse venir, sorprende y logra ese objetivo de impacto.
Si les gusta este género, seguramente lo disfrutarán.
ON, OFF nos cuenta cómo unos investigadores del instituto de neurología de Connecticut encuentran un torso femenino en el lugar destinado a los cadáveres de animales. A raíz de este descubrimiento el teniente-investigador Carmín Delmoníco debe averiguar quién o quiénes son los culpables y posibles asesinos seriales...
Es un thriller policiaco muy a lo serie estadounidense, sin embargo es una historia que te atrapa desde un inicio. Durante todo el libro acompañamos al teniente Delmoníco en esta investigación, y debo decir que en muchos momentos se torna lenta, tediosa y repetitiva, sin embargo se entiende el tinte realista que intenta darle el autor.
Me gustó mucho como se va formando la historia, y es justamente gracias al final de película que nos plantea el autor que decidí brindarle tres estrellas, ese giro de tuerca que, aunque podía verse venir, sorprende y logra ese objetivo de impacto.
Si les gusta este género, seguramente lo disfrutarán.
January 2, 2019
Este libro se me hizo un poco pesado a decir verdad, no sólo en el principio, sino que en el transcurso del libro también. Si hubo momentos en el que logró engancharme, y es por eso que no lo abandoné, pero no logré conectarme con el libro y no tanto como me gustaría con los personajes.
October 15, 2011
"On, Off" by Colleen McCullough is the first in her series featuring Carmine Delmonico, a Lieutenant in the Holloman Police Department. Let me first say that if I didn't know McCullough had written this book, I would never have guessed she was the author. This novel is very different from what most of us know McCullough for, such as "The Thorn Birds". And I'm not yet sure that's a good thing. I'm still thinking this is very much like an author's first book in a series, where they are just starting to develop character and at times take the plot a bit too far in an attempt to create a complexity that is sure to draw the reader in and leave them eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
To clarify...there were far too many characters in this book...far too many suspects and subplots going on. I had to make notes since I don't like reading a book and not being able to keep characters and other information straight in my head.
Then there are the crimes that took place...a bit too sensational and gory for my liking, torture, violence, and sadism.
And then there was the ending after the ending. By that I mean that after the crime was solved, McCullough decided to add a bit more to the wrapping up of the book. For me that extra wrapping up went a bit too far.
Having said all that, it was a good attempt at giving readers what they want...another crime series to read and another strong protagonist named Delmonico. I haven't yet decided if I'll read the next book.
.
To clarify...there were far too many characters in this book...far too many suspects and subplots going on. I had to make notes since I don't like reading a book and not being able to keep characters and other information straight in my head.
Then there are the crimes that took place...a bit too sensational and gory for my liking, torture, violence, and sadism.
And then there was the ending after the ending. By that I mean that after the crime was solved, McCullough decided to add a bit more to the wrapping up of the book. For me that extra wrapping up went a bit too far.
Having said all that, it was a good attempt at giving readers what they want...another crime series to read and another strong protagonist named Delmonico. I haven't yet decided if I'll read the next book.
.
February 11, 2009
I was totally surprised to see a book by Colleen McCullough in the mystery/thriller section. I love her historical fiction for the breadth and the depth they give to famous people and places in history, and for her lush writing style. I also love mysteries. So I thought I would combine my two loves, and ended up very pleased. So many mystery/thrillers are just packed with unnecessary jolts of suspense or cliffhangers at the end of a chapter just to keep a person reading; the characters are really caricatures of police detectives or bad guys; and the plot is often obvious from the start. Now I see what these kinds of books can be when in the hands of an excellent writer!! While I thought the premise of the book was disturbing, the story was so well told that I could not help caring what happened to the characters and wondering why they did what they did. I also loved how it was set not in the present-day, so there was some cultural context of the '60s to the story, and how the current mystery was tied to a mystery from even further back in the past. All in all, a fascinating read, and even the twist at the end made sense to me (after I re-read it about 5 times...).
April 12, 2020
En realidad, son tres estrellas y media.
La verdad es que la historia es SUPER interesante y la autora te sabe mantener picada acerca de quién es el asesino que está cometiendo todas esas atrocidades. Pero... tranquilamente el libro podría tener doscientas páginas menos y seguiría siendo igual de genial (o más, incluso) Creo que la autora quiso jugar demasiado con el rompecabezas del caso y, en todo sentido de la palabra, lo logra. Sin embargo, eso no siempre es bueno.
Además, llevar varias tramas a la vez, con varios personajes... pues con más razón al lector pueden darle dolores de cabeza. Pero sí, le reconozco que todo el trasfondo tras la mente del asesino es genial... y adoré el romance que surge entre un par de personajes.
No sé si leeré los próximos, se me hizo una lectura un poco pesada para ser sincera, pero no me cierro a nada.
La verdad es que la historia es SUPER interesante y la autora te sabe mantener picada acerca de quién es el asesino que está cometiendo todas esas atrocidades. Pero... tranquilamente el libro podría tener doscientas páginas menos y seguiría siendo igual de genial (o más, incluso) Creo que la autora quiso jugar demasiado con el rompecabezas del caso y, en todo sentido de la palabra, lo logra. Sin embargo, eso no siempre es bueno.
Además, llevar varias tramas a la vez, con varios personajes... pues con más razón al lector pueden darle dolores de cabeza. Pero sí, le reconozco que todo el trasfondo tras la mente del asesino es genial... y adoré el romance que surge entre un par de personajes.
No sé si leeré los próximos, se me hizo una lectura un poco pesada para ser sincera, pero no me cierro a nada.
May 21, 2013
I haven't read Colleen McCullough since The Thornbirds, so when I picked up this book at the local Library sale, I was surprised that it was a mystery.
There a lot of suspects who might be responsible for placing a mutilated, headless body in the refuse refrigerator at the research center of a small private university in Connecticut. Lieutenant Delmonico has the case and ultimately discovers the responsible party, but not before there are more, similar killings. In all the story convolutions, Delmonico even begins to doubt his own suspicions.
...and there is a surprise ending!
There a lot of suspects who might be responsible for placing a mutilated, headless body in the refuse refrigerator at the research center of a small private university in Connecticut. Lieutenant Delmonico has the case and ultimately discovers the responsible party, but not before there are more, similar killings. In all the story convolutions, Delmonico even begins to doubt his own suspicions.
...and there is a surprise ending!
January 13, 2012
Que policial mais intrigante!!
Dou por mim a ver os acontecimentos se desenrolarem, sem que tenha qualquer pista sobre quem possa ser o assassino! Mais para o final do livro lá me deparei com uma situação que me deixou a pensar, mas depressa notei que tinha tido uma intuição errada, pois diante das circunstâncias que eram apresentadas como poderia ser possível??
Mas... Eis que tudo se explica e afinal a minha primeira intuição estava certa! :))
Um policial sem dúvida muito à frente!!
Adorei!! :)
Dou por mim a ver os acontecimentos se desenrolarem, sem que tenha qualquer pista sobre quem possa ser o assassino! Mais para o final do livro lá me deparei com uma situação que me deixou a pensar, mas depressa notei que tinha tido uma intuição errada, pois diante das circunstâncias que eram apresentadas como poderia ser possível??
Mas... Eis que tudo se explica e afinal a minha primeira intuição estava certa! :))
Um policial sem dúvida muito à frente!!
Adorei!! :)
September 27, 2016
I didn't see most of this coming, and it has teeth. Big, sharp shiny teeth.
I also love the hero because he isn't handsome or brilliantly gifted or especially intuitive. He feels real.
I also love the hero because he isn't handsome or brilliantly gifted or especially intuitive. He feels real.
July 21, 2017
This story keeps you guessing, and I absolutely was stunned by the ending!
February 22, 2025
Colleen - mano be proto mylima autorė, suskaičiau bene visas jos knygas, šios ilgai ieškojau kai netikėtai aptikau bibliotekoje.
Pažinau ją kitokiame žanre - detektyve. Galiu pasakyti, kad pavykęs jis puikiai, su romano prieskoniu, įtampa išlaikyta iki pat galo.
Man šiek tiek trūko daugiau dėmėsio nusikaltimo atomazgai, viskas įvyko per greit pabaigoje, bet pati pabaiga atpirko viską. Gaila, kad nepasirodė tęsinys, o galėtų.
Kaip visada detektyvų autorių vaizduotė šiek tiek kelia šiurpą 🤭
Ai, na ir man dar užkliuvo meilės linija, bet visko ten ir taip tiek daug vyko kad paskui pamiršau piktintis dėl to :))
Rekomenduoju jei patinka toks žanras! :)
Pažinau ją kitokiame žanre - detektyve. Galiu pasakyti, kad pavykęs jis puikiai, su romano prieskoniu, įtampa išlaikyta iki pat galo.
Man šiek tiek trūko daugiau dėmėsio nusikaltimo atomazgai, viskas įvyko per greit pabaigoje, bet pati pabaiga atpirko viską. Gaila, kad nepasirodė tęsinys, o galėtų.
Kaip visada detektyvų autorių vaizduotė šiek tiek kelia šiurpą 🤭
Ai, na ir man dar užkliuvo meilės linija, bet visko ten ir taip tiek daug vyko kad paskui pamiršau piktintis dėl to :))
Rekomenduoju jei patinka toks žanras! :)
July 15, 2019
I don't get it. There are very few books that leave me saying something like that; however, this is one of them. There is too much going on other than the main plot which I figure was the author's way of trying to work in twists and turns (or red herrings) that I was distracted from the main action. And this may offend the fans of this book, but no matter how smart a criminal is, there would be some evidence left even the police in the 1960s would have been able to find. I'll say it again ... I don't get it.
October 6, 2023
Al principio no ha sido fácil de leer con tantos personajes y datos. Luego va mejorando e incluso llega a ser difícil dejar de leer, aunque ha resultado ser demasiado truculento, además de tener partes del argumento desagradables y algunas expresiones y detalles que no me han parecido convenientes desde el punto de vista ético y moral.
Como añadido, tiene un giro final no esperado que, según mi parecer, es de difícil encaje y credibilidad.
No obstante, opino que está bien escrito y es original e interesante.
Como añadido, tiene un giro final no esperado que, según mi parecer, es de difícil encaje y credibilidad.
No obstante, opino que está bien escrito y es original e interesante.
June 27, 2024
Pradžia buvo sunki, įvedama labai daug veikėjų, daug medicininių terminų. Kelis kartus teko grįžti atgal, nes neprisiminiau kas yra kas ir kuo užsiima. Nuo pat pradžių taip viskas apibūdinama, kad kaltinamuoju tampa kiekvienas mokslininkas. Vienu tarpu lyg tampa aišku, kas žudikai ir intriga sumažėja, tačiau... Pabaiga nenuspėjama ir labai netikėta iki pat paskutinio puslapio.
July 1, 2015
I fell across this series by chance while at the Library one night. I picked up the third in the series Naked Cruelty, not realising that it was part of a series. Yes, you've guessed it I am a little OCD with series and had to reserve this one the first in the series before reading Naked Cruelty.
I am of an age, that the book The Thorn Birds by her was very popular and I can remember reading the book quickly in order to stay in front of the TV series of it that aired in the 80's. I have read other books by her too, but wasn't aware that she wrote crime/thrillers until I saw Naked Cruelty.
On, Off is set in the 60's in America. It tells the story of Carmine Delmonico a detective on the case of a serial killer who mutilates his victims, apparently keeping body parts as souvenirs. A research centre know as the 'Hug' appears to be at the heart of the action at the beginning, but nothing is ever as it seems. All the victims are young and female and physically all have similar characteristics. As each victim disappears, the method of their disappearance is a cause for concern.
I found the first part of the book quite slow going, as there are lots of characters to get your head around and at times it was quite descriptive. I also found that I didn't have too long to devote to reading it, only managing 10 or so pages at a time rather than larger chunks. Once I got into the story though and found more time to read, I was able to read it in larger chunks and I found that it became an easier read. It's odd how some books need to be read in larger chunks like this one and others you can manage to read easily with reading less pages.
I enjoyed the relationship between the investigating team and look forward to reading the next in the series to follow them, Too Many Murders.
There are plenty of red herrings along the way and I have to say that I did guess some of the outcome, but I must admit that I was surprised by a few things and applaud Colleen McCullough for keeping a few things close to her chest until near the end. I found that as I was getting nearer the end of the book that I was rushing to get my hands on it to see where we the reader was taken.
Great first book to what I hope wll turn out to be a promising series. 8/10 from me.
I am of an age, that the book The Thorn Birds by her was very popular and I can remember reading the book quickly in order to stay in front of the TV series of it that aired in the 80's. I have read other books by her too, but wasn't aware that she wrote crime/thrillers until I saw Naked Cruelty.
On, Off is set in the 60's in America. It tells the story of Carmine Delmonico a detective on the case of a serial killer who mutilates his victims, apparently keeping body parts as souvenirs. A research centre know as the 'Hug' appears to be at the heart of the action at the beginning, but nothing is ever as it seems. All the victims are young and female and physically all have similar characteristics. As each victim disappears, the method of their disappearance is a cause for concern.
I found the first part of the book quite slow going, as there are lots of characters to get your head around and at times it was quite descriptive. I also found that I didn't have too long to devote to reading it, only managing 10 or so pages at a time rather than larger chunks. Once I got into the story though and found more time to read, I was able to read it in larger chunks and I found that it became an easier read. It's odd how some books need to be read in larger chunks like this one and others you can manage to read easily with reading less pages.
I enjoyed the relationship between the investigating team and look forward to reading the next in the series to follow them, Too Many Murders.
There are plenty of red herrings along the way and I have to say that I did guess some of the outcome, but I must admit that I was surprised by a few things and applaud Colleen McCullough for keeping a few things close to her chest until near the end. I found that as I was getting nearer the end of the book that I was rushing to get my hands on it to see where we the reader was taken.
Great first book to what I hope wll turn out to be a promising series. 8/10 from me.
November 25, 2013
Hacía mucho tiempo que este libro estaba en mi estantería, esperando ser leído, pero con pocas probabilidades de conseguirlo, o eso pensaba yo. Sin embargo, me levanté un día y decidí empezarlo. Sabía que era novela policíaca, pero hacía años que no leía nada o casi nada del género, no obstante, volví con este libro y estoy encantada.
Conocía a la autora por su libro La nueva vida de Miss Bennet, libro que no me gustó mucho, pero con este thriller perfectamente estructurado, me ha enamorado. Haciendo un lado los detalles escabrosos, las cosas horribles que este asesino les hace a sus víctimas, en serio, dan ganas de vomitar, el misterio nos hace leer sin parar. Sospechamos de todos los personajes ¡porque el asesino puede ser cualquiera! Al mismo tiempo, parece imposible que sea alguno de ellos. Descubrir quien es el asesino no me sorprendió mucho, porque yo desconfiaba un poco de todos, pero el final ¡oh, el final, que horrible y bien planeado! Me dan ganas de poder decirle al teniente Carmine Delmonico qué es lo que sucede en realidad. Creía que iba a tener que quedarme con las dudas, pero en un final clásico se resuelven todas ¡y de qué manera! Me ha gustado mucho como la autora ha creado todo este mundo y como ha sabido crear el caso, asimismo, creo que ha hecho un buen trabajo a la hora de llevar al lector por la historia y guiarnos hacia donde ella quiere. A pesar de todo, quedan algunas interrogantes por contestar, porque sigo sin entender por qué el asesino hacía todas esas barbaridades a las chicas... En fin, un caso horrible.
Por otro lado, los personajes están muy bien llevados y creo que conseguimos tenerles cariño, sobre todo a Carmine, aunque su relación amorosa avanza de golpe y porrazo y son bastante cándidos, me ha gustado. El libro tiene una continuación, aunque cambia el caso y solo se mantiene Carmine como capitán. Tiene pinta de ser una buena lectura también, pero lo dejaré por el momento, demasiado drama, muerte, violaciones y familias rotas, pero a pesar de todo, descubrir el misterio merece la pena ¡Recomiendo mucho el libro y espero que los amantes del género no lo dejen pasar, sobre todo porque es poco conocido!
Conocía a la autora por su libro La nueva vida de Miss Bennet, libro que no me gustó mucho, pero con este thriller perfectamente estructurado, me ha enamorado. Haciendo un lado los detalles escabrosos, las cosas horribles que este asesino les hace a sus víctimas, en serio, dan ganas de vomitar, el misterio nos hace leer sin parar. Sospechamos de todos los personajes ¡porque el asesino puede ser cualquiera! Al mismo tiempo, parece imposible que sea alguno de ellos. Descubrir quien es el asesino no me sorprendió mucho, porque yo desconfiaba un poco de todos, pero el final ¡oh, el final, que horrible y bien planeado! Me dan ganas de poder decirle al teniente Carmine Delmonico qué es lo que sucede en realidad. Creía que iba a tener que quedarme con las dudas, pero en un final clásico se resuelven todas ¡y de qué manera! Me ha gustado mucho como la autora ha creado todo este mundo y como ha sabido crear el caso, asimismo, creo que ha hecho un buen trabajo a la hora de llevar al lector por la historia y guiarnos hacia donde ella quiere. A pesar de todo, quedan algunas interrogantes por contestar, porque sigo sin entender por qué el asesino hacía todas esas barbaridades a las chicas... En fin, un caso horrible.
Por otro lado, los personajes están muy bien llevados y creo que conseguimos tenerles cariño, sobre todo a Carmine, aunque su relación amorosa avanza de golpe y porrazo y son bastante cándidos, me ha gustado. El libro tiene una continuación, aunque cambia el caso y solo se mantiene Carmine como capitán. Tiene pinta de ser una buena lectura también, pero lo dejaré por el momento, demasiado drama, muerte, violaciones y familias rotas, pero a pesar de todo, descubrir el misterio merece la pena ¡Recomiendo mucho el libro y espero que los amantes del género no lo dejen pasar, sobre todo porque es poco conocido!
December 27, 2014
This book is awful. From the ridiculous red herrings (guess who has a secret basement/tower/cabin/holiday house/Forrest? EVERYONE!) To the stupid ending to the no characterization of any characters to the redonkulous bits of 'character' shoved it. (The war vet detective has a super red apartment (which is somehow just fab) and knows tolkien well enough to reference tom freaking bombadil, but not other neckbeard shit, Desmonda super gymnastics (never previously alluded to), The killer is silently sawing through the steel deadbolt of the super secure flat for hours). to the super forced relationships to the MASSIVE amounts of conclusions jumping (I know, It's the 1960's. but even then police work wasn't all 'hurrrrr I has a hunch')
The only remotely decent bit is the killings. Before you discover the stupid ending previously mentioned.
I usually leave my books on trains for others to enjoy when I'm done, but this I'm burning. My good deed for the day.
The only remotely decent bit is the killings. Before you discover the stupid ending previously mentioned.
I usually leave my books on trains for others to enjoy when I'm done, but this I'm burning. My good deed for the day.
January 19, 2021
I read Tim when I was about 16 – it was not long after the movie adaptation with Mel Gibson came out. I was obsessed with books and with Mel … seemed a logical choice of reading. That was the first and only Colleen McCullough novel I'd ever read – until On, Off. Why oh why didn’t I leave well enough alone? Because my Mum gave me the book as a present, that’s why. So I wanted to get through it.
It took three tries, though. Seriously. I rarely stop reading a novel. I think I could count on one hand the number of novels I have not finished. Perhaps I’m a little compulsive that way. But there have been too many times when I have thought a story is trash, be it due to bad characterisation, unappealing style, holes in the plot or simple lack of interest in the subject matter, whatever, and then at some point it all comes together and takes off.
Not in this case, however.
The first attempt I got to about page 67.
The second attempt I made it to about 102. Wahoo!
The third try I made it all the way to the end, but not with a lot of eye-rolling and throwing the hardcover on the floor in fits of pique.
So what’s so bad about it, I hear you ask? It’s Colleen McCullough, for goodness’ sake! “Our Colleen”.
I read in an interview that she set out to write a “classical whodunit”, and that meant “inflicting upon my detective the old way of discovering who did a murder or a crime, unaided by forensic teams, devices and all the rest of that stuff”. Hence she set it in the 1960s. Which, as far as I’m concerned, made it dated, out of touch and of little relevance to my generation and younger.
In the interview she also claimed that she chose 1965 because “the word ‘serial killer’ didn’t exist … They were rare … There was no such thing as profiling … it dawns upon everybody that this person is, to all extents and purposes, an ordinary, normal person …”
Unfortunately for McCullough’s novel, we now live in a world where we are bombarded by news about serial killers, novels about serial killers, biographies about serial killers, footage of serial killers, discussions over coffee about serial killers. Dexter is the secret seemingly-normal serial killer we've come to love. We already know that they are often ‘ordinary’ people. So what’s the payoff at the end? No twist. No macabre chill that makes you eye your neighbours suspiciously next time they wave at you over the fence, wondering if they’re actually a serial killer or not. We already know they could be and live our lives accordingly.
I suppose also the 1960s U.S. setting gave her the race card to play, which added texture to the novel in the form of an interesting sub-plot, but wasn’t essential to the story. There could have been other determining features of the victims towards which the killer was drawn.
For someone who has so much writing experience, I was discombobulated by the way in which she chose to introduce the characters. It was like reading the beginning of the Bible (you know, the ‘begats’ part). ‘Here is character 1, who is this type of scientist and has brown hair and blue eyes and rides a bicycle, and here is character 2, who is that type of scientist and has blonde hair and brown eyes, and is a bit of a cheapskate …’ . Even by the third attempt I found it impossible to get a good grasp of most of the characters until well over the half way point. Perhaps this is typical of the ‘classical whodunit’ – I wouldn’t know because I haven’t read much of the genre. (Oops, that probably should have been a disclosure early in this entry!)
I also found clunky grammar and awkward style … could this be because she was trying to follow the ‘rules’ of the genre with little practice? From the little I know of it, it does have its own kind of style. Perhaps the author needed to have a whodunit manuscript in her bottom drawer before she wrote the second one that was published … kind of like the literary equivalent to the first pancake (i.e. the first pancake in a batch never turns out right and it’s always given to the dog or the teenage boy of the house). Maybe she would then have felt a bit more comfortable in the genre. Or is this how she always writes?
The main characters, Carmine Delmonico and Desdemona, were another problem. It seems as though McCullough has tried to create a multi-layered and surprising detective as her protagonist. Carmine isn’t a typical cop in that he likes opera and his apartment is tastefully and expensively decorated. He has a taste for the finer things in life. It didn’t work. Even as he developed his relationship with Desdemona, his different sides just couldn’t be reconciled and he didn’t ring true.
The one saving grace of the novel was the character of Clair Ponsonby. She was written with just the right amount of ambivalence. I found myself constantly wondering … is she really blind? … she seems to have something to hide … why did she tell those lies? But her rebuttals were always so logical and cogent within the narrative world. And then the way she acts at the end of the novel, after we know ‘whodunit’, leaves the reader in a nice little quandry. I won’t spoil this one, even with a warning, because, after all, there are certain rules about 'classical whodunits' …
It took three tries, though. Seriously. I rarely stop reading a novel. I think I could count on one hand the number of novels I have not finished. Perhaps I’m a little compulsive that way. But there have been too many times when I have thought a story is trash, be it due to bad characterisation, unappealing style, holes in the plot or simple lack of interest in the subject matter, whatever, and then at some point it all comes together and takes off.
Not in this case, however.
The first attempt I got to about page 67.
The second attempt I made it to about 102. Wahoo!
The third try I made it all the way to the end, but not with a lot of eye-rolling and throwing the hardcover on the floor in fits of pique.
So what’s so bad about it, I hear you ask? It’s Colleen McCullough, for goodness’ sake! “Our Colleen”.
I read in an interview that she set out to write a “classical whodunit”, and that meant “inflicting upon my detective the old way of discovering who did a murder or a crime, unaided by forensic teams, devices and all the rest of that stuff”. Hence she set it in the 1960s. Which, as far as I’m concerned, made it dated, out of touch and of little relevance to my generation and younger.
In the interview she also claimed that she chose 1965 because “the word ‘serial killer’ didn’t exist … They were rare … There was no such thing as profiling … it dawns upon everybody that this person is, to all extents and purposes, an ordinary, normal person …”
Unfortunately for McCullough’s novel, we now live in a world where we are bombarded by news about serial killers, novels about serial killers, biographies about serial killers, footage of serial killers, discussions over coffee about serial killers. Dexter is the secret seemingly-normal serial killer we've come to love. We already know that they are often ‘ordinary’ people. So what’s the payoff at the end? No twist. No macabre chill that makes you eye your neighbours suspiciously next time they wave at you over the fence, wondering if they’re actually a serial killer or not. We already know they could be and live our lives accordingly.
I suppose also the 1960s U.S. setting gave her the race card to play, which added texture to the novel in the form of an interesting sub-plot, but wasn’t essential to the story. There could have been other determining features of the victims towards which the killer was drawn.
For someone who has so much writing experience, I was discombobulated by the way in which she chose to introduce the characters. It was like reading the beginning of the Bible (you know, the ‘begats’ part). ‘Here is character 1, who is this type of scientist and has brown hair and blue eyes and rides a bicycle, and here is character 2, who is that type of scientist and has blonde hair and brown eyes, and is a bit of a cheapskate …’ . Even by the third attempt I found it impossible to get a good grasp of most of the characters until well over the half way point. Perhaps this is typical of the ‘classical whodunit’ – I wouldn’t know because I haven’t read much of the genre. (Oops, that probably should have been a disclosure early in this entry!)
I also found clunky grammar and awkward style … could this be because she was trying to follow the ‘rules’ of the genre with little practice? From the little I know of it, it does have its own kind of style. Perhaps the author needed to have a whodunit manuscript in her bottom drawer before she wrote the second one that was published … kind of like the literary equivalent to the first pancake (i.e. the first pancake in a batch never turns out right and it’s always given to the dog or the teenage boy of the house). Maybe she would then have felt a bit more comfortable in the genre. Or is this how she always writes?
The main characters, Carmine Delmonico and Desdemona, were another problem. It seems as though McCullough has tried to create a multi-layered and surprising detective as her protagonist. Carmine isn’t a typical cop in that he likes opera and his apartment is tastefully and expensively decorated. He has a taste for the finer things in life. It didn’t work. Even as he developed his relationship with Desdemona, his different sides just couldn’t be reconciled and he didn’t ring true.
The one saving grace of the novel was the character of Clair Ponsonby. She was written with just the right amount of ambivalence. I found myself constantly wondering … is she really blind? … she seems to have something to hide … why did she tell those lies? But her rebuttals were always so logical and cogent within the narrative world. And then the way she acts at the end of the novel, after we know ‘whodunit’, leaves the reader in a nice little quandry. I won’t spoil this one, even with a warning, because, after all, there are certain rules about 'classical whodunits' …
October 10, 2013
Outra grande historia, num estilo diferente de O Toque de Midas.
Há um assassino em série á solta, que virtualmente é invisível - não deixa qualquer pista de modo a revelar identidade ou motivação.
Situado nos anos 60, numa era em que o CSI ainda dava os seus primeiros passos e no meio de um clima de luta anti-racial, que se desenrola paralelamente á acção principal, o Tenente Carmine Delmonico vai perseguir e desvendar os vários mistérios que de desenrolam.
Com um final surpreendente, aconselho vivamente a leitura deste livro....se se atrever .....
Há um assassino em série á solta, que virtualmente é invisível - não deixa qualquer pista de modo a revelar identidade ou motivação.
Situado nos anos 60, numa era em que o CSI ainda dava os seus primeiros passos e no meio de um clima de luta anti-racial, que se desenrola paralelamente á acção principal, o Tenente Carmine Delmonico vai perseguir e desvendar os vários mistérios que de desenrolam.
Com um final surpreendente, aconselho vivamente a leitura deste livro....se se atrever .....
November 24, 2021
Well this book, had a lot going on it between the serial killings and massive list of suspects. There was a point when "all the pieces" fell into place which blew my mind and I loved that. However, that wasn't the ending and the story dragged on a bit further. So I think Colleen might have tried to do too much with one book.
September 26, 2009
A stilted, lame, surprisingly racist mystery (e.g., did the one Japanese-American character HAVE to wear a kimono, maintain a Zen rock garden, eat only sushi, and employ a subservient functionary?). Don't bother.
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