DNF - 50% Completion

Well folks, I tried, really I did. I really hate to give up on a novel, but, I decided after the last terrible book I suffered through, that I wouldn't do it again. I wouldn't waste the effort in attempting to get through it when there were certain factors involved. Let's face it, there are some novels where there are things that just won't change no matter how far you read into it, and this was one of those novels.

The first thing and probably the most important factor in my decision to abandon the novel was the narration. Good grief Charlie Brown! This thing was all over the place, I have never read a more jarring novel. One minute, you're reading along, trying to following the storyline (not an easy task let me add) and then BAM, you're all the sudden reading something about another character that for all I know could be the past... maybe the present... it's hard to say. The author offers no page breaks to assist the reader, and this my friends as we all know just creates a very unpleasant reading experience.

The next factor in my decision to abandon the novel was the dialogue. The dialogue is very minimal clunky, and often doesn't flow well. Many of the characters come across the same, and you often can't tell who is saying what. The constant cutting off of dialogue is very overdone and quite frankly annoying. A thought is often never finished and this interrupts not only the flow in dialogue, but also the reader's flow.

"That in itself raises questions, given what we think happened immediately afterwards, so the firs-"

"Wait," I said. "Wait wait wait. What do you mean, what we think happened?"

And the dialogue continues and the reader is never clued into what the complete thought was supposed to be. This happens way more often than it should.

Lastly... character development and overall plot. WHAT... THE.. HECK... PEOPLE?!? Okay, let me take a moment to acknowledge that yes, this is the second in the series, and yes, maybe I should have read the first before reading this one. That said, I have picked up plenty of novels that are parts two, three, and even further into a series, and have never felt so lost before. With this one, it was literally like walking into the movie theater mid movie and trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Generally, an author will slowly starting filling the reader in throughout the novel with the backstory on the characters from the previous novel(s). In this case however, I'm pretty sure for the first 3 or 4 chapters I didn't even know who was narrating. There was no proper introduction, it just felt so off-putting. I tell ya, when an author can hook me mid series, and make me want to go back and read the previous novels in the series because the novel was just that good, then that's when you know it was done right. But when I need to stop reading the novel and go back and read the first in the series, well, then I can't say that character development and plot were really on point.

I want to thank NetGalley, Harlequin - Park Row Books, and Graeme Cameron for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review. I'm sorry it just didn't work out so great for me.

this was an interesting story.. honestly i give it about 3.5 but that isn't an option lol. it had a good idea and storyline. but the characters were introduced so fast that i got lost at times.. i couldnt keep track of who was who and when i finally caught up more things happened.. it wasn't a horrible story though.. it did keep me curious on what would happen next.

"That Man. That man who hurt me."

I enjoyed this book so MUCH more than the first book in the series NORMAL. Characters (most deeply flawed in one way or another), storyline, dialogue, setting - all seemed to work right this time around.

NORMAL was written from the POV of the antagonist - That Man, serial killer. This book was written in the POV of Detective Sergeant Ali Green and the book starts up immediately where book one ended.
Ali is back at work but really shouldn't be. She had a head injury and her memory is sporadic at best. But That Man is still out there and so is one of his captives who is suspected of helping him or maybe even being the mastermind behind all the serial killings.

This book held my interest all the way through and I enjoyed it very much.

I received this book from Harlequin Books through Edelweiss and Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

This book sounded like it was right up my alley, I love a good thriller; so I was surprised when I just couldn't get into this book. I didn't like the characters, there was too much going on, there was just something about the book I didn't care for. I felt that sometimes, there was so much going on, I got confused about which character was saying what, it felt very disorganized. I did like the overall storyline idea. This book just wasn't my cup of tea.

I absolutely loved the first book - Normal - but it was difficult to get into this one. I was curious to find out what happened but wasn't a fan of the new POV.

I am halfway through the book and agree with a lot of previous reviewers that you get introduced to a lot of characters quickly and it is hard keeping them straight. Even halfway through the book I am still having a bit of trouble with a few of the characters. Other than that I love this book and have basically been reading nonstop since this morning.
“For fuck’s sake, Kevin, keep still so I can kill you.” This is one of my favorite lines in the book and if you like it I believe you will love the book! It is by no means an ordinary mystery/thriller and you will need to be patient and get acquainted with at least the main characters but it will be well worth it. I ended up liking the book a lot more than I ever thought I would and I am more than happy to recommend the book. This truly is a winner. Thanks to NetGalley who allowed me to read this book in exchange for my unbiased review. A 5 star winner!

This book sounded great till I started reading, It was a bit confusing there seemed to be too many characters introduced, This book didn't flow easily and I wanted to like this book but then it just wasn't one of my favorites I have read lately.

Depending on whose analysis you believe there are only 36, or 7 or 6 basic plots on which all authors build their narrative.

Dead Girls is yet another take on the theme of the obsessed serial killer being tracked down by the police officer beset by her own personal demons. Yes, in this particular instance the protagonist is female as are the members of her team.

While Graeme Cameron has done an adequate job with Dead Girls there are just too many characters and situations for the reader to assimilate and one finds themselves going back and re-reading certain portions. (This is a circumstance one is usually confronted with when studying for a final exam, but should not be requisite when reading for pleasure).

Overall, for this reader, Dead Girls was just an okay read.

The time line was a bit confusing it was very hard to follow the events.

Bummer, I didn't like it.

I had heard great things about Normal and I couldn't wait to read Dead Girls. Regrettably, I had problems with Dead Girls from the beginning. If I could use one word to describe it, it would be disorganized. To this reader, the narrative felt all over the place. We jump from one scene to the next without cohesive understanding of the actions by either the main protagonist or the villain in this story.

So what was Dead Girls about?



A suspected serial killer is on the lose. Two months ago, Sargeant Alisha Green was attacked by him and left for dead. Now, she is called back to work early but Alisha has failed to mention to her partner Kevin and superior Jenny that since her attack, she can't remember much and creating new memories is difficult too. She keeps a notebook to help herself remember.

The serial killer attacks many and as more cops keep dying, Alisah will have to find a way to remember what he looks like when the evidence starts pointing in a different direction.

Like I said earlier, it was hard to remain invested in this novel. Many passages and scenes were confusing. I would say that the last third was the most interesting one.

Cliffhanger: No

2/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Park Row via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Cameron's first novel will doubtlessly enjoy this second offering. Full of twists and the wit we expect from Cameron, DEAD GIRLS will also appeal to readers unfamiliar with the previous novel.

Initially I was confused by this novel as there seemed to be too many characters introduced at the beginning and I was unclear who were the victims and who was missing or dead. I did like the character of Ali but her confusion and "misplaced" memories only confused me as well. Once I got into the heart of the story, I did enjoy it but not as much as some of the thrillers I've read recently. I would definitely read more by this author though as it was well-written with a solid plot.

Enjoyed the book a lot. Very suspensful. Well written

I received a free e-copy of Dead Girls by Graeme Cameron from NetGalley for my review.
This is a crime novel about a Serial killer, on the loose. There are five girls missing and two dead police officers. Sgt. Ali Green is searching for the serial killer while dealing with some personal issues of her own. Ali gets brutally beaten by an unknown person, who she assumes is the serial killer. He know who she is but she is having trouble remembering things since the beating. With Ali's memory loss, she is struggling with what is real and what is not. Ali needs to remember the past or she may face her own doom.

This was a plot line that came out of left field for me. I still am not sure how to react/rate it because it was so unlike what I expected.
Great character development and pace.

Pretentious and confusing. No way would I recommend this book

I love the suspense genre, but this book didn’t hold my interest. The author attempted a time line which went back several months and then jumped ahead, but this came across as jumbled and confusing. I wanted to like the book based on the description but was disappointed.

I absolutely loved Normal when I first received it for review. It was so action packed and suspenseful, not to mention the fact that it was told from the villains point of view, something we don't get to see every day in these stories.

Not only did we end up having feelings for the bad guy, but we almost understood him as well. It was quite the read. One that definitely messed with your mind a little and left you wanting more.

I was so excited to get Cameron's latest book, I just knew that it would once again blow my mind and leave me on the edge of my seat and it did do those things but maybe just not to the extent that Normal did.

I did like this but for some reason, I had a really hard time getting into the story and feeling anything for the protagonist which is weird because it really was a suspenseful story and very wll written. One I am sure fans of his debut novel, will really enjoy.

I hate that i didn't enjoy this one because the reviews were all so good but i guess this wasn't my jam. I found myself skimming the pages a lot then i kinda just gave up because i couldn't really get what was going on and then got to the point where i just didn't care.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Graeme Cameron, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to read an early copy.

I may not remember everything, but I know he won’t hurt anyone else.

I won’t let him.

It’s been two months since a serial killer brutally attacked police detective Alisha Green and left her for dead. Two months since she could effortlessly recall simple things, since her mind felt remotely sound. The nameless killer thinks he knows her, thinks she’s just another dead girl among many. Ali Green plans to show him he’s dead wrong about that.

Ali has two enemies now: the dangerous man she’s hunting and her own failing memory. As explosive new evidence comes to light and conflicting accounts from a witness and a surviving victim threaten both her investigation and her credibility, she begins to question what is and isn’t real. And now Ali has no choice but to remember the past…before it buries her.

DEAD GIRLS is a mystery thriller with loads of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. So many aspects of this book were horrifyingly delicious. The pacing is fast but in a really great way. I read it in one sitting. Highly recommend!