Member Review
Review by
Ameya A, Reviewer
2.5* What started off as an unusual story with quirky characters and an uncommon setting, (without giving away spoilers, it’s where Dr. Emmy Kaur works and lives) turned into a plodding read.
The characters were varied, but not particularly engaging and all the relationships were flawed. If DCI Gray James was to be believable and appealing to the reader, he should have been easier to read. Which woman, if any, did he love? It seemed he was playing one woman off against each other, not a likable quality in a hero.
Which brings me to the women! Not one of them, other than Emmy in flashes and Detective Vivienne, was in the least bit likable. Don’t even get me started on Farrah – a trashy character, perfunctorily described. Sita, whom Sethi describes alternately as Gray’s wife, estranged wife and ex-wife, was the hardest to a) like; b) understand. Was Gray supposed to be pursuing her or the other way around? It seemed the author had no clue herself but wanted the reader to care. In the end it didn’t matter as none of the relationships mattered or were resolved. I still didn’t know what Gray’s internal state was at the end after a long time meandering around in his mind.
The reason I am bringing these characters up is that Sethi wanted the relationships to matter. She devoted pages upon pages to the convoluted connections. I wasn’t sure if the outcome was supposed to be a cliff-hanger, or the author thought she had wrapped up the ends. In my case, it was neither a cliff-hanger in that it doesn’t motivate me to buy the next book, nor is it resolved.
Gray’s grieving about Craig was a long nightmare that served as a distraction into the mystery. It didn’t serve to a) help the reader understand Gray; or b) like Gray more; or c) to create an interesting side plot.
The mystery and setting were lacklustre. I skipped paragraphs to get to the end of each chapter and to the end of the novel. There is only so many times you can read about cars hurtling along on a stormy day on twisting mountainous roads that end on a cliff into the sea on one side. There are only so many ways to describe being soaked through by variously the storm, the sea or both. However, the reader is subjected to chapters of these weather, setting and roading challenges that all run into one another to form an extended, water-logged read.
The plot was hard to follow, full of jumps and starts, and didn’t end satisfactorily. It was really all over the place, and left the protagonist, Grey, less likable than he had been in the beginning. Odd indeed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. # Kill MeWhy #NetGalley. This book review also appears in:
https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2019/07/kill-me-why-by-ritu-sethi.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2886244086
The characters were varied, but not particularly engaging and all the relationships were flawed. If DCI Gray James was to be believable and appealing to the reader, he should have been easier to read. Which woman, if any, did he love? It seemed he was playing one woman off against each other, not a likable quality in a hero.
Which brings me to the women! Not one of them, other than Emmy in flashes and Detective Vivienne, was in the least bit likable. Don’t even get me started on Farrah – a trashy character, perfunctorily described. Sita, whom Sethi describes alternately as Gray’s wife, estranged wife and ex-wife, was the hardest to a) like; b) understand. Was Gray supposed to be pursuing her or the other way around? It seemed the author had no clue herself but wanted the reader to care. In the end it didn’t matter as none of the relationships mattered or were resolved. I still didn’t know what Gray’s internal state was at the end after a long time meandering around in his mind.
The reason I am bringing these characters up is that Sethi wanted the relationships to matter. She devoted pages upon pages to the convoluted connections. I wasn’t sure if the outcome was supposed to be a cliff-hanger, or the author thought she had wrapped up the ends. In my case, it was neither a cliff-hanger in that it doesn’t motivate me to buy the next book, nor is it resolved.
Gray’s grieving about Craig was a long nightmare that served as a distraction into the mystery. It didn’t serve to a) help the reader understand Gray; or b) like Gray more; or c) to create an interesting side plot.
The mystery and setting were lacklustre. I skipped paragraphs to get to the end of each chapter and to the end of the novel. There is only so many times you can read about cars hurtling along on a stormy day on twisting mountainous roads that end on a cliff into the sea on one side. There are only so many ways to describe being soaked through by variously the storm, the sea or both. However, the reader is subjected to chapters of these weather, setting and roading challenges that all run into one another to form an extended, water-logged read.
The plot was hard to follow, full of jumps and starts, and didn’t end satisfactorily. It was really all over the place, and left the protagonist, Grey, less likable than he had been in the beginning. Odd indeed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. # Kill MeWhy #NetGalley. This book review also appears in:
https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2019/07/kill-me-why-by-ritu-sethi.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2886244086
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