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Crematorium

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Member Reviews

I didn't liked it.
It was very slowly, boring sometimes, and I didn't look for it to read.
Also the ending was kinda predictable, but at the same time too much complicated.

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One night, while working overtime on the night shift to cover a nursing shortage, Maggie returns from her meal break to find the homeless patient she was treating is dead. Worse than that, a homicide detective is on the scene, and he has decided; she is the number one suspect.

With her reputation and liberty on the line, Maggie is determined to uncover who killed her patient, but with the tenacious Detective Hanes merely a step behind her, there is no room for error.

A week later, when she finds her patient's body still lying in the morgue unidentified, she realizes that discovering who they are is crucial to her case.

But the deeper Maggie digs, the more immersed she becomes in a game of cat and mouse with a killer who is prepared to do anything it takes to silence her. As people close to her start dying, she is suddenly confronted with the reality of her situation.

Can she solve a murder and clear her name before losing all she cherishes? Or will she, too, succumb to the relentless pursuit of a killer on the rampage?

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Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed it but I thought it was a bit predicatable as soon as identical twins were mentioned.....think I have heard that premise before.
OK but that is about it for me.

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Wow this is a compelling read and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. It really had me engaged trying to work out the mystery and I was frustrated trying to work out what was up with Sandra. The ending was a completely heartbreaking shock. Highly recommend this! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5

Maggie Bennett is a devoted and experienced emergency department nurse who works at a hectic level one trauma center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although the work is constantly demanding, she gives everything she has to the patients in her care.

One night, while working overtime on the night shift to cover a nursing shortage, Maggie returns from her meal break to find the homeless patient she was treating is dead. Worse than that, a homicide detective is on the scene, and he has decided; she is the number one suspect.

With her reputation and liberty on the line, Maggie is determined to uncover who killed her patient, but with the tenacious Detective Hanes merely a step behind her, there is no room for error.

A week later, when she finds her patient's body still lying in the morgue unidentified, she realizes that discovering who they are is crucial to her case.

But the deeper Maggie digs, the more immersed she becomes in a game of cat and mouse with a killer who is prepared to do anything it takes to silence her. As people close to her start dying, she is suddenly confronted with the reality of her situation.

Can she solve a murder and clear her name before losing all she cherishes? Or will she, too, succumb to the relentless pursuit of a killer on the rampage?
#netgalley #crematorium

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The romantic suspense genre is just not for me. One of my least favorite things about it? One or the other of the partners in the relationship decides they know what's best for the other one, so to "protect" them, they lie, when if they told the truth and the two worked together it would be so much better and just as exciting without all the lies! The story was good and held my interest for the most part, even though it felt very formulaic. I kept thinking it sounded like the basis for a soap opera. And once the subject of twins was introduced I could have written the majority of the story myself. Once I read the About the Author section I understand why it felt like a soap opera: Ms. Sowyak spent a great deal of her time as a consultant on some major soap operas.
I really liked most of the characters I was supposed to and very much wish I had a friend like Benny in my life. He was the best. And the characters I wasn't supposed to like? Ms. Sowyak made sure I REALLY didn't like them. There was plenty of action and having it set in a hospital was a lot of fun for me. (Retired RN here.) As you would expect from Ms. Sowyak's background, all of the medical details rang true, and not once did I roll my eyes (which is saying something.)
So, would I read another of the author's books? I don't think so. While the writing is good it's just not for me. Others may enjoy it. I rated it 3.5 stars.
I received a review copy from the author via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

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Based on her own vast experience as a Hospital Emergency Nurse, Crematorium by Marilyn Benner Sowyak is a standalone psychological thriller. Maggie Bennett is working a double shift at a level one trauma centre in Charlotte, North Carolina. Upon her return from a break, she discovers her homeless patient dead and a homicide detective present who sees her as the main suspect. Maggie is determined to uncover the murderer but needs to identify who the homeless man was. Then her husband’s car accident leaves her wealthy but raises further suspicions. As she investigates, the body count mounts, and will she be next? An enjoyable read, if not so gripping suspense, making it a three star rating. With thanks to Independently Published and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

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Not sure where to start with this review. Mixed feelings.

The storyline although good it slowly becomes a little far fetched for my liking but I did enjoy it overall. The characters however were great and extremely relatable.

I enjoyed the journey but I was disappointed by the final destination.

Sorry not for me.

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This was a great read! I highly reccimend it and would love to read more by this author. It was very creepy but held my attention from start to finish!

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I ended up not liking Crematorium, which honestly I was bummed out because this sounded so good in the description. There is a lot going on in this one too, making it a bit muddy.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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2.5 - While the plot of this thriller was in constant motion, there were too many other things going on at the same time that made so much get lost in the jumble.

Maggie gets caught in a string of murders, many of them people she was close to. Worse, she is a suspect. This is the main focus of the plot and is interesting, especially where so many scenes take place in a hospital. Unfortunately, there is a lot of buzzing around it. Romances that feel forced, different characters coming and going, and frankly, some unrealistic scenarios. Toward the end of the book, a character even mentions people thinking it's going to be a soap opera. This is exactly how it reads right down to the most cliche tropes. When I got to the 'About the Author' page, the first credits mentioned being a medical consultant for two major soap operas which explained it all. If you enjoy these kinds of busy plots, it will be an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy to read and review.

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The description of the book taking place in a medical center is what drew me in, however, the story did not engage me enough to continue beyond the half way point. Could have been tighter and edited more to increase the suspense.

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There is a lot going on here! From time to time, the story gets a bit messy and I had to back track a bit but generally, the author holds it all together well. It’s a cracker of a story and well worth investing the time and attention.

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Crematorium (Marilyn Sowyak) could have been better if it hadn't been so busy. Situations were in the story that did nothing to advance the story line. Maggie's dog (Dover) was mentioned a lot, but when Maggie was away for a few days (no spoilers as to why/where) nothing was said about anyone taking care of him. Certain evidence doesn't make a lot of sense as to why it wasn't already in the hands of the police. I want to thank NetGalley for a copy to review.

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Wow! That was a crazy twisted story! And I loved it! Lol this book seemed actually quite long but it kept my attention the whole book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, plenty of murder, and had my heart pumping in quite a few spots! The storyline was a little crazy but very very interesting and had me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

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