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Sherry Moore #1
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Investigative consultant Sherry Moore is blind and stunningly beautiful, with the extraordinary ability to "see" the deceased's last eighteen seconds of memory by touching the corpse. At age five, she was found near death on the steps of a city hospital. A head injury had left her without sight and prevented her from remembering her past. When Sherry discovers she does have sight -- sight that transcends death -- she learns to use her gift to help others solve mysteries that only she can tap into.
Serial killer Earl Sykes was never caught for his vicious murders. Instead, a deadly traffic accident landed him in prison. Now, almost thirty years later, he returns to the seaside town of Wildwood, New Jersey -- and to abducting young female victims from desolate areas of the boardwalk for his gruesome games.
Wildwood police lieutenant Kelly O'Shaughnessy is stymied over the disappearance of young women from the boardwalk -- crimes horrifyingly reminiscent of unsolved cases from the seventies. When an old man's untimely death leads Sherry Moore to Wildwood, O'Shaughnessy's desperation to stem the bloodshed forces her to accept Sherry's help, but not without consequence. As the two women join forces to discover the killer's identity, they unwittingly become the hunted, marching deeper with every step into the monster's lair.
A law enforcement veteran himself, Shuman packs a realistic style and authentic investigative detail into this taut tale filled with pulse-pounding tension that will send readers right to the edge.
319 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2006
35 people are currently reading
797 people want to read
About the author
George D. Shuman
16 books50 followersGeorge D. Shumanis author of Lost Girls, Last Breath, and the Edgar Award–nominated 18 Seconds. A retired twenty-year veteran of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department, he resides in the mountains of southwest Pennsylvania, where he now writes full-time. To learn more, visit his website at www.georgedshuman.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
February 11, 2021
O Dom de Sherry
Sherry Moore é uma cega que vê!
“Como?” e “O Quê?” serão as inevitáveis e consequentes perguntas!
Bem, tratando-se duma invisual, Sherry é incapaz de ver a realidade circundante. Porém, ao tocar num cadáver, ela capta os últimos 18 segundos das imagens que passaram pela mente do falecido.
Daí Sherry prestar um contributo inestimável em casos de investigação criminal. Contudo, as imagens que lhe surgem não lhe fornecem soluções imediatas — na maioria dos casos, são peças dum puzzle ainda por resolver...
“18 Segundos” é um thriller que combina originalidade (Sherry) e vulgaridade (crime, infelizmente) numa forma que, quanto a mim, resultou em pleno! 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Sherry Moore é uma cega que vê!
“Como?” e “O Quê?” serão as inevitáveis e consequentes perguntas!
Bem, tratando-se duma invisual, Sherry é incapaz de ver a realidade circundante. Porém, ao tocar num cadáver, ela capta os últimos 18 segundos das imagens que passaram pela mente do falecido.
Daí Sherry prestar um contributo inestimável em casos de investigação criminal. Contudo, as imagens que lhe surgem não lhe fornecem soluções imediatas — na maioria dos casos, são peças dum puzzle ainda por resolver...
“18 Segundos” é um thriller que combina originalidade (Sherry) e vulgaridade (crime, infelizmente) numa forma que, quanto a mim, resultou em pleno! 🌟🌟🌟🌟
December 6, 2015
This was a delight to read! Sherry Moore, who is blind, can see the last 18 seconds of memory of a dead person by holding their hand. With this ability she helps law enforcement with certain cases.
The cases in this book involve 30 year old cold cases, and recent cases of abductions, rapes, and murders. Two female protagonists were well written and I really liked them. Sherry is interesting and I wanted to know her history. She has no recall of her early childhood or how she came to have her ability. Lt. Kelly O'Shaughnessy has marital problems and two daughters to care for along with her police work. There were two characters, one a cop and one a father, that I really wanted to see knocked down! There were a couple of shocks and an "Oh, wow" at the end.
George D. Shuman has an easy going, smooth writing style. I'm looking forward to reading more from him!
The cases in this book involve 30 year old cold cases, and recent cases of abductions, rapes, and murders. Two female protagonists were well written and I really liked them. Sherry is interesting and I wanted to know her history. She has no recall of her early childhood or how she came to have her ability. Lt. Kelly O'Shaughnessy has marital problems and two daughters to care for along with her police work. There were two characters, one a cop and one a father, that I really wanted to see knocked down! There were a couple of shocks and an "Oh, wow" at the end.
George D. Shuman has an easy going, smooth writing style. I'm looking forward to reading more from him!
February 3, 2021
Sherry’s Gift
Long ago, Sherry had an accident that granted her a gift — by touching the hand of a dead person, she has access to the last 18 seconds of the person’s life:
Most of the times, she watches random images that pop into her mind like a puzzle that claims to be solved.
Needless to say that her contribution to solve crimes, was extremely valuable...
Long ago, Sherry had an accident that granted her a gift — by touching the hand of a dead person, she has access to the last 18 seconds of the person’s life:
Most of the times, she watches random images that pop into her mind like a puzzle that claims to be solved.
Needless to say that her contribution to solve crimes, was extremely valuable...
September 24, 2014
RATING: 3.0
One of the pitfalls of being an avid reader is that you become overly attuned to the clichés of the genre. It becomes difficult to find a book that strays from the formulas and presents a totally unique device. George Shuman has succeeded in doing that in 18 SECONDS. One of his protagonists, Sherry Moore, was injured in childhood and had a freak aftereffect as a result—she lost her eyesight but gained the ability to look into the mind of a dead person and view what they were seeing during the last 18 seconds of their life.
At first glance, that skill would appear to be a real asset in terms of solving homicides. However, what a person is thinking or seeing during the last 18 seconds of their life may not be a recording of what is happening around them. Often, they may have moved into a fantasy state or experience flashbacks to an earlier time of their life. Sherry has to sort through these confusing images and determine what is useful for the law enforcement people investigating the crime.
Unfortunately, Shuman didn't really capitalize on the unique device that he created as the "gimmick" for the book. Instead, the narrative focused mostly on a police lieutenant named Kelly O'Shaughnessy who worked with the Wildwood, New Jersey, force. A serial killer (remember those dreaded clichés?) is on the loose and has targeted Kelly as a future victim because her father had arrested him many years earlier. It's too bad that Shuman, who has many years of experience working in the Washington, DC, police department, couldn't come up with a more interesting premise.
I wished that Shuman would have made Sherry the focal point of the book. There are actually very few times in 18 SECONDS where Sherry demonstrates her unique ability. The expectation of something new and different was dashed as a result. Sherry, of course, is beautiful; the serial killer is deranged; both Sherry and Kelly are endangered; and all those clichés I thought would be avoided came tumbling to the forefront.
One of the pitfalls of being an avid reader is that you become overly attuned to the clichés of the genre. It becomes difficult to find a book that strays from the formulas and presents a totally unique device. George Shuman has succeeded in doing that in 18 SECONDS. One of his protagonists, Sherry Moore, was injured in childhood and had a freak aftereffect as a result—she lost her eyesight but gained the ability to look into the mind of a dead person and view what they were seeing during the last 18 seconds of their life.
At first glance, that skill would appear to be a real asset in terms of solving homicides. However, what a person is thinking or seeing during the last 18 seconds of their life may not be a recording of what is happening around them. Often, they may have moved into a fantasy state or experience flashbacks to an earlier time of their life. Sherry has to sort through these confusing images and determine what is useful for the law enforcement people investigating the crime.
Unfortunately, Shuman didn't really capitalize on the unique device that he created as the "gimmick" for the book. Instead, the narrative focused mostly on a police lieutenant named Kelly O'Shaughnessy who worked with the Wildwood, New Jersey, force. A serial killer (remember those dreaded clichés?) is on the loose and has targeted Kelly as a future victim because her father had arrested him many years earlier. It's too bad that Shuman, who has many years of experience working in the Washington, DC, police department, couldn't come up with a more interesting premise.
I wished that Shuman would have made Sherry the focal point of the book. There are actually very few times in 18 SECONDS where Sherry demonstrates her unique ability. The expectation of something new and different was dashed as a result. Sherry, of course, is beautiful; the serial killer is deranged; both Sherry and Kelly are endangered; and all those clichés I thought would be avoided came tumbling to the forefront.
August 19, 2008
I enjoyed 18 SECONDS immensely. I liked the way Shuman took a plot element that has been done before and relayed it in a fresh way. I dislike how this book is portrayed as a psychic thriller, psychological thriller, yes, but to call it a psychic thriller degrades it, because it's not really, which is a better angle in my opinion. A blind character in the novel possesses the ability to "see" the last 18 seconds of the person's life, when she makes physical contact. This character is not psychic. She does not communicate with the dead person. She is just able to make an energy-to-energy connection with the short term memory of a corpse. For eighteen seconds, she experiences what the person thought and lived through in the last moments of life. I felt the author did a great job at making that element believable in the story's context.
I also enjoyed the character details, punchy verbs and grittiness. I didn't find anything that dragged momentum.
The only aspect I didn't like was that the two main female characters didn't meet until near the end. I think it would have been great to see them interacting earlier somehow.
The climax of 18 SECONDS was especially gripping. Excellently written fight scenes and final confrontations. I liked that the author didn't hold back any punches and allowed the female characters to experience pain and turmoil.
Fun read for me.
I also enjoyed the character details, punchy verbs and grittiness. I didn't find anything that dragged momentum.
The only aspect I didn't like was that the two main female characters didn't meet until near the end. I think it would have been great to see them interacting earlier somehow.
The climax of 18 SECONDS was especially gripping. Excellently written fight scenes and final confrontations. I liked that the author didn't hold back any punches and allowed the female characters to experience pain and turmoil.
Fun read for me.
February 18, 2011
18 SECONDS by George D. Shuman
I found this book to be pretty flat from the beginning. It was obvious that the author was trying to weave an intricate web of connected stories, but it just came out tedious and predictable. I didn't like most of the characters, even the ones I was supposed to root for, like O'Shaughnessy - I found her quite annoying and got tired of her whining about her husband. I did like Sherry and John though, but their parts were too minor. I thought more of the book would be about what Sherry did, and it would have been a lot better if it had followed her more, and not all the interweaving that tried too hard to make a creative plot. There were a few moments that were good, but most of it was just a pain to read; the writing, characters, and plot all fell short for me. I really wish the book had just focused on Sherry and her ability, it would've had a lot of potential that way. Unfortunately, that's not the way it went. I don't recommend this book.
Overall Opinion: ★★
~Kayla
My Blog
I found this book to be pretty flat from the beginning. It was obvious that the author was trying to weave an intricate web of connected stories, but it just came out tedious and predictable. I didn't like most of the characters, even the ones I was supposed to root for, like O'Shaughnessy - I found her quite annoying and got tired of her whining about her husband. I did like Sherry and John though, but their parts were too minor. I thought more of the book would be about what Sherry did, and it would have been a lot better if it had followed her more, and not all the interweaving that tried too hard to make a creative plot. There were a few moments that were good, but most of it was just a pain to read; the writing, characters, and plot all fell short for me. I really wish the book had just focused on Sherry and her ability, it would've had a lot of potential that way. Unfortunately, that's not the way it went. I don't recommend this book.
Overall Opinion: ★★
~Kayla
My Blog
January 6, 2013
Sherry Moore é uma jovem extremamente bela, cega, e que contudo possui um estranho dom... é capaz de captar os últimos 18 segundos de vida de uma pessoa, apenas por tocá-la depois de morta.
Earl Sykes é preso por ser culpado de um acidente ocorrido em estrada, no entanto há muito mais de si para ser revelado... Sykes é um violador e assassino.
Entretanto começam a ocorrer estranhos desaparecimentos e fica encarregada do caso a sargento O'Shaughnessy. As suas investigações não a conduzem a lado algum e é neste contexto que irá surgir Sherry, que através do seu dom irá ajudar O'Shaughnessy nas investigações, a fim de que se possa descobrir o assassino.
Gostei deste livro. Recomendo.
Earl Sykes é preso por ser culpado de um acidente ocorrido em estrada, no entanto há muito mais de si para ser revelado... Sykes é um violador e assassino.
Entretanto começam a ocorrer estranhos desaparecimentos e fica encarregada do caso a sargento O'Shaughnessy. As suas investigações não a conduzem a lado algum e é neste contexto que irá surgir Sherry, que através do seu dom irá ajudar O'Shaughnessy nas investigações, a fim de que se possa descobrir o assassino.
Gostei deste livro. Recomendo.
February 13, 2018
If I could give it 1.5 stars, I would, but the statement 'it was okay' doesn't sound right for me, so I rounded it to only 1 star.
I don't know what this book's synopsis is in other countries. But in my book, in spanish, the synopsis on the cover said something along the lines of 'This guy who's a serial killer and rapist has just come out of prison after 30 years of imprisonment. Little do this blind chick with mystic powers and this female cop know they are his new targets, and they'll have to work together against him.' With prettier words of course. But the book doesn't hold true to this synopsis until the very end! I was expecting a story focused on something else entirely, because I was promised a different thing rather than what the book actually focused on.
On top of it, the book is called '18 seconds' because of the power of one of the characters, which together with the synopsis makes it seem like she's going to be one of the female protagonists, but the book doesn't do her justice, nor gives her enough 'screentime'. Instead we're stuck with the female's cop anguish over her separation from her husband.
The writer tried to tie together a complex web to make an intricate story but he couldn't pull it off. It was predictable, tedious, there were too many names to remember, and at times you begin to wonder if the characters are downright stupid.
I don't know what this book's synopsis is in other countries. But in my book, in spanish, the synopsis on the cover said something along the lines of 'This guy who's a serial killer and rapist has just come out of prison after 30 years of imprisonment. Little do this blind chick with mystic powers and this female cop know they are his new targets, and they'll have to work together against him.' With prettier words of course. But the book doesn't hold true to this synopsis until the very end! I was expecting a story focused on something else entirely, because I was promised a different thing rather than what the book actually focused on.
On top of it, the book is called '18 seconds' because of the power of one of the characters, which together with the synopsis makes it seem like she's going to be one of the female protagonists, but the book doesn't do her justice, nor gives her enough 'screentime'. Instead we're stuck with the female's cop anguish over her separation from her husband.
The writer tried to tie together a complex web to make an intricate story but he couldn't pull it off. It was predictable, tedious, there were too many names to remember, and at times you begin to wonder if the characters are downright stupid.
September 2, 2007
The premise of this book is ABSURD! (though I did buy the same premise on the TV show Millenium.) That said, this is a tense, well written piece of crime fiction. It doesn't do anything original, but what it does it does well. The depiction of police investigation is perfect (when it isn't supernatural, of course) and it's every bit as gory as the Saw movies. It is about serial killers after all. This is everything that pulp fiction should be: sharp, energetic, and, dare I say, even insightful.
April 10, 2014
Um livro muito confuso no início pois entram novas personagens a cada capítulo e às páginas tantas começamos a ficar baralhadas, mas com o desenrolar da história tudo começa a fazer sentido e o livro transforma-se num thriller fantástico.
É daqueles livros que nos agarram e que, mesmo parecendo confusos, não o conseguimos largar.
É daqueles livros que nos agarram e que, mesmo parecendo confusos, não o conseguimos largar.
May 12, 2021
One fine debut novel (2006) from Shuman. A killer yarn some reviews say. Lyrical, horrifying says another. I have to agree. Down right brilliant. Sherry Moore a blind woman with a strange gift. She touches the hand of the dead and sees what they saw the last 18 seconds of their life.
January 6, 2022
Quattro stelle solo perché sin dall 'inizio viene rivelata l'identità del colpevole, mentre a me piace formulare le probabili ipotesi nel corso della lettura. Il finale poi ti lascia veramente con il magone
August 20, 2024
Wirklich spannend!
May 27, 2010
Borrowed from my brother. He read it and thought I'd enjoy it, mostly because it's set in Wildwood, NJ.
I enjoyed the story enough to finish it, but I probably won't be reading anything else by Mr. Shuman again. I had too many issues with this, his first novel.
The premise is that a sociopath named Earl Sykes is released from jail because he's dying of cancer (and because he was in prison for a charge unrelated to his murder string, which the police never solved). He leaves with thoughts of revenge on the police lieutenant who put him in jail as well as on the woman (Susan) who used to run with him when he was younger. He saw her as a loose end to tie up.
Sherry Moore is a blind woman who can "read" the last 18 seconds of a person's life by touching the hand of the deceased. She is often asked to help out in police cases around the country, but the last one she worked on haunts her still. She is in love with John Payne, a close friend and police detective in Philadelphia who is married.
Kerry O'Shaughnessy is the current police lieutenant in Wildwood. Daughter to the man who put Sykes behind bars, she is faced with two missing persons cases involving young women disappearing from the boardwalk.
Recently Susan's father died from a nasty fall in his nursing home, and Detective Payne thinks there may be some link between his death and Susan's, when she's found shot. So he asks O'Shaughnessy if he can bring Sherry by to "feel" his last moments for any clues.
While it's an interesting premise, a lot is made of Sherry in the blurb but I didn't feel she was in the book as much as she should have been. The action jumped between many characters, never really giving you much time with any of them. And by jumping around, I mean Shuman head-hops between points of view in every single scene containing more than one character. It's distracting and a little upsetting that modern authors (and their editiors) don't quite grasp the concept of third person omniscient POV.
Though the book opens with Sherry working on an unrelated case, she doesn't get much face time after that, just a few scenes here and there to show us her relationship with John, until things pick up in Wildwood. And that's literally at the end of the book. So if you're looking for a story with emphasis on the psychic element, this isn't it,
A lot of the story focused instead on Sykes. I got the impression you were supposed to feel like the net was closing in on him, but O'Shaughnessy doesn't clue in to what role he plays in the murders until the last few pages, just before he attacks. I would have liked more detective work that actually played out during the course of the book ~ instead we got a lot dead ends and O'Shaughnessy's frustration when everything she tried to do relating to the case failed.
I felt the whole back story of O'Shaughnessy's separation from her husband and her rebound relationship with the district attorney was distracting, to say the least. It wasn't necessary to the story, IMHO. Also, the cop Dillard who resented O'Shaughnessy's authority was over the top, too stereotypical for me. The jail psychologist who watched Sykes as he walked out of prison in the beginning of the book didn't bother calling detectives in Wildwood until the final pages of the story, but whatever she said wasn't shared with readers and in the end did little to advance the plot.
Finally, the ending was a let down, to say the least. Once Sykes kidnaps Sherry and O'Shaughnessy both, they escape too easily with little damage done. I mean, this guy has killed dozens of other women! Why does he suddenly have a severe lapse of judgment that allows this to happen? Also, the convenient fact that Sherry knows kick-ass moves of advanced martial arts isn't really explained.
However, what really bothered me about the ending is that it was a bit insulting three able-bodied women couldn't overpower Sykes on his own. Instead a minor character named Jeremy was used, possibly to redeem him after the police suspected he had something to do with the missing persons cases. Given that Jeremy was mentally retarded as a result of the horrific traffic accident that sent Sykes to jail in the first place, I felt his inclusion in taking down the bad guy was too much.
At no point did I feel the gripping tension reviewers claim to have felt while reading this story. The final confrontation was over too quickly with little suspense and Sykes' death at the end just smacked of Hollywood to me. I would have rather seen him held accountable for his actions, but maybe that's just me.
Overall, this isn't the worst book I've ever read ~ I did finish it, which is saying something. I can see why my brother picked it up, because it's one of those mindless beach reads you throw away with the sand. I didn't care enough about Sherry by the end of the book to want to buy another story involving her talents, and that saddens me because I usually like thrillers, particularly those with some degree of clairvoyant or supernatural aspect.
I enjoyed the story enough to finish it, but I probably won't be reading anything else by Mr. Shuman again. I had too many issues with this, his first novel.
The premise is that a sociopath named Earl Sykes is released from jail because he's dying of cancer (and because he was in prison for a charge unrelated to his murder string, which the police never solved). He leaves with thoughts of revenge on the police lieutenant who put him in jail as well as on the woman (Susan) who used to run with him when he was younger. He saw her as a loose end to tie up.
Sherry Moore is a blind woman who can "read" the last 18 seconds of a person's life by touching the hand of the deceased. She is often asked to help out in police cases around the country, but the last one she worked on haunts her still. She is in love with John Payne, a close friend and police detective in Philadelphia who is married.
Kerry O'Shaughnessy is the current police lieutenant in Wildwood. Daughter to the man who put Sykes behind bars, she is faced with two missing persons cases involving young women disappearing from the boardwalk.
Recently Susan's father died from a nasty fall in his nursing home, and Detective Payne thinks there may be some link between his death and Susan's, when she's found shot. So he asks O'Shaughnessy if he can bring Sherry by to "feel" his last moments for any clues.
While it's an interesting premise, a lot is made of Sherry in the blurb but I didn't feel she was in the book as much as she should have been. The action jumped between many characters, never really giving you much time with any of them. And by jumping around, I mean Shuman head-hops between points of view in every single scene containing more than one character. It's distracting and a little upsetting that modern authors (and their editiors) don't quite grasp the concept of third person omniscient POV.
Though the book opens with Sherry working on an unrelated case, she doesn't get much face time after that, just a few scenes here and there to show us her relationship with John, until things pick up in Wildwood. And that's literally at the end of the book. So if you're looking for a story with emphasis on the psychic element, this isn't it,
A lot of the story focused instead on Sykes. I got the impression you were supposed to feel like the net was closing in on him, but O'Shaughnessy doesn't clue in to what role he plays in the murders until the last few pages, just before he attacks. I would have liked more detective work that actually played out during the course of the book ~ instead we got a lot dead ends and O'Shaughnessy's frustration when everything she tried to do relating to the case failed.
I felt the whole back story of O'Shaughnessy's separation from her husband and her rebound relationship with the district attorney was distracting, to say the least. It wasn't necessary to the story, IMHO. Also, the cop Dillard who resented O'Shaughnessy's authority was over the top, too stereotypical for me. The jail psychologist who watched Sykes as he walked out of prison in the beginning of the book didn't bother calling detectives in Wildwood until the final pages of the story, but whatever she said wasn't shared with readers and in the end did little to advance the plot.
Finally, the ending was a let down, to say the least. Once Sykes kidnaps Sherry and O'Shaughnessy both, they escape too easily with little damage done. I mean, this guy has killed dozens of other women! Why does he suddenly have a severe lapse of judgment that allows this to happen? Also, the convenient fact that Sherry knows kick-ass moves of advanced martial arts isn't really explained.
However, what really bothered me about the ending is that it was a bit insulting three able-bodied women couldn't overpower Sykes on his own. Instead a minor character named Jeremy was used, possibly to redeem him after the police suspected he had something to do with the missing persons cases. Given that Jeremy was mentally retarded as a result of the horrific traffic accident that sent Sykes to jail in the first place, I felt his inclusion in taking down the bad guy was too much.
At no point did I feel the gripping tension reviewers claim to have felt while reading this story. The final confrontation was over too quickly with little suspense and Sykes' death at the end just smacked of Hollywood to me. I would have rather seen him held accountable for his actions, but maybe that's just me.
Overall, this isn't the worst book I've ever read ~ I did finish it, which is saying something. I can see why my brother picked it up, because it's one of those mindless beach reads you throw away with the sand. I didn't care enough about Sherry by the end of the book to want to buy another story involving her talents, and that saddens me because I usually like thrillers, particularly those with some degree of clairvoyant or supernatural aspect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2019
Não sou fã de livros em que conhecemos a história na primeira metade do livro e que o desenvolvimento é sobre a investigação/caça ao homem... Posto isto, lê se bem, conseguiu deixe-me curiosa em alguns aspectos fora da narrativa principal e li-o com gosto.
June 14, 2021
Very good, page turner, and interesting characters. Most interesting for this crime novel was the blind woman who touches the hand of the dead and gets images/messages from them. I have the dates wrong, but don't know how to back track a date.
January 28, 2013
Difícil de entrar na história pelo imenso número de personagens que surgem do nada, com imensas investigações do passado, só a mais de metade da sua leitura é que 18 segundos me prendeu verdadeiramente.
Pegando numa personagem que consegue captar os últimos 18 segundos de vida de uma pessoa, através do toque na mão da vítima, Shuman consegue... opinião completa em: http://marcadordelivros.blogspot.pt/2...
Pegando numa personagem que consegue captar os últimos 18 segundos de vida de uma pessoa, através do toque na mão da vítima, Shuman consegue... opinião completa em: http://marcadordelivros.blogspot.pt/2...
February 13, 2008
This was really quite good, especially at the beginning. I remember it did start to drag a bit near the end, but overall I liked it. It's about a blind woman who can hold the hand of a dead person and "see" what was happening during the last 18 seconds of his/her life. The police call her in to help solve murder cases.
I've tried some of this author's later novels and just couldn't get into them.
I've tried some of this author's later novels and just couldn't get into them.
December 30, 2012
Considero uma leitura relativamente fácil, mas devido ao grande numero de personagens e situações, um pouco confusa inicialmente.
Aconselho vivamente aos amantes deste género, pois contém suspense, aventura e bastantes enredos.
Foi difícil por vezes parar a leitura, pois a curiosidade e entusiasmo eram grandes para ler o que se ia passar nos capítulos seguintes.
Aconselho vivamente aos amantes deste género, pois contém suspense, aventura e bastantes enredos.
Foi difícil por vezes parar a leitura, pois a curiosidade e entusiasmo eram grandes para ler o que se ia passar nos capítulos seguintes.
October 3, 2015
Genel olarak güzel bir kitaptı ancak polisiye olarak biraz zayıf buldum. Konusu güzel ve ilgi çekiciydi ancak yeterince iyi işlenememiş bence.
Ayrıntılı yorum Yorum Atölyesi'nde
Ayrıntılı yorum Yorum Atölyesi'nde
August 15, 2016
I did finish this book- I found it very slow moving- painfully so. The only reason why I finished it was because I got too far into it and I wanted to see how it ended. Being that this is the first in the series, I feel that it may be an interesting series to follow- but I'm still not quite sure if I will pick up the second book.....
February 23, 2020
This book was very odd. It jumped around from person to person a lot. It was difficult to understand. There was so much information given about a person. In some places, to much information was given. Eventually the information tied into what was going on but it was very slow going. There was information given about the characters that was not relevant to the story and could have been left out.
December 15, 2008
This is a great thriller and serial killer novel. It took me about 4 days to read, but it was a great one, well worth it. Two done, one more to go tonight. Kristen
July 24, 2009
Astonishing premise; well written mystery.
December 7, 2011
Interesting storyline and idea but the plot itself fell short for me.
The constant transition between all the different characters detracted from the story more than anything.
The constant transition between all the different characters detracted from the story more than anything.
February 19, 2015
Um livro interessante mas sem que a suposta protagonista tenha muita relevância para a história. Estranho? Opinião completa aqui: http://flamesmr.blogspot.pt/2015/02/l...
March 22, 2016
My mind was blown away by Sherry Moore and Shuman. This book it's not your typical thriller. It's so much more. The feelings evoke can't be described. To know you have to read.
March 2, 2021
The blurb of this book had me so excited to read it. A blind psychic with the ability to see the last 18 seconds of the deceased’s life upon touching them? How intriguing is that? Well...Shuman definitely wrote words.
This was the first time I’ve encountered the poorly written, overly-sexualized female characters that are written by male authors that everyone always makes fun of. I thought I would be getting two strong, independent, murder-solving female leads, but was handed two obviously male-written female leads.
Shuman did Sherry Moore and Kelly O’Shaughnessy absolutely no justice. Both women are written to be obsessed with men that they can’t have. The ableism, sexism, perversion, and pedophilia that this book was written with is unappealing and disrespectful. Sherry’s only traits that are constantly being brought up are the fact that she’s blind, beautiful, sensual, and in love with her married best friend (who also likes her back, but of course Sherry is demonized because she’s a woman). Kelly’s only trait is that she’s separated from her cheating husband, (who she wishes had waited at least a month to tell her about his cheating because she probably would’ve forgiven him) but wants to get back with him and thinks about him 24/7.
Shuman sexualizes every woman mentioned—age is no inhibition—while simultaneously making them all desperate for men. To overcompensate for this poor interpretation, he makes every man a cheater, pervert, pedophile, etc. He doesn’t know how to write multi-faceted characters, only extremes.
Sykes’ perspective is the most well-written in my opinion. Seeing as he’s a perverted murderer, it makes sense why he’s written the way he is, but all the other men shouldn’t be written exactly like him. You can argue that all men are pigs including law enforcement, but Shuman being a veteran makes that seem highly unlikely that that was his intention when writing. It’s just overcompensating. Anyway, Sykes’ perspective seems accurate enough seeing as he always made me uncomfortable and the things he did were disturbing and disgusting.
I hated the entire chronology of the book. It was messy. The timeline jumped around too much with so many people being involved indirectly and directly, but apparently all of them needed to be mentioned.
And finally, the blurb is a lie as I stated before. You’d think with it being focused on Sherry and Kelly we’d get a lot more of them together, but they don’t meet until page 242/308, and by the time they start actively solving the crime together, it’s over in 2-3 pages.
The singular star came from the potential this premise had along with the ending that made me want to potentially check out the next book in case Sherry is better represented.
Just watch iZombie instead.
This was the first time I’ve encountered the poorly written, overly-sexualized female characters that are written by male authors that everyone always makes fun of. I thought I would be getting two strong, independent, murder-solving female leads, but was handed two obviously male-written female leads.
Shuman did Sherry Moore and Kelly O’Shaughnessy absolutely no justice. Both women are written to be obsessed with men that they can’t have. The ableism, sexism, perversion, and pedophilia that this book was written with is unappealing and disrespectful. Sherry’s only traits that are constantly being brought up are the fact that she’s blind, beautiful, sensual, and in love with her married best friend (who also likes her back, but of course Sherry is demonized because she’s a woman). Kelly’s only trait is that she’s separated from her cheating husband, (who she wishes had waited at least a month to tell her about his cheating because she probably would’ve forgiven him) but wants to get back with him and thinks about him 24/7.
Shuman sexualizes every woman mentioned—age is no inhibition—while simultaneously making them all desperate for men. To overcompensate for this poor interpretation, he makes every man a cheater, pervert, pedophile, etc. He doesn’t know how to write multi-faceted characters, only extremes.
Sykes’ perspective is the most well-written in my opinion. Seeing as he’s a perverted murderer, it makes sense why he’s written the way he is, but all the other men shouldn’t be written exactly like him. You can argue that all men are pigs including law enforcement, but Shuman being a veteran makes that seem highly unlikely that that was his intention when writing. It’s just overcompensating. Anyway, Sykes’ perspective seems accurate enough seeing as he always made me uncomfortable and the things he did were disturbing and disgusting.
I hated the entire chronology of the book. It was messy. The timeline jumped around too much with so many people being involved indirectly and directly, but apparently all of them needed to be mentioned.
And finally, the blurb is a lie as I stated before. You’d think with it being focused on Sherry and Kelly we’d get a lot more of them together, but they don’t meet until page 242/308, and by the time they start actively solving the crime together, it’s over in 2-3 pages.
The singular star came from the potential this premise had along with the ending that made me want to potentially check out the next book in case Sherry is better represented.
Just watch iZombie instead.
September 16, 2021
Un thriller che esplora la psiche umana in tutte le sue sfaccettature e delinea alla perfezione i vari personaggi che abitano questo romanzo. Da una parte Kelly, tenente alle prese coi pregiudizi dei suoi colleghi, con un matrimonio finito in tradimento (lo perdono? Non lo perdono?) e con un caso complesso che riguarda la sparizione di diverse ragazze. Dall'altra Sherry, una ragazza cieca ma una grande dote: quella di poter visualizzare gli ultimi 18 secondi di ricordi di un morto semplicemente toccandolo. Contattata dalla polizia che sta investigando sulla morte di una donna, le due si trovano a collaborare quando si scopre che i due casi sono collegati. Si sa già chi è l'assassino, Sykes, appena uscito di galera per buona condotta e perché ormai gli resta poco da vivere. Condannato a due ergastoli per aver causato la morte di una scolaresca, e non per i numerosi rapimenti, stupri e omicidi commessi, sa bene come impiegherà i pochi anni che gli restano: tornando alle vecchie abitudini. Ho adorato lo stile di scrittura, il modo in cui i capitoli sono narrati da molteplici punti di vista, anche da personaggi non troppo importanti, che ci trascinano nelle loro vite, fatte di droga, sveltine, mariti violenti. Mi è piaciuto soprattutto il personaggio di Shelly, così particolare e innovativo (non ho mai letto una storia simile alla sua, con anche un colpo di scena finale), in confronto al quale Kelly mi è parsa fin troppo banale, e sinceramente un po' noiosa col suo continuo pensare al marito fedifrago (i tradimenti non si perdonano, senza se e senza ma). Leggerò sicuramente altro di questo autore.
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