Cut By Cut When Jessie Clarkson left Sayer’s Brook, Connecticut, she was pregnant, terrified, and married to a psychopath. She knew Emil would do anything to prevent her incriminating him—if he ever found her. Staying alive for the sake of her child was all that mattered.
Inch By Inch
Five years later, Emil is dead and Jessie is ready to stop running. With her daughter Abby starting school, going home to be among friends and family makes sense. Until the murders start. All the victims are viciously stabbed and slashed across the throat. And each of them has a connection to Jessie.
He’s Getting Close Enough To Kill
Is Emil still alive, tracking her down—or do the answers lie elsewhere in her troubled past? One horrifying crime at a time, a killer is making his intentions clear. Jessie may have escaped Sayer’s Brook once. But someone is making sure she never leaves again…
The only reason this book gets two stars from me is the fact I did want to wade through it to the end to see how the author managed to explain everything. I can see this becoming a bad knock-off movie a la the later incarnations of 'Halloween' or 'Friday the 13th'. If you like lots of blood this could be the read for you. If you want something even bordering on reality, I'd pass if I were you,
This is one of the worst books I have read it a long time. I was hooked in the beginning, and couldn't wait to find out the ending. However, the ending was so unrealistic and horrible that it ruined the book. Don't waste your time with this one!
This book was never boring and i really wanted to finish it to find out what happened. With that being said i HATED it. The most loathsome characters i have ever encountered. Someone should take this writer's computer, typewriter, recorder, pens and paper all away so he can never inflict this cruelty again on an unsuspecting public. Ugh what crap.
i felt the plot was weak. The volume of violence seemed not to serve the plot very well. I think the author was trying to build tension but it felt cartoonish. There was a supernatural element that didn't work for me.
I had discovered this book when I was passing by a shelf in the library, attracted to it by its well-designed cover and alluring blurb. Up until the climax of the novel, I found the book exciting and gripping. Even the fact that I had an exam week the week after the one during which I was reading this tale didn't hinder my progress. The exposition and prologue are well written, catching the reader by the back of their neck. I was voraciously reading this book until I was disappointed by the sloppy climax. The climax destroyed everything I was hoping for. What seemed like a riveting serial-killer thriller novel was damaged by the sudden revelation of the fact that the killings were made by the protagonist's dead son, who resurrected. This sudden exposition seemed unrealistic and wasn't foreshadowed well. It seemed as if the author suddenly decided to turn this book into a horror novel midway. The first part of this book seemed like an engaging crime thriller, but the latter portions like a lousy horror piece. I agree that the book does keep you bracing for action, but be informed that not everyone might like the ending.
I had discovered this book when I was passing by a shelf in the library, attracted to it by its well-designed cover and alluring blurb. Up until the climax of the novel, I found the book exciting and gripping. Even the fact that I had an exam week the week after the one during which I was reading this tale didn't hinder my progress. The exposition and prologue are well written, catching the reader by the back of their neck. I was voraciously reading this book until I was disappointed by the sloppy climax. The climax destroyed everything I was hoping for. What seemed like a riveting serial-killer thriller novel was damaged by the sudden revelation of the fact that the killings were made by the protagonist's dead son, who resurrected. This sudden exposition seemed unrealistic and wasn't foreshadowed well. It seemed as if the author suddenly decided to turn this book into a horror novel midway. The first part of this book seemed like an engaging crime thriller, but the latter portions like a lousy horror piece. I agree that the book does keep you bracing for action, but be informed that not everyone might like the ending.
Jessie Clarkson had a pretty good life when she was young, going to school and living in small town Connecticut. The only problem she seemed to have as a young woman was the fact that she couldn’t keep a boyfriend around for long. Her sister, Monica, actually stole took away her high school beau, and her best friend glommed on to her college love match. In order to get even, Jessie decides to hook up with a motorcycle maniac, Emil, and show them all that she’s landed a wild and crazy guy.
Unfortunately, she’s right. One night, Jessie finds out that Emil is more than crazy, as she watches him take someone’s life. Running, Jessie heads to New York City to hide. She wants nothing more than to escape Emil who just happens to be the father of the child she carries.
Informed that Emil was killed in a drug related battle in Mexico, Jessie decides to go back to her New England home now that he’s no longer a threat.
With Emil gone, hoping to settle down and live a normal life, Jessie establishes herself as an author. With her daughter, Abby, and nanny, Inga, Jessie heads back to Connecticut. Unfortunately, the good life can’t be found. Killings suddenly start up again using Emil’s previous M.O., and each victim seems to have a connection to Jessie. As the fear begins, Jessie must find out if Emil is still alive and has come back to seek revenge on all who did him wrong.
With a bevy of characters, from best friends to high school beaus to a neighbor, John Manning, who’s a writer that allegedly murdered his wife - the cast is intriguing. A really fascinating thriller with a little of the paranormal thrown in for good measure, readers will really enjoy this fast-paced book.
Ok...overall I give this book 4 stars. I loved the story line, the characters and the rapid flow of the story. But it was towards the end where things got a little jittery for me. It felt as if the author didn't put the same time and attention to the ending as he did the beginning and the middle of his story.
Those brief but quick chapters became too brief and not very informative or crucial to the story. But I would say overall, it was a very good book. I would most definately read a second book by this author.
I don't think he could have picked a better title for this book. I also enjoyed the paranormal parts of this thriller. They definately make the story more interesting to me.
I wish the story's leading antagonist's character could have had more meat to him. I also wish the story's paranormal character could have had more personality and meat to him too. I think this would have added more depth to the story and to the meaning of the ending of the story too.
After...this lots of thought I've decided to give this book 4 stars instead of three. This book has stayed on my mind even afer I read the book. It's one of the few books that I've read that actually scared me. So I came back and gave it an extra star.
OK, I got an ARC of this book and it was well over 500 pages, so the fact that goodreads states that it is 300+ pages makes me think some things have been cut, that being said I was 500 pages into the book until I realized it had a paranormal piece to it, which if I had known earlier I would have skipped it altogether. This book has a fast pace to it, but only when you are reading it, if that makes sense, it is not a book that pulls you back to it when you sit it down. Therefore it took me a few days to read it but when I was reading it the pages turned quickly. The characters are ok, with a book of this length I expect to feel more for the characters. It did have alot of twists and turns and it kept me guessing, but I assume that since i never thought paranomal behavior was an option I did not guess correctly. What I learned from this book is that a paranormal occurence can change a book completely and in my estimation can tie up any loose ends. I liked the book for keeping me guessing, but the paranormal stuff is not for me and it left me feel robbed of a real ending.
I enjoyed this book although it was a bit hard to follow as it was almost 2 1/2 stories in one....but in the end all the little tales within came together in a good finish. Paranormal, mystery, love...all in one....very little on the love side but it's still in there. There were times when the plot lost me, but it always seem to come back onto the right track after it's slight de-rail....all in all though a good read. Kept me up turning pages at night for sure! Was worth the lost sleep and the groggy days at work though :)
Okay, I guess. It started out somewhat interesting, although I could already tell the main character was going to annoy me. But then just deteriorated. The "heroine", if we can call her that, because she seemed vapid and "woe is me" for most of the book, was beyond annoying. It just felt like the author was throwing a whole arsenal of ideas into the same book to move the plot along. Suspense/murder-mystery/drama/fantasy all rolled into one.
This book was...odd. It was as if it didn't know if it was supposed to be a murder mystery, paranormal or a survival story. None of the characters were really likable or had you rooting for them, not even the victims. I was just kind of glad some of them were gone. The ending was just an ending with no real conclusion.
possibly the worst book i have ever read. the further you read the more incredible it becomes. its almost as if the author was struggling to keep his audience by becoming more and more "inventive" with the story. all told i would advice anyone that wants to enjoy a good book with a plausible storyline to give this one a wide berth!
Again, I chose a book outside of my comfort zone. Don't typically pick up mystery/thriller type books, but this was an easy read. I found that I liked the way the author wrote and while probably typical storyline it was nonetheless an enjoyable read.
This is a book I had NOT expected! WOWEE! Lots happening and so much going on I had to slow down my reading to catch it all, and then I start reading faster because it was so good! WHEW! It went like gangbusters! I LIKED IT!
This book had a little of everything in it, murder, betrayals, and nail biting intensity. It also had a paranormal aspect to it. I really felt for Jessi and her daughter Abby. The characters were well written and believable. I gabe this book four stars.
This book had me at the first chapter. It isn't normally the kind of book I read but I did get into it. Some crazy things happen in this book that I won;t go into in fear of spoiling it but it is worth a try.
I found the book to be very entertaining and I enjoyed reading it. Having said that I do not believe that this is one of his best works and I did not enjoy that he added a new twist to his writing genre. Over all worth reading but be prepared for a change.
Two stars because it kept my interest, though I was angry the whole time that it did. Poorly written characters, poorly written dialogue. Wanted to keep going just to see where it would go and how it would wrap up, but wow... Wouldn't read this author again.
I will start by saying I am not an avid reader. A book needs to grab me and hold me, if it does not then it takes me weeks to months to read; that being said, I finished the book in two days. I was, however, disappointed in the ending.
Entertaining. This book had so many characters dying that it became very unbelievable, towards the end. Because I was so close to the finish, I had to continue to see how it would end. NOT BAD!
Incredibly creepy and atmospheric. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the supernatural aspect, but otherwise great. Don't read home alone on a stormy night!!!!