Valentine

by Tom Savage

Jillian Talbot has it a beautiful home in New York’s Greenwich Village, a string of bestselling suspense novels, a handsome and adoring lover. She has something else, too. A silent stalker. A secret admirer who sends her pink, heart-shaped messages--with an unmistakable threat in blood-red letters. His motives are as cryptic as the name he goes Valentine. But his intentions are deadly clear. He has stalked other women in the past, and he has killed them. Now he’s ready to add Jill to his list, to carry out the punishment he has chosen for her, retribution for a long-ago crime that only he remembers. For Valentine, vengeance will be complete. For Jill Talbot, the terror has just begun. Wherever she runs, he will find her. And soon she will meet him on his terrible day of judgment. His triumphant day. Her darkest day. Valentine’s Day.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1996

About the author

TOM SAVAGE is the USA Today bestselling author of A Penny for the Hangman, the Nora Baron series, and many other novels and short stories. His books have been published in fifteen countries, and his bestselling novel, Valentine, was made into a Warner Bros. film. Raised in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, he now lives in New York City, where he worked for many years at Murder Ink®, the world’s first mystery bookstore.

Reviews

[STEPH · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I didn't particularly liked this book. I almost skipped the pages because of the involuntary yawning on my part.

Too bad because the first two pages totally reeled me in. I liked the calm and composed point of view of "Valentine" and he made an impression to me so I thought that this energy would be present throughout the whole story, sadly, it didn't.

I didn't mind the different POVs. It surely added more doubts and suspicion of who might be the killer is. The red herrings were everywhere and we really get a glimpse of everyone's field of vision. But, it wasn't enough for me. I've already figured out who the killer was earlier on, it was kind of obvious if you really pay attention to the flashbacks and the POVs.

Still, this book was better than the movie. I badly need a good book right now. This 2-star streak needs to end, somehow.

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 1 out of 5]

TW: Fat shaming, drinking, smoking, language, attempted rape, domestic abuse, alcoholism, cancer, Alzheimer's, divorce, abortion, use of c-word, physical abuse, gaslighting, miscarriage

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Jillian Talbot seems to have everything: a lovely home in Greenwich Village, a small circle of close friends, a handsome and passionate lover who has just proposed to her, and a glamorous career as a bestselling author of suspense novels. Her writing has captivated thousands of fans, but she has always been safe from the terrifying scenes she creates. Until now. Somewhere in the shadows of New York City, someone is watching her. He knows her every move, her every fear, almost before she knows it herself. He is as devoted as a lover, courting her in his own mysterious way - leaving notes in her mailbox, gifts on her doorstep, messages on her answering machine. His motives are as cryptic as the name he goes by: Valentine. But his intentions are deadly clear. For Jill Talbot, the terror has just begun. Wherever she runs, he will find her. And soon she will meet him on his terrible day of judgment. His triumphant day. Her darkest day. Valentine's Day.
Release Date: February 1st, 1996
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 448
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked: other characters
1. Creepy stalker pov

What I Didn't Like:
1. Writing at times came off dry
2. Boring drawn out scenes
3. Construction of this book is horrible and confusing
4. Completely horrible

Overall Thoughts:
Like within the first chapter we're introduced to Doug who's being set up with Tara so I'm thinking Doug is her stalker because he put himself in the studio with Nate so that they could meet. Plus he says he's going to take off his boots in the house.

This book so far explains how women will push away their fears because it's not within normalcy even though our main character is clearly freaked out. She doesn't close the blind even though she should and feels like maybe somebody's watching her. I mean they even said they were watching her she dismisses it.

The part where he sneaks into the apartment was absolutely very nerve wrecking. I thought he was going to hid in the closet.

Is the guy stalking her Brian Marshall's son? So far I'm thinking maybe.

So Jacob was really cheating on his wife and going out on dates with other women. But how do his coworkers not know that he's married and why do they keep setting him up on dates? Why does Jacob keep acting like it's an inconvenience that he has to go on these dates? I am so confused by his actions.

How does Barney know this random Detective in Pittsburgh? Jill mentions his name and Barney's just like yeah I know him. Have a very random.

What kind of savings account did Victor have? He just able to double his $80,000 that sat in his bank account to $160,000. I can't even imagine what the interest rate would be on that savings account. Plus I'm sure he bought stuff with the money he wouldn't just have the straight $80,000 that his grandmother left him.

We get this face off moment with Victor when he leaves and goes and gets plastic surgery, three operations. And it takes him 12 weeks so he doesn't look like picture anymore. He's now this attractive man who looks completely different. Like how ridiculous. You can't just have plastic surgery over the course of 12 weeks I'm pretty sure you have to wait a little bit for your face to settle before you jump into another surgery otherwise you could ruin what was already done. He then goes to a motel and hires two sex workers to teach him about sex and he gets so good at it that the sex workers say that he's merely making love to them he's so good.

Victor kills Barney and uses cold sink water. Who's been paying the water bill for 13 years in an abandoned house? Also he can dig a grave in winter when it's like 30°F.

God, this book is just stupid. Victor was the man outside the phone booth and knew in that moment to follow/listen to Jill's conversation, so he'd know where she was going. Two things are annoying me about Victor dressing up;
a. He somehow switches sizes and heights when people meet him
b. He somehow became this master of disguises and can blend in with everyone

Ok so Victor is really Nate. I hate this book.

Final Thoughts:
It drove me insane how many characters are introduced in this book. Some characters are only here for a paragraph. It is also confusing at times when you add in that chapters have no end and go into other paragraphs about other characters. In one section I'm reading about Jill then I go to the next page and suddenly I'm reading about Victor. It feels convoluted and pushed together.

I wish that we would have kept the identity of Valentine for longer than we were introduced to him. Jill figures it out pretty fast in the book so it felt like the element of surprise was kind of out on who was the killer.

This book took me so long to finish. I started this mid-February and just finished it beginning of April. So many times I tried to get invested in the story and I would just lose interest in it because like I said there's no mystery in what's happening, you're just reading about what's happening but you already know what's happening because you get so many pov's.

Book is absolutely ridiculous and outlandish. The construction of this book makes no sense. Things don't add up when you play them back in your head. How is Nate Victor? Why is David the one brother of Cass - a character mentioned once this person that's watching Jill? How is Doug magically friends with "Nate" when for so long Doug's wife Stacy was Nates masturbation obsession?

IG | Blog

[David Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for watching B horror movies, finding out it was based on a book and then finding the book to read. I never knew Valentine the slasher flick was based on a book until the opening credits. The book and the movie have very little in common besides names. Tom Savage’s book was totally different in a good way, the stalkerish point of view and plot twists (different then the movie) really threw me for a loop. I really enjoyed this – if the movie had followed the book more closely it might have been better.

[David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the movie...of course, it would pretty much have to be! Really, this is a gripping suspense novel, and the awful movie had nothing in common with it other than the title and the names of some of the characters!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very creepy! And the reason it is so creepy is because the stalker scenario can, and does, happen in real life. I don't want to give anything more away than what you can read in the book summary, so I will just say that I do definitely recommend this one. It's a fairly quick read, and has a killer ending! (no pun intended) If you enjoy feeling creeped out, then be sure to read this one late at night while you're home all alone - bonus if it's a stormy night, with the wind howling outside your window and the sound of rain beating against the roof. But if you don't want to scare yourself, then do the opposite lol, and be sure to close the blinds. I know I will probably be looking over my shoulder the next couple of days for potential stalkers. They could be anyone - a complete stranger, or the guy lying next to you in bed at night. And they could be anywhere, hiding in the shadows or standing behind you in line at the supermarket. You just never know.... (lol)

[Dusty Drosche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! Reading this book was like being in a classic slasher movie from the 80s/90s. Super fast paced and a fun read I thoroughly enjoyed every page. Despite knowing the killer and the motive and the plot from the get go, there are still a few surprises and twists, especially toward the end. Savage does an excellent job of switching between multiple POVs going on concurrently as well as switching between past and present. From beginning to end this felt like the perfect movie. Just enough drama, whodunit, action, gore, and suspense all wrapped up with a great epilogue to end it. Yes!

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I read this was because David Boreanez was in the movie and I liked the ending in the movie (even though the rest of it was pretty bad).

I might have enjoyed this more without the unnecessary viewpoints (which, apparently, were supposed to add suspense but didn't), the awkward dialogue, and the annoyingly perfect life of the "heroine". Anyway, like the movie, most of this book was pretty bad.

I'll stick with David Boreanez.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT PLOT TWIST

I enjoyed that way more than I thought I would. It’s so refreshing to read a good mystery that isn’t a cookie cutter.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was an excellent read for this month. Completely different from the movie. I would recommend this for the likeable characters and fun twists.

[Kaine Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may be the only time in my life I use the phrase "The movie was better than the book." Yes, the movie has only superficial resemblance to the novel; yes the movie is barely above your typical post-Scream slasher fare. But it had coherence, did not suddenly and without warning introduce characters who significantly alter the dynamic, and had a less tidy, everything-is-okay-now ending. The book is a victim of all three.

Don't get me wrong; there's things to like here, IF you're one of my tribe. That is, the folks who get upset when a good idea is presented with terrible writing and are mollified with a bad story if it's told well. Savage's prose is well constructed, flows nicely and is a quick read that doesn't have you wincing every time you see a comma or scrabbling for the thesaurus by the bed. His characters are well crafted - if occasionally stilted - and he gives us vivid imagery to set the scenes.

The problems arise with the plot and some of the actions those characters take. It's like he made beautiful puppets, crafted interesting stories for each of them, but forgot to limber them up and check their wires before setting them to dance. They behave in strange ways that don't seem to fit their character types and often have reactions to events that I find completely unbelievable. A prime example is our heroine, Jill Talbot; she's young, beautiful, smart. She's a self-supporting writer who sits happily on the New York Times bestseller list with her four published novels. She dislikes public attention, but accepts it as part of her job. She doesn't hide who she is, has a well-known home, a listed telephone number.

This character - who is in the public eye and making no attempts to stay out of it - gets two slightly disturbing Valentines, neither with overt threats and both standard-issue over the counter style. Poor taste, perhaps, but not criminal insanity. She literally seems to fall apart, going to the police, hiring a private detective, and lamenting that the cops won't/can't do anything and nobody believes her. So, let me get this straight. You're an attractive female in New York, who is well known and publicized, and you've managed to do this for years without any creepy fan behavior? Then you get two Valentines and you freak out? A trifle hard for me to accept, especially once we factor in the genre of novels she writes - girl-in-trouble mystery thrillers, but of course! Her research into such matters - which is alluded to during her conversation with the police - should have clued her in to the ultimate futility and probable harmlessness of the situation if not common sense. Yes, WE know, as readers, that someone IS after her... but generally in this sort of work the female lead has something more concrete - dead pets, bloody declarations of ardor written on her building walls, phone calls where they threaten or inform her of what they're going to do to or with her - before going to the authorities and the inevitable "Why doesn't anyone believe me?!" moment.

Valentine's identity is properly foreshadowed, and will have you guessing quite a bit, but it's ultimately unsurprising; after the revelation several chapters before that moment that another prime suspect - and likely THE prime suspect, in most reader's minds - is someone else entirely, there's really only one person it can be as the others were either circumstantial at best, already accounted for by this point in the book, or obviously red herrings. Still, it does have at least SOME emotional impact, which saves the book from being utter trash.

One last memo from the complaint department, regarding the red herrings. I don't mind red herrings; they make books like this work. What I do mind is having so many, all of them jumping up and down, waving a flag over their head and generally being obnoxiously obvious that it's not them. Then every time one gets crossed off the suspect list, we bring in yet another character, who will do the same. Until we finally learn who the killer was. Just felt shoddy to me.

Anyways. If you're desperate for a thriller and see this one lying around, it might be worth a peek. A small one. The language and the pacing might make up for the less exciting aspects. But overall I can't say that I'd recommend this to anyone.

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent book. Made me realize the fear that a stalker causes. Ending was incredible!

[Christopher Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A twisted, suspenseful, and at times horrifying read that will keep you engaged from start to finish! Brilliantly-pardon the pun-executed and very believable!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read. As a huge slashers fan, I have of course seen the David Boreanaz starring 2001 movie which was *very* loosely based on this book. No killer running around in a Cupid mask and pursuing a bikini-clad Denise Richards in a Jacuzzi here, though, this is much more of a traditional stalker suspense thriller, albeit with some particularly meticulous murder set ups. The villain of our story knows how to hold a grudge.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite a chilling read. Stalker stories always made my blood chill from fear. The fact that scenarios like this aren't too far off from reality is the scariest aspect of this book. Jillian Talbot is living the good life having a successful career as an author, a loving boyfriend, and a very supportive group of friends by her side. This all changes however when she begins receiving notes from a stalker who goes by the alias of Valentine. Now Jill has to uncover the mystery of why Valentine is so focused on her and stop him before she becomes his latest victim.

I haven't watched the movie adaption of this but from what I hear the novel is quite different when compared to the movie version. Although this book had a couple of slower sections in it the ending of it made the journey all worth it. The ending had a few crazy twists that I did not see coming at all. Uncovering the identity of who Valentine really is and why he does what he does was my biggest drive to continue reading this absolute chiller. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is into a good stalker and slasher story. I certainly won't be able to listen to My Funny Valentine by Sarah Vaughan the same way ever again...


My Funny Valentine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8VRw...

[Alex | | findingmontauk1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

VALENTINE by Tom Savage is a decent suspense/mystery book with some thriller elements and sprinkled in some horror. Kudos to whoever was able to take this book, though, and make it into an even stronger movie with actual on-screen/on-page kills. The strength of this book is within the suspense writing itself. I knew there had to be some twists and there were... and they were pretty solid twists! It did take me about 50 pages to get into the story and the writing style, especially with some of the POV/time switching. I think this could have been almost 100 pages shorter and been just as (or even more) effective. Some of the prolonged exposition and out-of-left-field red herrings took up page time that just did not really add anything.

Not great but not a waste of time. Valentine is a nice change of pace from the fast-paced thrillers and horror books I have been reading forcing me to slow down and really settle down for the stalking chills and the hunt.

[harwin.j · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fan of the movie. But let’s not compare movies to books.
This one took me by surprise at the end. Many twists and turns, it was very exciting to read. I read the last half of the book in one sitting.

Very well done horror story. It felt like it could very well be a movie on its on as is. It’s very detailed as to the scenery, the characters and the depth of the story. You start placing characters as you read to locations and just enjoyed trying to figure this out on my own.

I started rating this as 4 stars, but comparing it to others, I’m giving it a solid 5. The extra suspense in each chapter I think helped with rating this.

Check it out if you’re down for some classic horror, or if you’re just a true horror fan.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: this book has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the movie.

So...full disclosure. I love the movie “Valentine.” It is so awful and overdone and plotless but in the best ways. I was excited to read the novel that inspired it but, needless to say, was not expecting much. That being said...

THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME!

An amazing stalker thriller that kept me from putting the book down. Read this one in a heartbeat and loved every minute of the story. I thought the characters were well developed (even if I didn’t necessarily like them all *cough* Jillian *cough*). Great twist and a fun thriller I would recommend overall.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill Talbot is a best selling author, living the life she wants with the man she loves. Then she starts getting harassing cards and gifts and her past actions are threatening her present.

I loved this book because it kept me thinking I knew what was going on, only to find - I didn't really. That's a major skill in a suspense writer. Loved the whole ride!

[Jeremy Hurd-McKenney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand writing a slasher novel and then staging most of the kills offscreen like a PG-13 horror movie. Savage will throw a zillion red herrings in your path, but when one of your characters has a name that is an obvious anagram of "Valentine", there's not much guesswork left up to the reader.

[Х. И. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Отмъщението е сладко точно като бонбон за Свети Валентин.
Джил Талбот има всичко, за което някога е мечтала. Тя е млада, красива и умна, но освен това е и успешна писателка на криминални романи, която е щастливо влюбена в приятеля си – талантливият художник Нат Левин. Обаче всичко се преобръща, когато Джил започва да получава обезпокоителни картички от таен обожател, който нарича себе си Валентин..Купидонът обаче съвсем не е безобиден и все повече започва да ужасява Джил, която е принудена да прибегне до услугите на частният детектив Барни Флек..Нещата стават още по-смразяващи, когато Джил и Барни правят връзка с една нелепа шега от миналото на Джил завършила с един разбит живот.
Началото е силно, но после до към средата действието си е мудно. Стилът на авторът е приковаващ и не липсва нищо - напрежение, мистерия и трилър! Авторът прескача между множество различни герои и успява да създаде труден за разгадаване обрат в края. Това което не ми хареса беше, че повечето от героите бяха прекалено изкуствени, липсваше им дълбочина, добрите бяха твърде наивни, а лошият дразнещо зъл.. Голяма част от диалозите помежду им бяха скучни, а действията им не съвсем логични. Книгата можеше да е една идея по-страшна като атмосфера.
Романът изобилстваше от правописни грешки и дори грешки в имената на героите(срам издателство Колибри!).По принцип игнорирам тези неща, ама този път сериозно ме подразниха..
Гледал съм филмът Валентин и много ми хареса, макар че нямаше почти нищо общо с книгата. Никога не съм знаел, че филмът е базиран на книгата, докато не го изтеглих повторно и не прочетох началните надписи. Уви след прочита се убедих, че сюжетът беше по-подходящ за филм, отколкото за книга.
Не съжалявам за прочита, харесаха ми обратите, но книгата не е нищо особено.

[Unsolved ☕︎ Mystery · Rating 5 out of 5]

***One of my favorites from 2020***

Wowza! This was a doozy, but in a good way.

Jillian is being watched but doesn't know it. She keeps receiving eerie packages and valentine's day cards in the mail. People are either dying or disappearing.....you get the idea.

If you've seen the movie, Valentine, from 2001; Great! You're halfway there because that movie is based on this book.
If you love the movie; I recommend this book to you.
If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend reading it.

Its been awhile since seeing the movie, so a re-watch (maybe even this weekend) is on schedule.
I remember really liking the movie. Now, I have to judge and compare; which is better...? Book or movie? Movie or book? Hmmmm....

Anyway, This book reminded me of a REALLY good made-for-tv movie.
You remember those, right? The ones from the 70's, 80's, and early 90's?
Ohh, How I miss those! They were like finding a rare beautiful diamond in the rough.
And I couldn't help but picture lovable Charles Durning as the character of Private Detective Barney Fleck!

Charles Durning was in quite a few made-for-tv movies back in the day.
R.I.P Charles Durning. ❤️

Anyhow, my rating for this book is 4.5 stars.
There was a little thing that I thought was unnecessary and didn't add to the story.
It threw the story off track a little bit.
This didn't stop it from being a favorite read.

[J. Brendan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slice of 1990s serial killer narratives that feels very rote with the distance of 20 years - New York is a jungle, diversity is cringey, gay characters are catty, in the art world and/or adjacent to AIDS, and the female heroine is taking self defense classes. The most interesting element is the central woman's writing life as a thriller novelist. This is better than the truly awful film adaptation that only uses the central conceit (a serial killer who uses valentines to taunt his victims - victims who once taunted him). If you want a serial killer novel that does exactly what you expect, read on.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen the movie this book was apparently based on, though I remember very little about it. All I know is that the movie is hardly anything like the book.

Plot:

Although the plot has been done before in horror and suspense, it was nicely executed. I especially liked how the book was split up into the different parts, such as us not finding out more about what happened to the Elements until later on.

The plot reminded me a lot of a Mary Higgins Clark novel, but was less predictable than I expected.

Setting:

The book is mostly set in New York, though there are a few other locations. Although I've never been to New York, it felt very realistic and was easy to picture in my head.

Characters:

I have mixed feelings about the main character, Jill. On one hand, I liked her because she's a kind of humbled successful author with a quiet life. On the other hand, she could be very bland and had a few obsessive qualities that got on my nerves at times. Overall she was a sympathetic character, though.

The antagonist was very interesting, especially because you're not quite sure until the end who he is in the present. While I felt sympathy for his past, he is clearly very psychotic and sinister. There were some scenes where he was downright creepy.

I liked the love interest, Jill's best friend, and the private detective who later helps Jill named Barney. And although the antagonist's past victims are dead, the author manages to make them likable despite the awful prank that helped set the killer into motion.

Relationships:

The relationship between Nate and Jill was believable, but at the same time didn't seem to hold much of a spark. I enjoyed Jill's relationship with her best friend and even Barney better than I did with Nate, though perhaps that is to be expected.


Writing/Voice:

It was a little hard to get into the book at first, but once I did, it was difficult to put down. Especially during the scenes of the past victims as well as the final confrontation. The writing itself tends to be dry at times, and sometimes confusing as the author doesn't always say right away (or at all) which character's viewpoint we're reading from, but he's a great storyteller. The dialogue for the most part is realistic.

Ending:

I figured there would be a twist ending, similar to the movie, but it still caught me off guard. I had considered the correct identity of the killer near the beginning, but fell into the trap of thinking it was someone else. It made sense and was believable, so it was an enjoyable surprise.

Overall:

Overall this was a pretty good read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror/suspense novels, especially fans of Mary Higgins Clark and such. I'd probably re-read this one again one day. 3.5 stars.

[Tara Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I’ll give this one a 3 star. This was fine. I didn’t feel like it was anything super spectacular, but it kept my attention. I got this book, because I knew there was a movie based on it. I haven’t seen the movie, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a early 00s slasher, so I was expecting more gore I guess. There were definitely kills and some brutality, but that wasn’t the main focus, and that kind of bummed me out.

I guess I read too many thrillers, because I suspected the killer/stalker, but I was wondering how all of the pieces fit together. I didn’t predict the other twist at the end, which allowed for the pieces to fall in place. I think the most terrifying thing is the stalking, and this sort of thing really happens to people. I do feel like there were some missed opportunities; I feel like more people could’ve died, and I also feel like the creepiness of getting these “trinkets” from Valentine could’ve been scarier. He sent “gifts” but the stakes could’ve been raised on what exactly he sent.

This also very obviously takes place in the 90s; it is mentioned only once that it’s in that decade, but the book felt like a relic of its time. One thing that did bother me: there are specific dates in this book but not an exact year listed. I looked at a calendar and determined what year I thought this might’ve taken place. However, leap year is mentioned as having taken place 16 years before, and that did not match up with the year I thought this could’ve taken place. It isn’t that hard to either get calendar dates correct or to not put specific days of the week beside the date.

Overall, this might be a fun read if you’re looking to watch the movie and make comparisons like I am. I’m not mad I read it, just don’t think I’ll revisit it again.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quatrième de couverture
Jill Talbot est une femme comblée. Auteur de polars à succès, elle a rencontré l’homme de sa vie, Nate, l’artiste peintre de qui elle attend un enfant. Son bonheur serait parfait si un inconnu ne la harcelait en lui envoyant des lettres de menaces et des cadeaux bien inquiétants.

Qui donc est cet homme qui signe ses lettres et ses messages du prénom Valentin? Veut-il seulement faire peur ou est-ce un dangereux psychopathe?

Bientôt traquée, épiée, menacées, Jill en perd le sommeil. Surtout quand elle apprend la mort de ses trois meilleures amies de collège, toutes trois assassinées un jour de Saint-Valentin. Jour noir et fatal qui se rapproche…La fête des amoureux pourrait bien être la dernière qu’il lui reste à vivre.

Mes impressions
Ce roman a été une très belle surprise pour moi. Je ne m’attendais pas du tout à un livre aussi captivant. L’histoire est intéressante et pleines de surprises. Le texte est bien structuré et l’intrigue est bien intégrée à travers tout le récit. Le texte est fait de façon à suivre Jill ainsi que son entourage en plus de nous montrer les réflexions de l’homme qui la harcèle. Le tout ce lit très facilement et est relativement facile à comprendre malgré plusieurs événements et informations très inattendues.

D’ailleurs un film a été réalisé à partir de ce récit, mais j’ai eu l’impression que c’était un navet…à vous de juger.

[Keith Chawgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was bought by Hollywood to make a stalk and slash thriller in the early 2000's. Please not that Hollywood kept the title and some character names and through the rest away which, to be honest, is good for the book because this book is far better than the film.

The book is not a stalk and slash book nor would I genre it as horror. it sits firmly in the murder and suspense shelf.

It is a very interesting and fun read that will keep you guessing until the very end. The characters are likable and it is well written. The ending surprised me which is always exciting for a book of this ilk.

If you are looking for a good old fashion mystery story along the lines of Mary Higgins Clark, it wouldn't hurt to read this. A great fun read with enough red herrings and twist and turns to keep anyone intrigued and entertained

Give it a go. It is well worth the cost.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time reading this author but definitely won't be the last. This book really creeped me out. I read a lot of murder mysteries but this one involved being stalked. I seem to handle serial killers better than stalkers. The MC was in with a group of popular/mean girls in college who played what they considered an innocent prank on a male classmate on Valentine's Day. Well this man NEVER forgot the prank and now for each Valentine's Day one of the group is dying. Scary book. I give it 4 stars

[Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you read enough books of a particular genre, you start to expect the plot twists - or at least, while thrilling, they don't come as an enormous surprise. This book is different. The final section has several twists which I could never have foreseen, and the author carries them out with stunning efficacy. Extremely well written and I absolutely loved the ending because it came as a real shock.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because you think you've worked everything out early on, which makes the middle section slightly less suspenseful.

[Konrad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was one I almost ended up putting on my DNF shelf. The story was a premise every cheesy slasher has employed and there weren’t any big twists throughout, so the book dragged. I had to re-read a few sentences multiple times in an attempt to understand them, but wasn’t able to figure some of them out. Instead, I just relied on context clues to gather the general meaning.

This book has a large cast of relatively minor characters, so I’d recommend making a character list if you read this book. I wouldn’t recommend the book overall, though.

[Ash Paeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a definite favorite of mine. I read this in high school (long before I ever watched the movie) and I loved it. It was poignant, at parts funny and thrilling. It's quickly become one of my favorite books to reread, which is saying something for me because I have so many new books to read, I hardly have time for old ones! I would definitely recommend for those who are into thrillers and mysteries.