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Evolution of a Sad Woman: The Story of Kizzy
Five strangers are drawn together through the love of the same beautiful woman to solve a murder! Evolution of a Sad Woman is a crime/murder mystery/romance/suspense/thriller novel. It has it all!
262 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2007
2 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Gale Laure
1 book3 followersGale Laure is the author of the mystery-thriller, suspense, romance, international selling novel, "Evolution of a Sad Woman", her debut novel and the soon to be released "The Bunkhouse". She lives in the Houston area with her family. She enjoys writing, reading, going to the movies and playing with the children in her family.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 6, 2009
Review of Story Line:
This story line is great. It will grab you right from the beginning and never lets you go. The story will appeal to everyone and definitely brings an element of surprise at the end that no one can reasonably expect. You can’t help but want to solve the murder along with the story, as Kizzy just pulls on your heartstrings from the very beginning.
Review of Characters:
Most of the characters in this book were relatable and while they were mostly well written, a couple of things upset me. The two main detectives in this story don’t really seem to work together in a believable manner. While I understood that one of them was off the case, besides the first couple of pages, there didn’t seem to be much of a relationship or understanding between them. Something else that bothered me was how quickly the detective off the case formed a task force and was able to re-visit the scene of the crime. Wouldn’t everyone on the force know he was off the case? And a murder that gruesome, they would really just let laymen trample all over it? I just kept asking myself…”Where is all the security? Why is no one stopping these guys?”
Review of Writing:
While I enjoyed this book very much, the writing seemed extremely choppy to me. A little bit like “paint by numbers” Put this sentence here, then this one here…. Not enough was left to my imagination to help the flow of the book as I was told when he parked the car, how he parked the car, how he got out of the car and so forth. And because of this, I found myself reading a lot of little sentences which just made me feel uncomfortable. I am not sure if this is just “first novel jitters” or if it was an editing error.
Review of Editing:
As I mentioned above, the sentence structure was a bit choppy. As all self-published and small publishing houses typically do their own editing, it is imperative that everything get checked over 5,6,100 times over. Read the sentences out loud and then listen to yourself on tape. By doing that, a lot of the grammar errors present in this book, could have been avoided.
Review of Cover:
I get the concept of the cover. But the fact that it looks like someone literally cut out pictures and posted them on a blank white page bothers me. Indies need to understand the uphill battle they face. Go to the library and the bookstores, and look around. See what it is about the books that draw your eye. Then use those points on your own books. Sure you don’t have the same budget, but playing around with an image software program does wonders. What would have helped here would be if the cutouts and the background had the same base color.
So while the book was good, the cover didn’t portray any confidence.
Overall Review
Overall, this book was a good read. If the author could re-edit and tighten up the story, this book would be able to find its legs.
This story line is great. It will grab you right from the beginning and never lets you go. The story will appeal to everyone and definitely brings an element of surprise at the end that no one can reasonably expect. You can’t help but want to solve the murder along with the story, as Kizzy just pulls on your heartstrings from the very beginning.
Review of Characters:
Most of the characters in this book were relatable and while they were mostly well written, a couple of things upset me. The two main detectives in this story don’t really seem to work together in a believable manner. While I understood that one of them was off the case, besides the first couple of pages, there didn’t seem to be much of a relationship or understanding between them. Something else that bothered me was how quickly the detective off the case formed a task force and was able to re-visit the scene of the crime. Wouldn’t everyone on the force know he was off the case? And a murder that gruesome, they would really just let laymen trample all over it? I just kept asking myself…”Where is all the security? Why is no one stopping these guys?”
Review of Writing:
While I enjoyed this book very much, the writing seemed extremely choppy to me. A little bit like “paint by numbers” Put this sentence here, then this one here…. Not enough was left to my imagination to help the flow of the book as I was told when he parked the car, how he parked the car, how he got out of the car and so forth. And because of this, I found myself reading a lot of little sentences which just made me feel uncomfortable. I am not sure if this is just “first novel jitters” or if it was an editing error.
Review of Editing:
As I mentioned above, the sentence structure was a bit choppy. As all self-published and small publishing houses typically do their own editing, it is imperative that everything get checked over 5,6,100 times over. Read the sentences out loud and then listen to yourself on tape. By doing that, a lot of the grammar errors present in this book, could have been avoided.
Review of Cover:
I get the concept of the cover. But the fact that it looks like someone literally cut out pictures and posted them on a blank white page bothers me. Indies need to understand the uphill battle they face. Go to the library and the bookstores, and look around. See what it is about the books that draw your eye. Then use those points on your own books. Sure you don’t have the same budget, but playing around with an image software program does wonders. What would have helped here would be if the cutouts and the background had the same base color.
So while the book was good, the cover didn’t portray any confidence.
Overall Review
Overall, this book was a good read. If the author could re-edit and tighten up the story, this book would be able to find its legs.
December 1, 2009
liked this book immediately. It started off with a bang and didn't let up through much of it. I may be a bit biased because I do enjoy murder mysteries and detective stories and if you do as well, you will probably enjoy reading Evolution of a Sad Woman.
The best parts of this story are the five men who come together to solve Kizzy's murder. Each of them have vastly different backgrounds and personalities and Ms. Laure does the reader a great service by showing through flashbacks exactly how each of them came to know Kizzy and what part each played in her life. Their frictions and their flaws felt very real, as well as each man's deep desire to find out who killed this lovely lady of their past.
And despite being the victim in the story, Kizzy is as much a living, breathing character as any of the men who loved her. She is so well drawn, in fact, that finding out what happened to her and why became as important to me, the reader, as to those five men.
The plot was very well done, with the requisite red herrings thrown here and there but without feeling forced or cliched. With a few well thought out twists and turns, Evolution of a Sad Woman will keep you turning the pages, anxious to see where the story will take you and how it will play out.
Because of the well done character development and finely tuned plot, Evolution of a Sad Woman is more than just your cookie cutter detective story. Each man has a strong, tangible connection to the victim and so it becomes personal - - and the heart of that personal connection comes through the writing and the telling of the story, making it a strong read.
The downside of Evolution of a Strong Woman? A few portions of the dialogue felt a bit "written" to me and somewhat forced. I felt the character or characters in that particular scene didn't sound as natural as they could have, or should have.
And completely shallow with nothing to do with the overall story - - but I disliked the cover of the book. It just didn't move me or grab me and if I had seen this book in the store, I doubt I would have picked it up, judging solely by the cover.
As an additional note, while I did not have a problem with it, Evolution of a Sad Woman contains some fairly graphic violence, strong language and a few sexual situations. It may not be suitable for all readers.
Overall though, I enjoyed reading the book and I enjoyed Ms. Laure's writing style. I look forward to her follow-up sequel, which is in the works.
The best parts of this story are the five men who come together to solve Kizzy's murder. Each of them have vastly different backgrounds and personalities and Ms. Laure does the reader a great service by showing through flashbacks exactly how each of them came to know Kizzy and what part each played in her life. Their frictions and their flaws felt very real, as well as each man's deep desire to find out who killed this lovely lady of their past.
And despite being the victim in the story, Kizzy is as much a living, breathing character as any of the men who loved her. She is so well drawn, in fact, that finding out what happened to her and why became as important to me, the reader, as to those five men.
The plot was very well done, with the requisite red herrings thrown here and there but without feeling forced or cliched. With a few well thought out twists and turns, Evolution of a Sad Woman will keep you turning the pages, anxious to see where the story will take you and how it will play out.
Because of the well done character development and finely tuned plot, Evolution of a Sad Woman is more than just your cookie cutter detective story. Each man has a strong, tangible connection to the victim and so it becomes personal - - and the heart of that personal connection comes through the writing and the telling of the story, making it a strong read.
The downside of Evolution of a Strong Woman? A few portions of the dialogue felt a bit "written" to me and somewhat forced. I felt the character or characters in that particular scene didn't sound as natural as they could have, or should have.
And completely shallow with nothing to do with the overall story - - but I disliked the cover of the book. It just didn't move me or grab me and if I had seen this book in the store, I doubt I would have picked it up, judging solely by the cover.
As an additional note, while I did not have a problem with it, Evolution of a Sad Woman contains some fairly graphic violence, strong language and a few sexual situations. It may not be suitable for all readers.
Overall though, I enjoyed reading the book and I enjoyed Ms. Laure's writing style. I look forward to her follow-up sequel, which is in the works.
January 31, 2010
Imagine a woman who arranges for her own gruesome murder. She draws a bath, has a glass of wine, and awaits. The butcher commits the deed, as requested, with a serated knife and a meat clever to dismember the beautiful heroine.
What would compel a wealthy woman to plan such a death?
During her life, Kizzy had met five men whom she loved and trusted with the joy of her life. Her lawyer invited them to attend the reading of the will advising that they would inherit millions. Each came and relived their lives with the woman who was the love of the life of each, in turn. She asked them, in her handwritten will, to undertake a task to achieve something precious to her. First, they would have to discover the hidden joy of Kizzy's life. Kizzy left few clues.
The men from vastly different walks of life banded together to solve the mysteries, and seek revenge. In the course of their thrilling adventure, the men bond together in a shared love of Kizzy and the joy that she asked them to cherish.
Evolution of a Sad Woman is a thought-provoking story that is told masterfully. A reader cannot help but to want to meet Kizzy and experience what she gave to these men in the short time she was in their lives. Each had known a different woman. As usual with such well conceived and executed books, a reader’s mind wanders to associate the story with life experience. In my case, I kept picturing a Marilyn Monroe character confused in life, not knowing where to turn, and finding peace finally, via her own hand, in another realm.
What would compel a wealthy woman to plan such a death?
During her life, Kizzy had met five men whom she loved and trusted with the joy of her life. Her lawyer invited them to attend the reading of the will advising that they would inherit millions. Each came and relived their lives with the woman who was the love of the life of each, in turn. She asked them, in her handwritten will, to undertake a task to achieve something precious to her. First, they would have to discover the hidden joy of Kizzy's life. Kizzy left few clues.
The men from vastly different walks of life banded together to solve the mysteries, and seek revenge. In the course of their thrilling adventure, the men bond together in a shared love of Kizzy and the joy that she asked them to cherish.
Evolution of a Sad Woman is a thought-provoking story that is told masterfully. A reader cannot help but to want to meet Kizzy and experience what she gave to these men in the short time she was in their lives. Each had known a different woman. As usual with such well conceived and executed books, a reader’s mind wanders to associate the story with life experience. In my case, I kept picturing a Marilyn Monroe character confused in life, not knowing where to turn, and finding peace finally, via her own hand, in another realm.
July 2, 2011
EVOLUTION OF A SAD WOMAN
(The Story of Kizzy)
By Gale Laure
Reviewed by Sharlet Liebel ©2009
Author Gale Laure chose a nearly impossible murder mystery, Evolution of a Sad Woman: The story of Kizzy, as her Debut Novel. Be aware of a most fascinating beauty and her adventures of enormous propositions. Get ready for the unexplained shock of the demise of the emerald-green-eyed, flowing long hair, and gentle spirited Kizzy and prepare to shudder in the very first chapter of this novel. In this story, detectives yield to overwhelming circumstances that describe in detail a heinous murder that leaves audiences weak. Gale Laure captivates her readers with twists and turns for a suspenseful murder mystery.
What is known about Kizzy is that ever since childhood dealt her a mean set of circumstances Kizzy cannot seem to find a joyful path toward love. Kizzy seems drawn to inappropriate dysfunctional men. This is probably due to Kizzy’s feelings of missed bonding with her mother who dies when she is a child. In a few years, she loses her father. Thereafter, Kizzy seems psychologically bound to lose sight of right and wrong behaviors. She is a passionate teen and her first love, unfortunately, leaves for college never to return. Thereafter, she has more affairs that are complicated.
Her search is all too common. For lost souls who venture into dangerous circumstances seek great love. She continually disappears from those whom she can trust to cultivate relationships with people she can’t control.
Readers begin to understand Kizzy’s personality after back stories unfold as each of her lovers reveal their story. Kizzy is a strong willed young woman who leaves all the men before they leave her. She makes the rules or so we the viewers believe. What we don’t understand or know are her reasons. Why?
Kizzy travels in questionable circles from the U.S. to foreign territories. Is she running from or into danger for an adventure? Is she on a mission of unknown proportions? All these questions are in the realm of Kizzy’s impossible motives.
The psychological thriller is one that even crusty detectives heave over. It’s an outrageous murder. It’s gross in the details and the phenomenal content of the storyline is passionate in producing quality. What human creature could do such a horrible act? What did Kizzy do to deserve such an exit? This is a tough death to solve so the reader must be alert to the few clues available. In addition, Kizzy leaves vague clues to inform only her most loving admirers, her best friends, how to find her personal possessions. She trusts that together they will not disappoint her.
The reader gets caught-up in the thorough descriptions and minute details as detectives and Kizzy’s five loves enter her residence to investigate her death. They decide how inexplicably difficult it would be to break into her 28th floor apartment. Once inside, they see her expensive drawings are pulled from the walls and the backs are slit as though looking for a document or small hidden item. Her answering machine doesn’t work because a battery is missing. Each of her friends recognizes an item known only to them.
In death, Kizzy leaves a haunting memory of her life. She may have had to relinquish the men she loved in life but never would she release them in death. For to abandon them when she died would not be her kind of justice. Even as a child, Kizzy knows that people who hurt her, “…have to pay…” In the same way, those she loved would always love her. Nobody would get away from her passionate characteristics.
Evolution of a Sad Woman: The Story of KizzyGale Laure
December 8, 2012
This was one of 'those books'. A little hard for me to get into at first, but that happens often when trying a new author. Following Kizzy's journey was fun, insightful, and sad at times. I felt like a voyeur reading a woman's private journal, but found it hard to put down. Very interesting the way Laure found to show us each person's story. I've heard that there are producers looking at Evolution of a Sad Woman for a movie- I hope that happens because that will draw more attention to this book which is well deserved to be read by many.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews