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Repent
When Munich businessman Ben Biller receives a mysterious note on his thirty-eighth birthday demanding that he repent for his sins by committing suicide, he dismisses it as a cruel joke. But when his life begins to unravel—he loses his dog, his girlfriend, his job, and his house in quick succession—he suspects that it’s more than a joke: someone is attempting to systematically destroy him.
Desperate and alienated, he turns to Annelie, his old flame. In the midst of his despair, he realizes that with her, he could rebuild his life again. But just as he sees the light at the end of the tunnel, he discovers that his tormenter isn’t done with him yet. Will he discover who is behind the plot before the psychopath’s suggestion of suicide turns to murder?
Desperate and alienated, he turns to Annelie, his old flame. In the midst of his despair, he realizes that with her, he could rebuild his life again. But just as he sees the light at the end of the tunnel, he discovers that his tormenter isn’t done with him yet. Will he discover who is behind the plot before the psychopath’s suggestion of suicide turns to murder?
314 pages, Paperback
First published November 18, 2013
53 people are currently reading
403 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 23, 2015
I found this a quick read, not exciting, but not dull enough to put down. It still had something going for it, however, I have to be honest, its not a story that hasn't been done before and the suspense was not making much of an impression on me. I feel the author should have jazzed it up about with some question mark happenings that keep the reader is more of a wonderment, I just thought it lacked something.
So for my personal taste I can only give it 3 as it was just an OK read for me and nothing stood out.
So for my personal taste I can only give it 3 as it was just an OK read for me and nothing stood out.
May 9, 2015
I was expecting a lot better. Of course, the blurb does not help -you know just bout everything that is going to happen, but the story itself is not brilliant and has been used too many times. Yes, a quick read because it is not enjoyable.
May 16, 2019
A Really Great Book
I really love reading psychological thrillers, but this boy in this book just takes the cake. lol I mean I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry for the boy. I could just see the flakes falling out of his head. But what he did to his victims was beyond psycho(killing animals, wiping out a person’s hard earned bank account, causing them to lose their job, burning down their house.) I was glad you put an end to his reign of terror.
I really love reading psychological thrillers, but this boy in this book just takes the cake. lol I mean I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry for the boy. I could just see the flakes falling out of his head. But what he did to his victims was beyond psycho(killing animals, wiping out a person’s hard earned bank account, causing them to lose their job, burning down their house.) I was glad you put an end to his reign of terror.
July 3, 2019
A GREAT Psychological Thriller!
So twisted but so compelling! I was up late MANY nights! I just COULD NOT put it down! It chilled me to the bone that someone could be so truly evil!
So twisted but so compelling! I was up late MANY nights! I just COULD NOT put it down! It chilled me to the bone that someone could be so truly evil!
February 26, 2017
we!l written. fast paced, and an edge of the
Great read. you will love it. strong mal lead
reasobaln
seat book. strong male lead who you just want to help
Great read. you will love it. strong mal lead
reasobaln
seat book. strong male lead who you just want to help
May 14, 2015
I liked this book. The story was quick paced, interesting, and uncomplicated enough to make it easy to follow. I would have liked to have seen more introspection of the villain as I found it difficult to understand the lengths he would go to in order to prove his point. Not that he didn't have his reasons, I just think it would have been nice to have more details.
Bill was a mostly likable character. The reader does feel sorry for him when his life is falling to pieces. He isn't necessarily a bad guy, he just keeps to himself and is single minded and focused on his job and the power that this gives him. He doesn't purposefully set out to hurt people, nor does he go above and beyond to be selfless.
There is so much missing for me in the telling of the heroine's story. Annelie is strong, but what made her that way? She is smart, but what are the details behind why she stopped practicing medicine? She loves Bill, she hates him, she feels bad for him, she revels in his misfortune, but we never really get deep enough in there to find out what makes her tick.
I think a lot of what makes this book hard to read is the fact that it was written in German and translated to English, though the translator really does a great job of it.
I also had a hard time with the timing of some of the things that happened to Bill. How could his money disappear from his account with the writing of a check, be donated to a church or religious organization and drained from his account all in just a matter of hours? And how long had the checks from his job been disappearing? His boss had said that he embezzled so much over time, but for how long and why didn't he notice? These are just the questions I asked myself while reading the book. I guess it kept me engaged enough to want answers.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Bill was a mostly likable character. The reader does feel sorry for him when his life is falling to pieces. He isn't necessarily a bad guy, he just keeps to himself and is single minded and focused on his job and the power that this gives him. He doesn't purposefully set out to hurt people, nor does he go above and beyond to be selfless.
There is so much missing for me in the telling of the heroine's story. Annelie is strong, but what made her that way? She is smart, but what are the details behind why she stopped practicing medicine? She loves Bill, she hates him, she feels bad for him, she revels in his misfortune, but we never really get deep enough in there to find out what makes her tick.
I think a lot of what makes this book hard to read is the fact that it was written in German and translated to English, though the translator really does a great job of it.
I also had a hard time with the timing of some of the things that happened to Bill. How could his money disappear from his account with the writing of a check, be donated to a church or religious organization and drained from his account all in just a matter of hours? And how long had the checks from his job been disappearing? His boss had said that he embezzled so much over time, but for how long and why didn't he notice? These are just the questions I asked myself while reading the book. I guess it kept me engaged enough to want answers.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
May 12, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Amazon Publishing!
Repent tells the story of Ben Biller, a successful businessman whose life unravels after receiving a note pressing him to commit suicide to atone for his sins. Ben is not a very likable character and at first it is hard to sympathize with him. The fact that he was physically abusive to a woman in the past made it hard for me to like him. The fact that he keeps doing so, made me think that maybe his torturer had a point. However, the more we get to know him and the motivations behind his demeanor, the more we want him to find the person doing this to him and stop this absurd punishment. Still, the plot is a roller coaster ride that leads to a satisfying conclusion.
Repent tells the story of Ben Biller, a successful businessman whose life unravels after receiving a note pressing him to commit suicide to atone for his sins. Ben is not a very likable character and at first it is hard to sympathize with him. The fact that he was physically abusive to a woman in the past made it hard for me to like him. The fact that he keeps doing so, made me think that maybe his torturer had a point. However, the more we get to know him and the motivations behind his demeanor, the more we want him to find the person doing this to him and stop this absurd punishment. Still, the plot is a roller coaster ride that leads to a satisfying conclusion.
May 27, 2015
An OK read for fans of mystery/suspense. Explicit violence and sexual activity mentioned.
I think it was overwritten at times (though I wonder if that has something to do with the fact it was translated into English). I laughed out loud when the target of the killer thinks to himself "Forward!". It seemed goofy, out of place and out of character.
The ends were tied up too quickly and easily to really be believable, but nonetheless I didn't feel reading this was time wasted. This fit the bill for easy reads than can be picked up and out down easily as I tend to mostly read in little chunks of time in between tending to the kids and life.
I think it was overwritten at times (though I wonder if that has something to do with the fact it was translated into English). I laughed out loud when the target of the killer thinks to himself "Forward!". It seemed goofy, out of place and out of character.
The ends were tied up too quickly and easily to really be believable, but nonetheless I didn't feel reading this was time wasted. This fit the bill for easy reads than can be picked up and out down easily as I tend to mostly read in little chunks of time in between tending to the kids and life.
August 13, 2015
A psychopath who destroys peoples lives, driving them to suicide... what an intriguing idea for a book! So, I had to immerse myself in the story. I'm very glad I did, this book is so well written. The villain is deliciously horrible, and meticulously cunning. The trials heaped on the main character seem insurmountable, but you can't help finding yourself rooting for him. Pick up a copy and find yourself hooked. I have only one criticism of this book... it had to end!!!
January 16, 2017
Wow this book sucked me right in and forced me to read it all in one sitting. Lisa Fink's English language debut is utterly captivating and actually terrifying.
This book brought up questions about how easy it is to manipulate someone else's life and when you think about that it's downright scary. I look forward to reading more by this author, she has a great writing style.
This book brought up questions about how easy it is to manipulate someone else's life and when you think about that it's downright scary. I look forward to reading more by this author, she has a great writing style.
May 3, 2015
I actually really enjoyed it. Almost didn't read it as read a lot of bad reviews. It was a quick and easy read which is what I was looking for. It had love and suspense and a protagonist who you loved and hated in equal measure.
May 9, 2015
Repent is a psychological thriller. To me it also a horror story. Imagining how one's life can be completely undone in just a few short days is beyond scary! Originally published in German the translator did an excellent job of putting the story into English. I was given a copy to review.
July 24, 2015
Too dark!
I couldn't get past 10% because who wants to read about sinister beings with no depth or goodness in them? If you appreciate multi-layered characters you can feel compassion with, you won't find them here.
I couldn't get past 10% because who wants to read about sinister beings with no depth or goodness in them? If you appreciate multi-layered characters you can feel compassion with, you won't find them here.
July 26, 2015
Let's play count the tropes:
-Overly strict catholic mother
-Businessman who has no friends and everyone hates him because he has no time for anything but BUSINESS
-That female character with the tough exterior? She's really a sweetheart inside!
I gave up halfway through out of sheer frustration.
-Overly strict catholic mother
-Businessman who has no friends and everyone hates him because he has no time for anything but BUSINESS
-That female character with the tough exterior? She's really a sweetheart inside!
I gave up halfway through out of sheer frustration.
January 21, 2014
Das Ende des Buches hätte ich mir ein bisschen schöner und ausgeschmückter gewünscht. Sonst sehr spannend.
April 8, 2015
Hopeless!
November 23, 2015
This dark thriller was a quick read. I did enjoy it. This is the kind of story I would love to see made into a movie.
May 9, 2015
I received this arc from Netgalley.
This book was nowhere near as good as I thought it would be. Overall a passable read, nothing special.
This book was nowhere near as good as I thought it would be. Overall a passable read, nothing special.
June 6, 2015
Non stop page Turner
Picked this book by chance and I could not put it down until the very end. I highly recommend it.
Picked this book by chance and I could not put it down until the very end. I highly recommend it.
July 14, 2015
Excellent and profound
Excellent read throughout the read I never lost interest. The. Book has a wonderful steady
.flow. Characters were quite real.
Excellent read throughout the read I never lost interest. The. Book has a wonderful steady
.flow. Characters were quite real.
July 5, 2016
Couldn't put this down!
I thought this book had quite an interesting story, it was quite disturbing at times but I'm glad it finished the way I wanted it to. Lovely moral to it too.
I thought this book had quite an interesting story, it was quite disturbing at times but I'm glad it finished the way I wanted it to. Lovely moral to it too.
March 18, 2016
Not exceptional but a decent aeroplane/holiday read.
January 3, 2018
A really good book, consistent story line and well written. I'm not sure whether to like the main character, Ben, or not. I did expect him to get arrested for strealing the car though (not returning it), but the story took a different turn.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews