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Dark Turns
Set in the ruthlessly competitive world of elite boarding schools, this debut psychological thriller reads like a cross between Black Swan and Donna Tartt's The Secret History
A rising star in the world of ballet, Nia Washington fought her way up from the streets and was nearing the pinnacle of her profession when an injury and a broken heart derailed her career. Taking a temporary job at an elite boarding school was supposed to give her time to nurse both body and soul. It was supposed to be a safe place to launch a triumphant comeback.
Shortly after she arrives at the beautiful lakeside campus, she discovers the body of a murdered student, and her life takes a truly dark turn. It's not long before she is drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with a ruthless killer. And Nia isn't the only target. She must use all of her street smarts to protect her dancers, save a wrongfully accused student, and rescue the man she loves.
A stunning and suspenseful tale of passion and betrayal, Holahan takes readers deep into the mind of a murderer and the woman who must put an end to the killing.
A rising star in the world of ballet, Nia Washington fought her way up from the streets and was nearing the pinnacle of her profession when an injury and a broken heart derailed her career. Taking a temporary job at an elite boarding school was supposed to give her time to nurse both body and soul. It was supposed to be a safe place to launch a triumphant comeback.
Shortly after she arrives at the beautiful lakeside campus, she discovers the body of a murdered student, and her life takes a truly dark turn. It's not long before she is drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with a ruthless killer. And Nia isn't the only target. She must use all of her street smarts to protect her dancers, save a wrongfully accused student, and rescue the man she loves.
A stunning and suspenseful tale of passion and betrayal, Holahan takes readers deep into the mind of a murderer and the woman who must put an end to the killing.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published November 10, 2015
101 people are currently reading
1255 people want to read
About the author
Cate Holahan
16 books893 followersCate Holahan is a screenwriter and USA Today Bestselling author of psychological suspense books. Her sixth novel, The Darkness of Others, was published in 2022. She has had books named to Kirkus' Best Books of the Year and Book of the Month Club's official selections. Notable works include: One Little Secret, Lies She Told, The Widower's Wife.
Her film, Deadly Estate, was on Fox's Tubi in March, and her upcoming film, Dancers on the Darkside, will be coming out this year.
An award-winning journalist and former television producer, she has written for BusinessWeek, The Boston Globe, and The Record newspaper. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two daughters, and dogs.
She has an MFA in dramatic writing from NYU's Tisch and graduated from Princeton University in 2002.
She is represented by Paula Munier at Talcott Notch Literary.
Her film, Deadly Estate, was on Fox's Tubi in March, and her upcoming film, Dancers on the Darkside, will be coming out this year.
An award-winning journalist and former television producer, she has written for BusinessWeek, The Boston Globe, and The Record newspaper. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two daughters, and dogs.
She has an MFA in dramatic writing from NYU's Tisch and graduated from Princeton University in 2002.
She is represented by Paula Munier at Talcott Notch Literary.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
July 30, 2021
Dark Turns is one of Cate Holahan's early novels. I've read many of her other books but needed to go back to the beginning to catch up. In this one, a ballerina is taking a break to recuperate from an injury, and while teaching at an academy, a student is murdered. Nia is also escaping a break-up with Dmitri, who let his mother dictate the terms of his relationships. They are in their early 20s and still figuring out what they want from life, after all, right?
Nia's new boss and main teacher, and the head of the school's ballet program, provide the school's rules, which all seem easy enough to follow. But when Nia mentions that she saw the marks on the dead girl's neck and thought it was murder not suicide, she's chastised for spreading gossip. Slowly, Nia learns that there are weird things happening at the school, and the boy that's arrested couldn't possibly have been the killer. What's everyone hiding?
Classic mean girl in the dance troupe. With a twist. It's a bevy of strong young personalities, all who need to be reprogrammed after drama in their personal life went without proper attention. Because the world has gotten so litigious, no one will course-correct a bad seed's behavior. Unfortunately, what they don't realize is that the bad seed does something so bad the school will be sued in the end anyway, so why not stop that before it happens?
The writing was good, but it didn't completely stand out as some of the author's later works does. I didn't like any of the characters except for Nia herself. She's a bit weak when she allows Peter, the new guy, to subtly control her. They went from friends to dating to in love way too quickly, without any real explanation.
From the beginning, it was obvious who the bad seeds were, and the plot definitely amped up those intuitions... and in the end, while I was totally fine that the story was meant to be less about who killed the girl and really why did (s)he kill the girl, I felt it was missing a little something that could push it over the edge to be a full 4 stars.
All that said, it kept me interested and I really enjoyed the overall story less as a mystery and more as a "here's a few weeks in Nia's life at a new school." I will be grabbing a copy of another older book by the author so I'm fully caught up this summer.
Nia's new boss and main teacher, and the head of the school's ballet program, provide the school's rules, which all seem easy enough to follow. But when Nia mentions that she saw the marks on the dead girl's neck and thought it was murder not suicide, she's chastised for spreading gossip. Slowly, Nia learns that there are weird things happening at the school, and the boy that's arrested couldn't possibly have been the killer. What's everyone hiding?
Classic mean girl in the dance troupe. With a twist. It's a bevy of strong young personalities, all who need to be reprogrammed after drama in their personal life went without proper attention. Because the world has gotten so litigious, no one will course-correct a bad seed's behavior. Unfortunately, what they don't realize is that the bad seed does something so bad the school will be sued in the end anyway, so why not stop that before it happens?
The writing was good, but it didn't completely stand out as some of the author's later works does. I didn't like any of the characters except for Nia herself. She's a bit weak when she allows Peter, the new guy, to subtly control her. They went from friends to dating to in love way too quickly, without any real explanation.
From the beginning, it was obvious who the bad seeds were, and the plot definitely amped up those intuitions... and in the end, while I was totally fine that the story was meant to be less about who killed the girl and really why did (s)he kill the girl, I felt it was missing a little something that could push it over the edge to be a full 4 stars.
All that said, it kept me interested and I really enjoyed the overall story less as a mystery and more as a "here's a few weeks in Nia's life at a new school." I will be grabbing a copy of another older book by the author so I'm fully caught up this summer.
February 11, 2020
"Cops didn't offer condolences and coffee to people at crime scenes".
Dark Turns by Cate Holahan
I enjoyed this mystery at first.
I happen to love thrillers that take place at boarding school, college, anything like that. Campus novels. And I have read another book by this writer and it was soo good! SO I had high hopes.
While not bad or unreadable or anything like that, I knew where the story was going way to easily. (or maybe I have just overloaded on to many thrillers.) But that is not what really bugged me. I found most of the characters one dimensional. The ballet students especially. I did not find their own unique personalities. And I always knew who was good and who wasn't.
SPOILERS:
Also..Peter..the boyfriend. I just. did anyone else notice how much he whined? And talked about smells and such? Odors and needing to go to the bathroom. It sorta had the yuck factor. I really..I am sorry but I really did not love this.
I did read to the end. It is readable but nowhere near the level of the other book I read by her, "The Widower's wife". Now THAT was mighty fine! I would suggest that one before this one. Again this is not a BAD book. But it was very one dimensional as far the characters.
Dark Turns by Cate Holahan
I enjoyed this mystery at first.
I happen to love thrillers that take place at boarding school, college, anything like that. Campus novels. And I have read another book by this writer and it was soo good! SO I had high hopes.
While not bad or unreadable or anything like that, I knew where the story was going way to easily. (or maybe I have just overloaded on to many thrillers.) But that is not what really bugged me. I found most of the characters one dimensional. The ballet students especially. I did not find their own unique personalities. And I always knew who was good and who wasn't.
SPOILERS:
Also..Peter..the boyfriend. I just. did anyone else notice how much he whined? And talked about smells and such? Odors and needing to go to the bathroom. It sorta had the yuck factor. I really..I am sorry but I really did not love this.
I did read to the end. It is readable but nowhere near the level of the other book I read by her, "The Widower's wife". Now THAT was mighty fine! I would suggest that one before this one. Again this is not a BAD book. But it was very one dimensional as far the characters.
Read
January 5, 2016Ballet. An academic setting (a boarding school, to be precise!). A PoC main character. And a murder mystery. This novel rang so many of my bells, it’s not surprising that I loved it. Holahan writes the main character, Nia Washington, so well. A talented ballerina taking a year off because of injury, Nia is smart, capable, and entirely engaging. The book has a dark, sinister atmosphere that will suck you in completely, and you won’t be sure who you can trust as the story races through twists and turns. It’s one I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end, and will be recommending to everyone I know. — Swapna Krishna
from The Best Books We Read In December: http://bookriot.com/2015/12/23/riot-r...
from The Best Books We Read In December: http://bookriot.com/2015/12/23/riot-r...
November 7, 2015
I seem to be in the minority when it comes to this book. I was not over joyed or head over heels in love with this book. In fact, I struggled through the first half of the book. I was not feeling the suspenseful build up surrounding the killing of the young girl that Nia found in the water. Also, the fact that the story took place at a school for ballerinas did not add any dimension to the story. If anything I found myself doing a little comparison to Black Swan. In my eyes I felt this book was lacking in how dark Black Swan was.
Nia was alright but she did not pop off the pages and make me fully intrigued with her. At times I wanted to scream at her because I found her naive. Also, I found the relationship she had in the story to be dull as well. Yet, the second half of the story did pick up and was better. The ending was a bit predictable.
Nia was alright but she did not pop off the pages and make me fully intrigued with her. At times I wanted to scream at her because I found her naive. Also, I found the relationship she had in the story to be dull as well. Yet, the second half of the story did pick up and was better. The ending was a bit predictable.
August 28, 2015
Nia Washington is a talented ballerina who is taking a break by working at a posh private school while a foot injury heals. She certainly doesn't expect to find the body of a student in the lake when she is being given a tour of the campus.
Nia is a Resident Adviser in a girls' dorm and the assistant to the head ballet instructor. As she gets to know her ballet students, she starts to hear rumors about the dead girl. The boy who is being convicted by the court of popular opinion is staying in the dorm where Peter Andersen is the RA. Peter and Nia hit it off and begin dating. Nia is on the rebound from a relationship with another dancer who has decided that he wants her back.
As Nia investigates the young girl's death and the relationships among the students, she becomes suspicious of one of the students. Aubrey is used to being the star dancer. She also had a sexual relationship with the boy that was videoed and spread around the campus. She is jealous of a new dancer who wins the coveted lead in the next show. But somehow, despite not drinking, attends a party with her new best friend Aubrey, drinks too much, falls down a flight of stairs and breaks her ankle.
When Aubrey accuses Nia of sexting her, things reach an exciting conclusion. I was somewhat surprised at Aubrey's reasons because I had convinced myself that she was just evil and wasn't going to let anyone or anything stand in the way of her getting whatever she wanted. And, maybe that is still true. But there were extenuating circumstances that wind up putting Nia's life in danger.
This was an engaging mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Nia is a Resident Adviser in a girls' dorm and the assistant to the head ballet instructor. As she gets to know her ballet students, she starts to hear rumors about the dead girl. The boy who is being convicted by the court of popular opinion is staying in the dorm where Peter Andersen is the RA. Peter and Nia hit it off and begin dating. Nia is on the rebound from a relationship with another dancer who has decided that he wants her back.
As Nia investigates the young girl's death and the relationships among the students, she becomes suspicious of one of the students. Aubrey is used to being the star dancer. She also had a sexual relationship with the boy that was videoed and spread around the campus. She is jealous of a new dancer who wins the coveted lead in the next show. But somehow, despite not drinking, attends a party with her new best friend Aubrey, drinks too much, falls down a flight of stairs and breaks her ankle.
When Aubrey accuses Nia of sexting her, things reach an exciting conclusion. I was somewhat surprised at Aubrey's reasons because I had convinced myself that she was just evil and wasn't going to let anyone or anything stand in the way of her getting whatever she wanted. And, maybe that is still true. But there were extenuating circumstances that wind up putting Nia's life in danger.
This was an engaging mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat.
May 6, 2016
A thriller that involves ballet and a POC ballerina protagonist? Obviously I was sold on this, especially after absolutely loving Pointe a few years ago. I was hoping this would be an adult version of that, but unfortunately it wasn't even in the same ballpark in terms of quality.
Frankly, I found this incredibly predictable. Clues weren't dropped so much as anvils. There were very few possible suspects, very few possible outcomes, and really all that was left was for Nia to join the dots that the reader had joined two hundred pages earlier.
That said, it had its creepy moments and the ballet side of things was great. So it wasn't a total loss.
Frankly, I found this incredibly predictable. Clues weren't dropped so much as anvils. There were very few possible suspects, very few possible outcomes, and really all that was left was for Nia to join the dots that the reader had joined two hundred pages earlier.
That said, it had its creepy moments and the ballet side of things was great. So it wasn't a total loss.
February 25, 2017
This book was more like young adult fiction than an adult suspense novel. I was a dance major in college and appreciated the dance element of the story. Although I love the dance world, the main character, Nia, could have had any profession. I loved The Widower's Wife by the same author. This book did not meet my expectations. It wasn't the worst book I have read, but it most definitely not a must read. I was extremely disappointed in this book.
November 16, 2015
Dark Turns by Cate Holahan 3 Stars
Dancers, divas and deception; a slightly unconvincing thriller
I must admit to having mixed feelings about this novel. I couldn’t decide whether it was teen fiction or an adult thriller; in fact in many ways it took me back to my girlhood, and Noel Streatfield’s ballet school stories. On balance I would summarise this book to be a teen or post-teen novel with a gentle thriller taking second place to life at the ballet school; each chapter begins with a description of a ballet position.
The story starts with Nia, a twenty-something ballerina with an ankle injury which means she is unable to dance professionally until it is healed. She has taken a job as a resident ‘teacher advisor’ at a prestigious school, the Wallace Academy which has a dedicated ballet programme allowing Nia to work with the ballet students as a lowly assistant teacher.
Having taken up residence and with the students returning for the new term, Nia is being given a tour of the school by Mr Battle, the head of the ballet programme when they discover the body of a student floating in the lake. It soon becomes clear that the death of this young girl was not accidental.
This is a very readable book and there are some great characters, especially the quite demonic Aubrey, the best dancer who will stop at nothing to become a success. Also worth a mention is the Russian Madame V. who is almost a caricature of a ballet teacher and Peter, the English teacher who is quick to befriend Nia but who, to my mind, reeked of duplicity.
The book has murder, bullying, narcotics, paedophilia and a lot of general unpleasantness, but to me it still didn’t really pass muster as a thriller. That said I did enjoy it, even taking into account Nia’s total naivety which I did find irritating.
Pashtpaws
Breakaway Reviewers received an advanced copy of the book to review
Dancers, divas and deception; a slightly unconvincing thriller
I must admit to having mixed feelings about this novel. I couldn’t decide whether it was teen fiction or an adult thriller; in fact in many ways it took me back to my girlhood, and Noel Streatfield’s ballet school stories. On balance I would summarise this book to be a teen or post-teen novel with a gentle thriller taking second place to life at the ballet school; each chapter begins with a description of a ballet position.
The story starts with Nia, a twenty-something ballerina with an ankle injury which means she is unable to dance professionally until it is healed. She has taken a job as a resident ‘teacher advisor’ at a prestigious school, the Wallace Academy which has a dedicated ballet programme allowing Nia to work with the ballet students as a lowly assistant teacher.
Having taken up residence and with the students returning for the new term, Nia is being given a tour of the school by Mr Battle, the head of the ballet programme when they discover the body of a student floating in the lake. It soon becomes clear that the death of this young girl was not accidental.
This is a very readable book and there are some great characters, especially the quite demonic Aubrey, the best dancer who will stop at nothing to become a success. Also worth a mention is the Russian Madame V. who is almost a caricature of a ballet teacher and Peter, the English teacher who is quick to befriend Nia but who, to my mind, reeked of duplicity.
The book has murder, bullying, narcotics, paedophilia and a lot of general unpleasantness, but to me it still didn’t really pass muster as a thriller. That said I did enjoy it, even taking into account Nia’s total naivety which I did find irritating.
Pashtpaws
Breakaway Reviewers received an advanced copy of the book to review
June 16, 2017
Having just finished, and really enjoyed, Lies She Told by Holahan, I was excited to check out another of her books. Dark Turn was a huge disappointment. A few chapters in I had to check to make sure this was written by the same author. The writing seemed different, stilted, the characters one dimensional and dopey. There wasn't an ounce of emotion throughout. Nia was really annoyingly naive. . She meets Peter and immediately has an exclusive relationship with him. He became "her boyfriend". And if I had to hear that phrase more than the countless times it was used, I'd have screamed. Actually, I did, in my head. The murder mystery was so predictable, the "twist" not even a semi twist, and I didn't care anything for any of them.
November 20, 2015
Cate Holahan's "Dark Turns" is a descent book with a well-written plot and interesting characters.
Nia Washington is a likable protagonist. The setting was quite original. The overall plot, not so much. Aubrey was detestable yet intriguing and quite an original character in some ways.
Overall, I'd rate the book around 4.6. It is well-written and certain aspects of the story are original. The author does a good job of drawing the reader into the story.
I won my copy of this book from the Goodreads.com wabsite and appreciate the opportunity to read and review it.
Nia Washington is a likable protagonist. The setting was quite original. The overall plot, not so much. Aubrey was detestable yet intriguing and quite an original character in some ways.
Overall, I'd rate the book around 4.6. It is well-written and certain aspects of the story are original. The author does a good job of drawing the reader into the story.
I won my copy of this book from the Goodreads.com wabsite and appreciate the opportunity to read and review it.
October 4, 2016
Young adult romance/mystery
Not what I expected and not like The Widower's Wife, by same author, which I enjoyed reading. This book was more of a romance novel than mystery.
Not what I expected and not like The Widower's Wife, by same author, which I enjoyed reading. This book was more of a romance novel than mystery.
November 20, 2015
I saw it coming… I wanted to be wrong…
The book started with a murder of a teenage girl. I was enthralled. The who done it part of the story kept me reading. I knew who did it, I kept guessing, I hoped I was wrong. The drama was to be expected in a book of teenagers who lived together 24/7, studying together, going to class together, and being in competition with each other for everything.
What surprised me are the adults. I could not believe how clueless they were. How could they not see what was happening in front of them. Nia was the one that saw the most. Yet, she did not tell. She kept secrets until forced to tell them. I was interested in her relationship with Jeremy. I could not make up my mind on whether I liked their relationship or not. I am still unsure, but I know now what their relationship really was.
Dark Turns takes the reader into the mind of a murderer. I loved every page. I recommend checking out the book.
The book started with a murder of a teenage girl. I was enthralled. The who done it part of the story kept me reading. I knew who did it, I kept guessing, I hoped I was wrong. The drama was to be expected in a book of teenagers who lived together 24/7, studying together, going to class together, and being in competition with each other for everything.
What surprised me are the adults. I could not believe how clueless they were. How could they not see what was happening in front of them. Nia was the one that saw the most. Yet, she did not tell. She kept secrets until forced to tell them. I was interested in her relationship with Jeremy. I could not make up my mind on whether I liked their relationship or not. I am still unsure, but I know now what their relationship really was.
Dark Turns takes the reader into the mind of a murderer. I loved every page. I recommend checking out the book.
November 26, 2016
This was an engaging mystery full of twists and turns. The story begins with Nia, the new dance assistant at a prestigious private school, discovering a body of one of the students in the lake. The drama continues for Nia as she meets her ballet students, one of which is ruthless in her determination to remain number one, and falls for the young poetry teacher who seems to be hiding something. All the while, Nia is entwined with the police investigation of the murdered student and is eventually targeted by the killer. I couldn't put this book down until I reached the end and was surprised by the final twist.
September 25, 2021
The main character in this is a young ballerina who takes a teaching job - but on her tour of the school, she discovers a dead body.
The plot doesn't really revolve that much around the murder mystery, it's more ballet, relationships and drama. When I noticed that, I lost a little interest. While the ballet thing isn't something you see a lot, it might not be that interesting to us who don't know much about it.
It's not a bad book, but it's not great either. It looks like it's the author's first book, so I'm not gonna be very strict about it. I got three more of her books through a bundle, so I'm intrigued to see how she developed with her sophomore book.
The plot doesn't really revolve that much around the murder mystery, it's more ballet, relationships and drama. When I noticed that, I lost a little interest. While the ballet thing isn't something you see a lot, it might not be that interesting to us who don't know much about it.
It's not a bad book, but it's not great either. It looks like it's the author's first book, so I'm not gonna be very strict about it. I got three more of her books through a bundle, so I'm intrigued to see how she developed with her sophomore book.
November 22, 2015
I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller. Set in an elite boarding school, the novel features an interesting heroine in Nia Washington, a talented ballerina who has suffered injury and heartbreak. Nia takes a temporary job as an assistant dance instructor and soon discovers the body of a murdered student. I really enjoyed the detail given to the dance instruction. It leant real authenticity to Nia's voice, and thought the book was a great fast-paced read with a great twist. A great debut!
November 9, 2015
I finished Dark Turns in a few days, I couldn't put it down. I couldn't get enough of loving to hate one of the main characters Aubrey, whose narcissism and cruelty was both terrifying and intriguing. I tend to really like this thrillers featuring female leads. Dark Turns makes a great addition to my favorites in this category along with Gone Girl and Girl on a Train.
September 7, 2017
A good one time read. This shouldn't disappoint. It was recommend as a book similar to dark thrillers of Gillian Flynn.
April 28, 2018
This was not my favorite book by Cate Holahan. It was too predictable and I was not a fan of the murder being solved by a teacher at the school while the police department appeared to be inept.
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April 18, 2025boring, and I maybe skipped to the end to see who the murderer was, and ngl I predicted it
January 1, 2018
Three-and-a-half stars
I had read "Lies She Told" a half dozen times and loved it! This book wasn't as good, but I enjoyed it anyways.
"Dark Turns" is about a ballerina named Nia Washington, who is suffering from a foot injury. Because of the injury, she's forced to take a job as a RA at a competitive dance school. Her very first day there, she finds the body of a student, Lauren. So Nia spends the rest of the book trying solve this poor girl's murder.
Nia wasn't the world's smartest character, but I liked her. I could relate to her. She was kind, sympathetic and could be intuitive. She made a lot of mistakes in the book, but those made her interesting. Her biggest mistake was starting a relationship with Peter. He seemed like such a great guy at first. I was shocked by how his character turned out. I didn't expect him to be such a jerk.
Aubrey was a decent, yet not-so-subtle villain. I wasn't at all surprised that she was the murderer. That girl was evil with a capital 'E'. She had no qualms about using people to get what she wants. Even if it means ruining people's lives. The little witch nearly destroyed Nia's. I'm glad she and Peter got locked up.
I'm also glad Nia got her happy ending with Dimitri. I thought I would end up hating Dimitri. After all, he ended a perfectly good relationship for no good reason at all. But maybe that needed to happen in order for him to grow. He wasn't the big a-hole I expected him to be.
/
I had read "Lies She Told" a half dozen times and loved it! This book wasn't as good, but I enjoyed it anyways.
"Dark Turns" is about a ballerina named Nia Washington, who is suffering from a foot injury. Because of the injury, she's forced to take a job as a RA at a competitive dance school. Her very first day there, she finds the body of a student, Lauren. So Nia spends the rest of the book trying solve this poor girl's murder.
Nia wasn't the world's smartest character, but I liked her. I could relate to her. She was kind, sympathetic and could be intuitive. She made a lot of mistakes in the book, but those made her interesting. Her biggest mistake was starting a relationship with Peter. He seemed like such a great guy at first. I was shocked by how his character turned out. I didn't expect him to be such a jerk.
Aubrey was a decent, yet not-so-subtle villain. I wasn't at all surprised that she was the murderer. That girl was evil with a capital 'E'. She had no qualms about using people to get what she wants. Even if it means ruining people's lives. The little witch nearly destroyed Nia's. I'm glad she and Peter got locked up.
I'm also glad Nia got her happy ending with Dimitri. I thought I would end up hating Dimitri. After all, he ended a perfectly good relationship for no good reason at all. But maybe that needed to happen in order for him to grow. He wasn't the big a-hole I expected him to be.
/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 27, 2021Meh. Meh meh meh. At 70% I finally gave up. This was not a thriller. This was a story about an injured ballerina at a posh boarding school and a student who was found dead on school grounds under suspicious circumstances. The story was supposed to be about the dead student and who did it with the ballerina doing better detective work than the police. The murder of the student was not even a secondary storyline, it was probably the fourth or fifth storyline. The main storyline was about Nia, the ballerina, who has been single for a year and is hard up. I mean the girl is horny. Other parts of that storyline are Nia's injury and her new relationship with a fellow teacher. The murder of the student pops in every so often. This story was going nowhere. I didn't care about Nia, her injury, the murder that the book was supposed to be centered on but wasn't - in fact, at times I forgot there had even been a murder so when it was mentioned I had to reorient myself. Meh.
October 17, 2018
This book wasn't bad it just wasn't great. I felt a lot like a YA thriller because the overall vibe was rather light and the mystery wasn't there. The twist was clear from the beginning so it lost a lot of the merits of calling itself a "thriller." I will say that this would be a great introduction into the genre if you are just starting to explore thrillers and are coming from a YA background. If you read a lot of thrillers like I do, this just can't hang. I do love the ballet aspects and the boarding school setting. I have read another book by Cate Holahan and I gave ti 5 stars so clearly her writing has improved since this book was published. I almost wish this book had been written by Megan Abbott. I loved the ballet setting and I think a darker more eerie tone would have done wonders for the atmosphere of the book.
October 13, 2016
Predictable early, but still an ok read.
June 3, 2022
Sometimes, I don’t know where to begin a bad review. Is it worth my time to type, or someone’s to read, my opinions about yet another of my bad choices in audiobooks?
Probably not. I’ll share anyway, though, just a minute peek into why this book is tired trash, and the laziest of sophomoric writing, that shouldn’t ever be published.
The characters are annoyingly stereotypical, and the narration is pretty bad(especially that of the officer’s “New England accent.” Awful).
The hints that one character in particular is shady & obviously connected to the event, are in your face…but the main character, who’s with this person constantly, and witnesses lying and a rise in anger, and the police, miss it? And someone knows (& could claim underlying reasons for doing what was done, & turn him in)just doesn’t?
The predictability of events -from start to the very last second- huge yawn. I don’t need surprises, but this was so rote I started laughing as I guessed each “turn” that eventually unfolded.
When an unskilled author tries to feign skill, he or she will use “sleight of hand” to try to cover up plot lines the lack of talent can’t find a way to make viable. The main character concludes someone is guilty, then is desperate for someone else to believe her. First of all, why is she so desperate. Secondly, hello, any reader can see that person’s reaction = guilt, and, 3rd, her explanation as to why she thinks what she does makes zero sense. Even the other character doesn’t understand her conclusion (which was hilarious-few poor authors help prove my case so willingly😂). It was pathetic.
When another character asks main character to do something, after she doesn’t have a place to go, his reason makes no sense. No one will change their opinion of anyones guilt or innocence based on this action—why the author couldn’t make up a solid reason, or abandon that line, baffles me.
Finally, there it is. The ending-handed to you in a neat little bow. At least she didn’t try to drag out the known inevitable with a kidnapping, or hospital wake-up/proposal.
I need to vet my choices way, way more carefully.
Probably not. I’ll share anyway, though, just a minute peek into why this book is tired trash, and the laziest of sophomoric writing, that shouldn’t ever be published.
The characters are annoyingly stereotypical, and the narration is pretty bad(especially that of the officer’s “New England accent.” Awful).
The hints that one character in particular is shady & obviously connected to the event, are in your face…but the main character, who’s with this person constantly, and witnesses lying and a rise in anger, and the police, miss it? And someone knows (& could claim underlying reasons for doing what was done, & turn him in)just doesn’t?
The predictability of events -from start to the very last second- huge yawn. I don’t need surprises, but this was so rote I started laughing as I guessed each “turn” that eventually unfolded.
When an unskilled author tries to feign skill, he or she will use “sleight of hand” to try to cover up plot lines the lack of talent can’t find a way to make viable. The main character concludes someone is guilty, then is desperate for someone else to believe her. First of all, why is she so desperate. Secondly, hello, any reader can see that person’s reaction = guilt, and, 3rd, her explanation as to why she thinks what she does makes zero sense. Even the other character doesn’t understand her conclusion (which was hilarious-few poor authors help prove my case so willingly😂). It was pathetic.
When another character asks main character to do something, after she doesn’t have a place to go, his reason makes no sense. No one will change their opinion of anyones guilt or innocence based on this action—why the author couldn’t make up a solid reason, or abandon that line, baffles me.
Finally, there it is. The ending-handed to you in a neat little bow. At least she didn’t try to drag out the known inevitable with a kidnapping, or hospital wake-up/proposal.
I need to vet my choices way, way more carefully.
August 5, 2022
Dark Turns has a lot going for its self as far as appeal for me: Ballet, Academic Setting and murder!
It starts strong with Nia,a younger injured dancer who is taking a year off to prepare to audition for a ballet company, so she takes a job at an exclusive Ballet school. On her first day a young girl washes up dead in the lake right in front of Nia. Obviously she is worried but begins to settle in and teach her classes and we are introduced to the various students. Holahan writes to the typical troupes present in most ballet movies/books (Pretty rich mean girl is the best, heavier set girls not as good, the sweet innocent good girl etc). Peter a fellow teacher at the school catches Nia's attention and they begin a very quick (like girl, make him wait a tad....talk about given the farmer milk without paying) . She is kinda rebounding from her breakup from Dimitri-the love of her life who broke up with her to "see other people".
So as not spoil the book, the book is VERY predictable. I probably could have told you the ending after meeting all the characters. So no surprises, it was good enough to keep my attention, but no major shocks or twist.
Somethings that bothered me:
-The total disregard for how easy and casual abortion is
-Nia had NO personality what so ever--very dull in character
-Idiot police squad
-Towards the end after we have to read some pretty descriptive love scenes Holahan uses the sentence, "She hit him in his privates"--Umm why the sudden switch to using the word "privates" when just pages before she was using much more "grown up" words.
This book had an YA feel, without it being YA.
I probably wouldn't recommend this book, its mediocre at best.
It starts strong with Nia,a younger injured dancer who is taking a year off to prepare to audition for a ballet company, so she takes a job at an exclusive Ballet school. On her first day a young girl washes up dead in the lake right in front of Nia. Obviously she is worried but begins to settle in and teach her classes and we are introduced to the various students. Holahan writes to the typical troupes present in most ballet movies/books (Pretty rich mean girl is the best, heavier set girls not as good, the sweet innocent good girl etc). Peter a fellow teacher at the school catches Nia's attention and they begin a very quick (like girl, make him wait a tad....talk about given the farmer milk without paying) . She is kinda rebounding from her breakup from Dimitri-the love of her life who broke up with her to "see other people".
So as not spoil the book, the book is VERY predictable. I probably could have told you the ending after meeting all the characters. So no surprises, it was good enough to keep my attention, but no major shocks or twist.
Somethings that bothered me:
-The total disregard for how easy and casual abortion is
-Nia had NO personality what so ever--very dull in character
-Idiot police squad
-Towards the end after we have to read some pretty descriptive love scenes Holahan uses the sentence, "She hit him in his privates"--Umm why the sudden switch to using the word "privates" when just pages before she was using much more "grown up" words.
This book had an YA feel, without it being YA.
I probably wouldn't recommend this book, its mediocre at best.
February 9, 2019
Nia Washington is a 22 year old ballet dancer recovering from an injury and a romantic breakup. She takes a temp position at a posh private school as assistant to the director of their elite dance program, until she’s strong enough to returning to auditioning for pro companies. Nia’s very first day on the job is marred by her discovery of a student’s body floating in the campus lake, apparently strangled. Dark Turns focuses upon the aftermath, as she tries to glean some insight into who might have committed the murder.
As a mystery, Dark Turns reads rather like a novel for teens and young adults. Nia is a likeable, earnest young woman who enjoys her contact with the students in her class. The other adults in the book come across according to type, including the school’s stern director, the officious head of campus security, and the local “just the facts, Ma’am” police. Somewhat more natural is Nia’s new love interest, Peter Anderson, English teacher. Scattered liberally through each chapter are explanations of dance terms, description of dancers, dances, and costumes, and details about the relationships among Nia’s students. The plot line is stretched pretty thin, and there is little attention paid to developing any of the characters. Also scattered about are thinly-veiled “tells”, from which the reader can can come up with a viable suspect but Nia apparently cannot.
Dark Turns would probably be better appreciated by teens, dance aficionados, and mystery readers who expect a more complex tale.
As a mystery, Dark Turns reads rather like a novel for teens and young adults. Nia is a likeable, earnest young woman who enjoys her contact with the students in her class. The other adults in the book come across according to type, including the school’s stern director, the officious head of campus security, and the local “just the facts, Ma’am” police. Somewhat more natural is Nia’s new love interest, Peter Anderson, English teacher. Scattered liberally through each chapter are explanations of dance terms, description of dancers, dances, and costumes, and details about the relationships among Nia’s students. The plot line is stretched pretty thin, and there is little attention paid to developing any of the characters. Also scattered about are thinly-veiled “tells”, from which the reader can can come up with a viable suspect but Nia apparently cannot.
Dark Turns would probably be better appreciated by teens, dance aficionados, and mystery readers who expect a more complex tale.
November 26, 2020
Two stars for being readable but ridiculously predictable
This was a pretty quick read and reasonably entertaining, however as the book moved along, I found myself almost writing what was going to happen in the next paragraph. I don't think I've ever read a book which was like reading a sentence I just wrote. It was sooo predictable. Painfully predictable. Curiously, I liked the main character, although she was a pretty standard cliche, as were the rest of the characters in the book, especially the Dean, who was the mandatory higher up thwarting the main character. The characters were very one dimensional. If you want an okay story that you don't want to strain your brain over, this one isn't bad. If you want something that challenges you to guess what comes next, I wouldn't recommend it. I might give this author another try. Kind of on the fence. Nothing wrong with the story, but lacks depth and telegraphs the plot.
This was a pretty quick read and reasonably entertaining, however as the book moved along, I found myself almost writing what was going to happen in the next paragraph. I don't think I've ever read a book which was like reading a sentence I just wrote. It was sooo predictable. Painfully predictable. Curiously, I liked the main character, although she was a pretty standard cliche, as were the rest of the characters in the book, especially the Dean, who was the mandatory higher up thwarting the main character. The characters were very one dimensional. If you want an okay story that you don't want to strain your brain over, this one isn't bad. If you want something that challenges you to guess what comes next, I wouldn't recommend it. I might give this author another try. Kind of on the fence. Nothing wrong with the story, but lacks depth and telegraphs the plot.
October 18, 2017
I found this book to be a disappointment. After reading The Widower's Wife, I was anxious to read another Holahan book. But this book seemed to be written by a novice...not the talented writer I had discovered in The Widower's Wife. The story was far from being a "thriller" and I had to push myself to keep turning the pages. Nia was not particularly likable and seemed completely vulnerable to an attractive fellow teacher. From the time she met him, she was consumed with how to spend more intimate time with him. Her attitude seemed more like one of the high school students in her dorm. I hope to see what else comes out from Cate Holahan - it seems like she has honed her craft after this predictable, slow-moving attempt.
March 3, 2018
This book did not thrill me. At all. It was slow-moving and the main character was just not very bright. Almost oblivious to the point it was highly annoying. How can a ballerina with 15 years experience not know the difference between tendonitis and plantar fasciitis? How can she just up and quit a career on the rise without even seeing a doctor first? Would by her dance troupe and touring company have fairly easy access to a doctor? It just wasn’t a plausible or believable book.It was fairly easy to determine who was behind the murder in the story. Hints were practically spelled out to the reader and yet the main character couldn’t put two and two together. I’ve greatly enjoyed another Holahan book, but this one was a disappointment.
November 10, 2017
Holahan's new book (Lies She Told) is far better than this one. This was an entirely formulaic ballerina thriller. (Is that a category? It seems like it is.) You've got all of the dark problems that can befall ballerinas - sabotage, injury, pregnancy, and sexual assault. Plus, you can see every one of them coming a mile away. It's so obvious who has done what that it starts to seem like any person in the book who doesn't catch on is not the brightest.
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