STARVATION TAKES MANY FORMS Ash Park, a run-down suburb of Detroit, might not be the most idyllic place to live, but for Hannah Montgomery, it's safe. At least, it feels that way until a serial killer starts dicing up women from the shelter where she volunteers.
Hannah manages to convince herself the killings have nothing to do with her brutal past—but then her boyfriend is murdered in the same ruthless manner as the others. And the police think she may have had something to do with it.
The cops are right about one thing: Hannah is responsible. Because she knows who the killer is. Now she must face the fact that she brought a monster with her to Ash Park--and his appetite for blood is insatiable.
With books deemed “visceral, haunting, and fully immersive” (New York Times bestseller, Andra Watkins), Meghan O’Flynn has made her mark on the thriller genre. Meghan is a clinical therapist who draws her character inspiration from her knowledge of the human psyche. She is the bestselling author of gritty crime novels and serial killer thrillers, all of which take readers on the dark, gripping, and unputdownable journey for which Meghan is notorious. Perfect for fans of Dexter, Chelsea Cain, and Gillian Flynn. Learn more at https://meghanoflynn.com!
Pages and pages of excessive sexual violence towards women (and children). Bizarre similes. Gobs of adjectives. Weirdly-placed, uncomfortable humour.
This book is over-the-top violent. Sexual abuse, mutilation, child abuse, incest, rape, more rape. "Anal rape" because it's not enough to just refer to it as rape.
The storyline and character development felt forced. The metaphors and similes made me cringe. Things like:
"Thomas grinned like a fifteen-year-old girl with a cock in her ass." "I tugged off my sweater like a bored stripper just trying to get to the point..." "His member jutted from his body like a thick diving board."
“Thomas grinned like a fifteen year old girl with a cock in her ass.”
First of all, let us pause for a moment to take in the fact that particular sentence exists in a book. I’m not entirely sure what a fifteen year old girl looks like with a cock in her arse but I am fairly certain that there are better similes out there. Yes, I know the thought comes from an absolute creep but I just can’t believe that sentence was even written.
I am going to just admit that I have never been particularly attracted to crime novels and Famished is the prime example of why I never read them. It made my skin crawl. The plot is simple and vey typical, murderer, sex murderer, young woman. Many prostitutes died in this novel in very horrific ways and it is very misogynistic. The novel is also very misandristic as well, which is quite the achievement really, making both sexes seem equally horrible.
The main problem with Famished is that there is no-one to root for. The main detective, Petrosky, is bland and one dimensional, as is his partner whose name I have completely forgotten (and I only finished it yesterday). The damsel in distress, Hannah, is irritating and she becomes more and more idiotic as the book progresses so that by the end I was begging for her death. Her friends are dull (and I thought Noelle could be a sociopath at one point in the book, she seemed to have no emotions at all), and the main creepy cunts are… well… creepy cunts. Having a creepy arsehole in a crime novel isn’t a bad thing but you really need decent and likeable characters to balance out the cunts. Unfortunately, Famished doesn’t have any likeable characters. Oh, and there was a woman lawyer who appeared near the beginning (can’t remember her name either and I can’t be arsed to check), what was the point of her? She made one appearance and was never heard of again. What a waste of time.
I guessed the killer straightaway (and seeing as I never see plot twists coming, that just shows how damned lazy the writing is). I wouldn’t recommend this book but if you do read it you can tell as soon as you’re introduced to the biggest cunt in the novel. It is that obvious.
Some minor niggles: why did everyone in this book treat Lewis Carroll as if he was some obscure author that no-one had ever heard of? He is very well known, for both his novels and his rhymes and it’s not like Through the Looking Glass is an obscure text. Also, one of the blokes is made to seem weird because he is a comic book nerd. Again, why? Didn’t O’Flynn get the message that comic book heroes are in at the moment? They aren’t just for weirdos. And, finally, this stellar line that irritated me: “Petrosky stared at the notes in his hand, written in the flowing script you’d expect from an English major.” Do all English majors have to write in a flowing script? Because my friend has a PhD in English Literature and his writing is like chicken scratch (no offense, Bob, love you really).
All in all this book is bad. It is lazily written, full of clichés and has no interesting or likeable characters to help you through the dark and gory tone. It is a violent book with no levity to bring you out of the horror of the murders. It seems to hate women and men in equal measure and no-one wins in this novel.
One dimensional characters prevent the plot of this book from moving smoothly. The incest rape scenes are needlessly graphic. There is no insight into any of the lives of the characters, and the descriptive writing is almost non existent. More character development is needed, how does the main character work at a domestic violence shelter and live in the same building as the owner of the shelter and still live with Jake? Why did her mother abandon her? Marrying a dentist is the only answer this author gives. Then the dentist dies and her mother never speaks to her again? The detective has no life history other than his daughter Julie dying, with the obligatory divorce. We never really get a sense of any of these characters experiencing complex emotions from their past
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Eerie, gruesome, perplexing, intriguing, repulsive, convoluted, twisted and twisting ... Famished is the first book by Meghan O'Flynn I've read, but I'm definitely on my way to check out her others!
Serial killer mystery/thriller novels are right at the top of my Gotta Read list, and I usually have the creep figured out before the end of the book. Boy, did I not have this one! The ending in this book was a total surprise ... and there was even a red herring surprise which was a surprise.
The story is told in several voices - and at times it can get a bit confusing. But, persevering is the answer and the dedication is rewarded! It's interesting how little backstory each character has - a bit of one - but, as the book is written in real time, the characters don't think a lot about things from their past, which is very realistic and natural (even if at times infuriatingly inadequate LOL).
The heroine is a wounded creature (as the heroines of these novels often are) and you root for her ... and she has definitely surrounded herself by a creepy and squalid lot. The detectives are ALMOST stereotypical, but not really. Everything about this story is almost what you expect ... and then it changes course.
If scenes portraying violence, sex, rape, and crude language offend you - skip this one.
Otherwise, get yourself a copy - it's a good read - even if you do feel the need to shower after completing it!
Famished is the first book in the Ash Park Series by Meghan O’Flynn. It in an intense, dark, gory, clever serial killer thriller/crime novel that had me completely gripped in its hold from beginning to end. There were times I thought I should have looked away, closed the book and stopped reading because it was quite shocking and disturbing in places- but I couldn’t, I was glued to the page, heart in my mouth, on the edge of my seat trying to piece everything together and figure it all out before everything was revealed. But, wow- I did not see THAT coming, at all!!! Ms. O’Flynn spun a brilliant web of intrigue, mystery and danger- cleverly choreographing everything into a riveting story and keeping me guessing right till the very end!! I can’t wait to dive into book #2!
An expertly written labyrinth of twisted, unpredictable awesomeness! I pride myself on figuring out plot twists...but Famished got me. TWICE. This novel is cunning, delightfully disturbing (<
DNF@8%. For the sake of bookclub, I told myself that I had to read to at least 10% before abandoning. I couldn't do it. This book was trying too hard-just too overboard with everything. I found the writing crass and the story was forceful and abrasive by trying to shock from the very beginning. I could tell immediately that this book wasn't for me. I like my mysteries to be sophisticated, not in my face.
An expertly written labyrinth of twisted, unpredictable awesomeness! I pride myself on figuring out plot twists...but Famished got me. TWICE. This novel is cunning, delightfully disturbing (<
Famished is a great read. It's smart and suspenseful and completely twisted. It reminds me of the first time I read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, full of multi-dimensional characters who aren't always on the right side of good, but you love them anyway...or love to hate them. I can't wait for the next books in the Ash Park series.
It's a rare thing when I'll get as far as 59% into a book THEN pack it in but it's the case here. I did consider it a few times before I made it this far but then it would suddenly improve but it had me beat in the end. It was just too unbelievable. The author has a terrific sense of humour, even down to the disclaimers at the beginning that made me chuckle though I was equally irritated by Hannah, our heroine. She let herself be walked over all the time and I couldn't believe her encounter with her boss in his office at ALL !! Her pal Noelle was a real piece of work as well !! There were mistakes.....girls lost its apostrophe and one chapter heading was Monday, November 1st when it should've been Monday, November 2nd. That was sloppy. This sentence I didn't understand at all-"At least the next family might not cry, if what we've seen so far is any indication." The cover I have with the lamp post is a lovely one, too.
I'm quite amazed at how much I don't care for the characters and this book at all. Reading it seemed a lot like a chore. The only fun part was the fact that I don't have to go back to it again.
Famished (Ash Park #1) by Meghan O'Flynn was dark, gritty, and apart from having my heart in a vice, it had me hooked from start to finish.
My first read by this author I didn't know what to expect. I just thought I was in for your normal, thriller mystery, like a CSI/Criminal Minds mix... No, no, no.. It was more on the darker side of Criminal Minds. Not only did I get attached to Hannah, I felt for her, somehow connected to her, and, I don't even know what to say or think anymore.
Hannah was a good character, like I said I connect with her, and every minute of her hellish life I wish I could have been there to give her a hug, and just, put her in a bubble. Strong in her own right, Hannah was that MC you root for, hope for and just want all the good things for.
Damn Meghan O'Flynn, you managed to not only rip out my heart, but just when I thought things were looking up, you ripped it out again and stomped on it. Thanks....Sometimes there are no happy endings, and this book shows us, will for me I felt, it showed the real look at what goes on when trying to catch a killer. The grunt work, the long hours, and the constant feelings of guilt and grief that, you weren't fast, or strong enough.
This book will push your emotions, will make you think it will end like your normal TV drama. Be prepared for some gut punching feels, and a good slap to the face. And that my friend is where I leave you, but yes, before I go, I give this book my super high recommendation and my stamp of approval.
This book will keep you on your toes with plot twists! A bit of warning, do not read before bedtime...definitely worms its way into your subconscious. I highly recommend this book!
WHAT A DISCOVERY! I love whodunnits packed with suspense. Famished doesn't disappoint. O'Flynn doesn't put a foot wrong in this electric, complex tale of murder and desire. I can't wait for the sequel!
Hannah Montgomery feels safe in Ash Park. Yes it is run down, but to Hannah is is just what she needs.....that is until the killings begin. Women at the shelter that Hannah volunteers at is getting killed in brutal, terrible ways. Hannah believes it has nothing to do with her past, until her boyfriend is also killed. The police think she had something to do with it, but did she? Hannah does know who the killer is, but she is keeping that fact to herself that because of her the killer is now in Ash Park. Not for the faint of heart.
I picked up Famished as a freebie because I wanted something other than the cozies I’ve been reading and this delivered. It’s very gory which doesn’t bother me. However, in this case it’s salacious and it bears mentioning the serial killer’s point of view is one of the many and they like to eviscerate and play with the intestines, running experiments, while their victim is alive. Speaking of the many povs, there are several, most of them in third person but Hannah’s is not. They are, however, distinct, and there’s not a lot of head hopping. The pov changes at scene breaks.
Petrosky is the lead detective (most of the book is his or Hannah’s pov). He’s a bit of an alcoholic struggling with his daughter’s murder. His partner, Morrison is one pov we don’t get (and probably should have). They’re saddled with trying to solve a series of murdered prostitutes who have a connection to a battered woman’s shelter where Hannah volunteers, having been sexually abused in the past and her current boyfriend is also abusive. She just refuses to admit it to the point it’s hard to sympathize with her (she’s rather dim and whiney to me).
The other pov characters are her dashing boss, Hardwick, Noelle, her co-worker friends and Robert, a sexual predator working under an assumed identity and looking for the woman to love him and make him “clean” so he can stop being a monster (also a victim of abuse at the hands of a very religious foster family) and his friend, Thomas, who’s interested in Noelle (and Robert thinks Hannah is his ‘one’ but he also gives us horrifying similes like Thomas is grinned like a fifteen year old with a cock in her ass, so who really cares what he thinks?)
Petrosky can see Hannah is somehow involved with the killing but keeps conflating her with his own dead daughter. No one knows why the killer is leaving parts of a Lewis Carroll poem at the crime scenes (and you won’t either because in spite of so many povs, the killer’s why for what they’re doing is never clear).
We don’t know which of these pov characters are the killer until the end of course (I did guess). The mystery unfolds well and I did like it. However, I didn’t like a single character except maybe Morrison and Petrosky you can understand why he’s so unhappy but the rest I couldn’t care less about. It was the ending, however, that I hated. It didn’t work for me at all. I’m not sure I’d read more of this series or not. The writing is good but maybe revels too much in the gross details without enough emotional content to back them up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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Blurb: STARVATION TAKES MANY FORMS
Ash Park, a run-down suburb of Detroit, might not be the most idyllic place to live, but for Hannah Montgomery, it's safe. At least, it feels that way until a serial killer starts dicing up women from the shelter where she volunteers.
Hannah manages to convince herself the killings have nothing to do with her brutal past—but then her boyfriend is murdered in the same ruthless manner as the others. And the police think she may have had something to do with it.
The cops are right about one thing: Hannah is responsible. Because she knows who the killer is. Now she must face the fact that she brought a monster with her to Ash Park--and his appetite for blood is insatiable.
This book will keep you guessing up until the end! This book was amazing as far as suspense goes. It has many graphic murders in a Hannibal Lectoresque type way. There are many interesting facets to the book in the way of relationships and past history of the characters. The characters are all very interesting and everyone seems to have many skeletons in their closets. No wonder Hannah has such a hard time sleeping. You think you have it all figured out? Guess again. You don't. It throws you for a loop many times over. You will gasp out loud during many of the descriptive scenes. Read at your own risk!
The characters in O'Flynn's debut novel are well-crafted, magnetic, and engaging, each with their own thoroughly developed and often deeply flawed personalities. This is not a book you read in dribs and drabs night after night for weeks. This is a book you will lose sleep over. Famished is fast-paced, scary, and delightfully sick, with an awesome surprise twist at the end.
I loved reading this book. I finished it in a day. If you love creepy, grotesque suspense, you'll enjoy this twisted tale. The author takes you deep into the minds of more than one fucked up character, and writes each with a unique voice.
The heroine was hard to believe totally unrational and whiny and the book was too long but the story was good. Close to a page turner but not quite. I did enjoy it though.
Meh. It's a serial killer novel. It's dark and disturbing, as it should be, but the whole things seems rather contrived. Like someone read an FBI profile of a serial killer and built a character around him, and gave him a woman to focus on. Honestly, I'm sorry to say, this was forgettable.