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Heartstopper
New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding takes readers on a terror-charged hunt for a serial killer holding a small South Florida town in a vice-like grip of fear, suspicion, and violence.
As Sheriff John Weber would attest, the deadliest predators in Torrance, Florida, were the alligators lurking in the nearby swamps. But that was before someone abducted and murdered a runaway teenage girl...and before the disappearance of popular and pretty Liana Martin. The pattern is chilling to Sandy Crosbie, the town's new high school English teacher. With a marriage on the rocks, thanks to her husband's online affairs, and a beautiful teenage daughter to protect, Sandy wishes she'd never come to the seemingly quiet town with shocking depths of scandal, sex, and brutality roiling beneath its surface. And as Sheriff Weber digs up more questions than answers in a dead-end investigation, one truth the prettiest ones are being targeted, the heartstoppers. And this killer intends to give them their due....
As Sheriff John Weber would attest, the deadliest predators in Torrance, Florida, were the alligators lurking in the nearby swamps. But that was before someone abducted and murdered a runaway teenage girl...and before the disappearance of popular and pretty Liana Martin. The pattern is chilling to Sandy Crosbie, the town's new high school English teacher. With a marriage on the rocks, thanks to her husband's online affairs, and a beautiful teenage daughter to protect, Sandy wishes she'd never come to the seemingly quiet town with shocking depths of scandal, sex, and brutality roiling beneath its surface. And as Sheriff Weber digs up more questions than answers in a dead-end investigation, one truth the prettiest ones are being targeted, the heartstoppers. And this killer intends to give them their due....
592 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
235 people are currently reading
1998 people want to read
About the author
Joy Fielding
121 books2,196 followersJoy Fielding (née Tepperman; born March 18, 1945) is a Canadian novelist and actress. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career, appearing in the film Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) and in an episode of Gunsmoke. She later changed her last name to Fielding (after Henry Fielding) and began writing novels.
Fielding is also the screenwriter of the television film Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story.
At the age of 8, Joy Tepperman wrote her first story and sent it into a local magazine, and at age 12 sent in her first TV script, however both were rejected. She had a brief acting career, eventually giving it up to write full-time in 1972. She has published to date 22 novels, two of which were converted into film. Fielding's process of having an idea to the point the novel is finished generally takes a year, the writing itself taking four to eight months. Joy Fielding sets most of her novels in American cities such as Boston and Chicago. She has said that she prefers to set her novels in "big American cities, [as the] landscape seems best for [her] themes of urban alienation and loss of identity. Fielding is a Canadian citizen. Her husband's name is Warren, and they have two daughters, Annie and Shannon. They have property in Toronto, Ontario, as well as Palm Beach, Florida.
Fielding had an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2007, just after her publication of Heartstopper. She enjoys catching readers off guard with the endings of her stories, but insists that "[it] isn't what her fiction is about", but rather more about the development of her characters. Discussing her novels with the Toronto Star in 2008, she said "I might not write fiction in the literary sense. But I write very well. My characters are good. My dialog is good. And my stories are really involving. I'm writing exactly the kind of books I like to write. And they're the kind of books I like to read. They're popular commercial fiction. That's what they are."
Fielding has been noted as a novelist who is more popular in the United States and foreign countries, rather than in her native Canada. For example, the novel Kiss Mommy Goodbye was more popular in the States, and See Jane Run in Germany. In addition, she had an American agent and publisher, although she has now switched to a Canadian publisher.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career, appearing in the film Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) and in an episode of Gunsmoke. She later changed her last name to Fielding (after Henry Fielding) and began writing novels.
Fielding is also the screenwriter of the television film Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story.
At the age of 8, Joy Tepperman wrote her first story and sent it into a local magazine, and at age 12 sent in her first TV script, however both were rejected. She had a brief acting career, eventually giving it up to write full-time in 1972. She has published to date 22 novels, two of which were converted into film. Fielding's process of having an idea to the point the novel is finished generally takes a year, the writing itself taking four to eight months. Joy Fielding sets most of her novels in American cities such as Boston and Chicago. She has said that she prefers to set her novels in "big American cities, [as the] landscape seems best for [her] themes of urban alienation and loss of identity. Fielding is a Canadian citizen. Her husband's name is Warren, and they have two daughters, Annie and Shannon. They have property in Toronto, Ontario, as well as Palm Beach, Florida.
Fielding had an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2007, just after her publication of Heartstopper. She enjoys catching readers off guard with the endings of her stories, but insists that "[it] isn't what her fiction is about", but rather more about the development of her characters. Discussing her novels with the Toronto Star in 2008, she said "I might not write fiction in the literary sense. But I write very well. My characters are good. My dialog is good. And my stories are really involving. I'm writing exactly the kind of books I like to write. And they're the kind of books I like to read. They're popular commercial fiction. That's what they are."
Fielding has been noted as a novelist who is more popular in the United States and foreign countries, rather than in her native Canada. For example, the novel Kiss Mommy Goodbye was more popular in the States, and See Jane Run in Germany. In addition, she had an American agent and publisher, although she has now switched to a Canadian publisher.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 343 reviews
February 12, 2019
In regards to this book. I must be considered the most annoying person ever. Because it's the first book I've read from Joy (and since I read several more but this is my fave) and I already forced at least eleven people to read this. And when they are reading this I'm like: "what do you think? Do you suspect anyone?"
September 2, 2024
2.5⭐
Genre ~ romantic suspense (according to Amazon)
Setting ~ Florida
Publication date ~ April 3, 2007
Est Page Count ~ 387 (35 chapters)
Audio length ~ 13 hours 24 minutes
Narrator ~ Judith West
POV ~ multiple 3rd & single 1st from the killer
Featuring ~ infidelity, HS bullying, homophobia, fatphobia, murder, suicide, obvious killer
This is stated as “Joy Fielding’s most exciting novel of suspense yet.” I don’t agree, but this book did come out in 2007, so imo she’s written better since.
Sandy’s hub is cheating on her, so he has them move in order to be closer his mistress. Turns out Sandy is the teacher of the daughter of who he’s having the affair with. Well that shouldn’t be too awkward, right?
I always like when we get chapters from the killer’s POV to help with the why of things. But there were so many other POV’s that bogged it down a bit. Plenty of suspects, but really not hard to figure out who the killer is. Have I read too many murder mysteries? Perhaps.
Overall, it was okay, but I was not blown away due to what I’ve stated in my featuring line. Too much HS bs that I guess I’m not interested in at this point in my life.
Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
Genre ~ romantic suspense (according to Amazon)
Setting ~ Florida
Publication date ~ April 3, 2007
Est Page Count ~ 387 (35 chapters)
Audio length ~ 13 hours 24 minutes
Narrator ~ Judith West
POV ~ multiple 3rd & single 1st from the killer
Featuring ~ infidelity, HS bullying, homophobia, fatphobia, murder, suicide, obvious killer
This is stated as “Joy Fielding’s most exciting novel of suspense yet.” I don’t agree, but this book did come out in 2007, so imo she’s written better since.
Sandy’s hub is cheating on her, so he has them move in order to be closer his mistress. Turns out Sandy is the teacher of the daughter of who he’s having the affair with. Well that shouldn’t be too awkward, right?
I always like when we get chapters from the killer’s POV to help with the why of things. But there were so many other POV’s that bogged it down a bit. Plenty of suspects, but really not hard to figure out who the killer is. Have I read too many murder mysteries? Perhaps.
Overall, it was okay, but I was not blown away due to what I’ve stated in my featuring line. Too much HS bs that I guess I’m not interested in at this point in my life.
Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
August 11, 2022
کمی بعد از نیمه داستان درباره قاتل حدس زده بودم، ای کاش تهش غافلگیر می شدم.
به هرحال داستان پرکشش و جالبی بود از خواندنش لذت بردم.
به هرحال داستان پرکشش و جالبی بود از خواندنش لذت بردم.
May 20, 2019
Auf Joy Fielding ist Verlass. Ihre Thriller & Mysteries sind immer mindestens gut. Das hier ist anders, vor allem weil es um High-School Schüler geht, aber wieder richtig gut - vor allem als Hörbuch.
Sandy ist mit ihrem Mann Ian und ihren zwei Teenies nach Florida gezogen. Nur wusste sie nicht dass er explizit dort hinziehen wollte, weil er die billige Carrie im Internet kennen gelernt hat.
Mittlerweile leben sie getrennt und Sandy unterrichtet an der örtlichen High School. Sie kennt ihre Schüler, nicht nur die Tochter der "Neuen" ihres Mannes, sondern auch die Tochter des Sheriffs. Und genau wie dieser sorgt sie sich als ein beliebtes Mädchen erst entführt und dann ermordet wird, nachdem schon eine der unbeliebten verschwunden war...
Der Perspektive wechselt ständig und da mittlerweile jeder einen Verdächtigen hat, gibt es viele potentielle Killer. Aber es gibt auch immer wieder gezielte Hinweise auf den Mörder und seine nächsten Opfer...
Torrance ist die typische amerikanische Kleinstadt, unspektakulär, jeder kennt jeden und alle haben so ihre kleinen Probleme und Geheimnisse. Der Sheriff ist ein übergewichtiger, schwieriger Typ, seine Frau ist langweilig und seine Tochter hat seinetwegen eine Essstörung.
Die Figuren sind alle eigen aber realistisch und greifbar dargestellt, und entfalten sich mit dem Verlauf. Wir lernen alle immer besser kennen und bekommen Einblick in das Gefühlsleben der Schüler und auch der Erwachsenen, die sich oft selbst wie Teenies verhalten. Alle bekommen ihre eigene kleine Story und das macht die ganze Geschichte lebendig und interessant. Insgesamt ist das Buch spannend, auch wenn das Tempo eher entspannt ist.
Große Leseempfehlung!
Sandy ist mit ihrem Mann Ian und ihren zwei Teenies nach Florida gezogen. Nur wusste sie nicht dass er explizit dort hinziehen wollte, weil er die billige Carrie im Internet kennen gelernt hat.
Mittlerweile leben sie getrennt und Sandy unterrichtet an der örtlichen High School. Sie kennt ihre Schüler, nicht nur die Tochter der "Neuen" ihres Mannes, sondern auch die Tochter des Sheriffs. Und genau wie dieser sorgt sie sich als ein beliebtes Mädchen erst entführt und dann ermordet wird, nachdem schon eine der unbeliebten verschwunden war...
Der Perspektive wechselt ständig und da mittlerweile jeder einen Verdächtigen hat, gibt es viele potentielle Killer. Aber es gibt auch immer wieder gezielte Hinweise auf den Mörder und seine nächsten Opfer...
Torrance ist die typische amerikanische Kleinstadt, unspektakulär, jeder kennt jeden und alle haben so ihre kleinen Probleme und Geheimnisse. Der Sheriff ist ein übergewichtiger, schwieriger Typ, seine Frau ist langweilig und seine Tochter hat seinetwegen eine Essstörung.
Die Figuren sind alle eigen aber realistisch und greifbar dargestellt, und entfalten sich mit dem Verlauf. Wir lernen alle immer besser kennen und bekommen Einblick in das Gefühlsleben der Schüler und auch der Erwachsenen, die sich oft selbst wie Teenies verhalten. Alle bekommen ihre eigene kleine Story und das macht die ganze Geschichte lebendig und interessant. Insgesamt ist das Buch spannend, auch wenn das Tempo eher entspannt ist.
Große Leseempfehlung!
September 20, 2011
Less than 100 pages in I figured out "who done it," so no point in finishing. I don't particularly like the writing, it's MUCH too rambling for me to maintain interest. My mind kept wandering every time the narrator would go off on yet another tangent about their sordid past. Most of the time, even if I know the big twist, I'll still read the book to find out how things unfold, but here I just don't care and I'm certain I already have a pretty good idea of how things will go anyway.
April 5, 2017
Брррр! Продължавам да чета психарските истории на Джой Филдинг, надявайки се да открия още някоя , като "Другата жена" .
Пише наистина увлекателно, но малко са книгите , които си заслужават.
Тази е прекалено разтеглена , което не допринесе затова да стане по-интересна.
Накрая е съшита на две на три съвсем елементарно.
Откроих този бисер:
"Той бе класически случай-огромен,як и малоумен-и някак твърде горд от всичко това."
И мисълта:
"Адът, това са другите хора."
Пише наистина увлекателно, но малко са книгите , които си заслужават.
Тази е прекалено разтеглена , което не допринесе затова да стане по-интересна.
Накрая е съшита на две на три съвсем елементарно.
Откроих този бисер:
"Той бе класически случай-огромен,як и малоумен-и някак твърде горд от всичко това."
И мисълта:
"Адът, това са другите хора."
February 20, 2009
Not as chilling as I was led to believe…
I can’t even get into a description with this one before giving my honest opinion. I think this is the first time I’ve ever read a book where there doesn’t feel like there’s a main character. I mean, the synopsis has Sandy Crosbie as the main character. While you do see a lot of her and what’s going on in her life, the teens in the book, the sheriff and his family… it’s like equal exposure. Chilling journal entries? Um, I think not. And I could tell it was a teenager that wrote them - mainly because of the writing and rambling. I don’t want to reveal too much, in case you decide to read it, but I wasn’t surprised by the outcome, it really didn’t hold that much mystery or suspense for me, and not that much of a thriller either.
Sandy and her family had moved to Torrance at her husband’s insistance. Little did Sandy know it was because of an online affair - for now her husband has left her for another woman. To make matters worse, she teaches the daughter of that woman. Can we say awkward? That’s about the only thing that was awkward.
With a divorce looming in front of her, her friend finally convinces her on a double blind date, but Sandy went with the flow when she was “rescued” from her uncomfortability only to land herself in a stupid situation. And I do mean stupid situation - I thought it was the most ridiculous scenario the author could have put her in; completely obvious, and I think that made it worse, cause you knew before Sandy knew what was going to happen. Ugh. I have a friend who gave me a nickname for a stupid character like that: TSTL - Too Stupid To Live heroine. And even then, she wasn’t a heroine. She didn’t figure it out. Sure, she’s worried about her 17-year-old daughter, and how the kidnappings and killings are of beautiful teenage girls, but she was just like everyone else in town - just as clueless as to who the killer was.
The climax had me turning the page, just to see what would happen. Sure, acceptable outcome. The last chapter is the killer’s journal again, where you get the wrap-up of the aftermath. Again, everything was obvious. And this book was supposed to be a thriller? I wanted so much to like this book and was disappointed because, while I didn’t hate it, I found it to be between “whatever” and “okay.”
I can’t even get into a description with this one before giving my honest opinion. I think this is the first time I’ve ever read a book where there doesn’t feel like there’s a main character. I mean, the synopsis has Sandy Crosbie as the main character. While you do see a lot of her and what’s going on in her life, the teens in the book, the sheriff and his family… it’s like equal exposure. Chilling journal entries? Um, I think not. And I could tell it was a teenager that wrote them - mainly because of the writing and rambling. I don’t want to reveal too much, in case you decide to read it, but I wasn’t surprised by the outcome, it really didn’t hold that much mystery or suspense for me, and not that much of a thriller either.
Sandy and her family had moved to Torrance at her husband’s insistance. Little did Sandy know it was because of an online affair - for now her husband has left her for another woman. To make matters worse, she teaches the daughter of that woman. Can we say awkward? That’s about the only thing that was awkward.
With a divorce looming in front of her, her friend finally convinces her on a double blind date, but Sandy went with the flow when she was “rescued” from her uncomfortability only to land herself in a stupid situation. And I do mean stupid situation - I thought it was the most ridiculous scenario the author could have put her in; completely obvious, and I think that made it worse, cause you knew before Sandy knew what was going to happen. Ugh. I have a friend who gave me a nickname for a stupid character like that: TSTL - Too Stupid To Live heroine. And even then, she wasn’t a heroine. She didn’t figure it out. Sure, she’s worried about her 17-year-old daughter, and how the kidnappings and killings are of beautiful teenage girls, but she was just like everyone else in town - just as clueless as to who the killer was.
The climax had me turning the page, just to see what would happen. Sure, acceptable outcome. The last chapter is the killer’s journal again, where you get the wrap-up of the aftermath. Again, everything was obvious. And this book was supposed to be a thriller? I wanted so much to like this book and was disappointed because, while I didn’t hate it, I found it to be between “whatever” and “okay.”
May 20, 2022
Liebt das Buch!!! Hat mich durch meine Prüfungszeit begleitet und mich jeden Abend herunter kommen lassen. Durch die aufsaugende Geschichte die mich förmlich an den Seiten kleben gelassen hat. Joy Fielding hat es geschafft real wirkende Protagonisten und Geschichten zu schaffen. Wie die Stadt dargestellt wird und was sie dadurch übermitteln wollte ist ihr gelungen. Auch wie sie die Spannung aufgebaut hat. Man hatte immer seine Spekulationen was den Plot betrifft. Alle meine waren falsch und dadurch war ich SEHR überrascht. Das hat aber die Lese Erfahrung noch besser gemacht.Ich bin hin und weg. UNBEDINGT LESEN!!!
February 2, 2024
Takie tam czytadło. Nic ciekawego, ale bez żenady.
September 21, 2018
Teen angst fueled this book and I found that rather tedious as the plots unfolded.
May 2, 2022
I appreciated the wide cast of characters and that the antagonist turned out to be female. I figured out who it was about halfway through, but still enjoyed how it finished.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2024
Ostensibly, this is the story of a small town in Florida where tensions start to rise and fear sets in as teenage girls start to go missing. But really, it's more of a meandering collection of stories about people behaving badly, most of which don't advance the main plot in any way.
There's no real sense of urgency to the investigation into the disappearances, even after bodies start to show up. And it didn't take long to figure out the person most likely to have done it, although by the time the extremely anticlimactic climax came, I honestly didn't care anymore.
There's no real sense of urgency to the investigation into the disappearances, even after bodies start to show up. And it didn't take long to figure out the person most likely to have done it, although by the time the extremely anticlimactic climax came, I honestly didn't care anymore.
June 10, 2008
Joy Fielding is one of my favourite authors and I always jump at the chance to pick up her latest. This one did not disappoint. It's about a small town sheriff who is on the hunt for a killer after 3 young woman were killed.
There is not much to say about this one because it's really not that deep. I especially liked that this was a very fast read, like all her books usually are. And even though I figured out who the killer was about half-way through that did not slow my pace at all because the writing was interested to keep me going until the end. The characters were not all that either. I can't say that I really liked or really hated anyone, and sometimes this is needed to keep me interested. Here it didn't really matter that the characters were all sort of vague.
In the grand scheme of things this book wasn't written with the Pulitzer prize in mind, and it's not going to cure world hunger either -- or world obesity for that matter. It is what it is, and what it is is good mindless distraction. And isn't that what reading is all about?! The mountains don't exist without the valleys so if there were no mediocre books, how could we recognize the really great ones?
*Just what the doctor ordered -- 3.5/5
September 21, 2011
Lagi2 Joy Fielding mmasukkn urusan prselingkuhan k dlm bukunya.Kali ini si suami ninggalin istri+anak2nya demi wanita yg hmpir smua onderdil tbuhnya udh dijejali silikon/plastik/botox.Bener2 deh ni lelaki,cm bs mkir pake ap yg ad d balik celananya.Untung sj si suami ini bner2 tipe lelaki brengsek,jd yg bc gak smp emosi wkt dia pamer kmesraan sana sini sm wanita jalang pilihannya.
Gak nyangka klo pelakunya trnyata si 'itu'.Dan lagi2,penganiayaan masa kecillah yg mmbuatnya jd seorg psikopat gila.
Btw,smp crita selesai,gak djelaskn bgmn si Sheriff bs tiba tepat wkt d rmh tua klrga Kimble utk mnyelamatkn Megan.Apkh si G yg mnghubunginya?Ah,jd brtanya2 sndri jadinya.
Gak nyangka klo pelakunya trnyata si 'itu'.Dan lagi2,penganiayaan masa kecillah yg mmbuatnya jd seorg psikopat gila.
Btw,smp crita selesai,gak djelaskn bgmn si Sheriff bs tiba tepat wkt d rmh tua klrga Kimble utk mnyelamatkn Megan.Apkh si G yg mnghubunginya?Ah,jd brtanya2 sndri jadinya.
September 26, 2023
Storyline is great, writing style is easy to follow, but the setting didn’t get me there. It’s referenced as “Alligator Alley” several times but then has no mention of actual alligators poppin out for a snack. Maybe I’m being picky, but why make it a point to have the story take place there if you aren’t going to utilize the wildlife involved? With the exception of “critters” and banyan trees, it could have taken place in rural Washington if I didn’t know better.
March 20, 2022
3.6⭐️
در کل بد نبود ولی باز هم از این کتابایی نبود که به کسی معرفی کنم قطعاً تو این موضوع کتاب های بهتری هم هست.لحن بیان نویسنده به شدت سطحی.
در کل بد نبود ولی باز هم از این کتابایی نبود که به کسی معرفی کنم قطعاً تو این موضوع کتاب های بهتری هم هست.لحن بیان نویسنده به شدت سطحی.
December 9, 2018
Jadi, setelah berhenti (lagi) membaca Cantik Itu Luka--yang belum saya temukan gregetnya kecuali tentang seks yang karena kebanyakan jadi terasa begitu2 saja, saya mencoba buku lain, yang kira2 bisa saya suka.
Buku ini pernah saya buka dulu, bagian pertamanya membuat saya berhenti, khawatir tidak kuat--ha.
Dan di antara keriuhan akhir tahun, saya justru berhasil menyelesaikannya.
Ada pembunuh di kota kecil yang damai, dan mungkin dia orang yang sering berbincang denganmu, atau baru saja menyapamu.
Sasarannya sepertinya cewek cantik berdada menantang yang bisa disebut sebaga: pencuri hati.
Meskipun warga sudah berusaha berhati-hati, muncul korban lagi.
Pembaca diajak membaca jurnal pembunuh lebih dulu, lalu diajak berkenalan dengan isi kota itu, terutama SMA tempat siswinya dijadikan target.
Jadi, ini oke. Cuma ya kurang seru, he. Pelakunya bisa mulai diduga ketika pelaku palsu tertangkap. Tapi, endingnya memang mengecoh.
Buku ini pernah saya buka dulu, bagian pertamanya membuat saya berhenti, khawatir tidak kuat--ha.
Dan di antara keriuhan akhir tahun, saya justru berhasil menyelesaikannya.
Ada pembunuh di kota kecil yang damai, dan mungkin dia orang yang sering berbincang denganmu, atau baru saja menyapamu.
Sasarannya sepertinya cewek cantik berdada menantang yang bisa disebut sebaga: pencuri hati.
Meskipun warga sudah berusaha berhati-hati, muncul korban lagi.
Pembaca diajak membaca jurnal pembunuh lebih dulu, lalu diajak berkenalan dengan isi kota itu, terutama SMA tempat siswinya dijadikan target.
Jadi, ini oke. Cuma ya kurang seru, he. Pelakunya bisa mulai diduga ketika pelaku palsu tertangkap. Tapi, endingnya memang mengecoh.
April 29, 2024
A young girl disappears and turns up dead, and then another one. Small Florida town residents are terrified. This book took me forever to read. There were so many characters to keep up with, so many things happening all at once. The author's attempt to confuse me worked really well, though. I had no idea who the killer was. The ending absolutely blew my mind, what a twist!
March 27, 2019
Okay seriously no this can not be the best book I've read to date: but it is. OMG! Love this book, it kept me on my toes, and wanting more. The authors writing style is something I had yet to experience. No giving it away. Highly recommend this book and this author.
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November 23, 2020.پایان غیرمننتظره داستان کتاب جالب بود
August 2, 2022
why does the author hate women so much???
February 16, 2024
Too many twists turns nd way too many characters than i wish to remember!!
August 30, 2016
In Joy Fieldings Thriller „Heartstopper“ wird ein kleines Dorf in Florida von einem unbekannten Killer heimgesucht, der auf brutale Art und Weise willkürlich Frauen und Mädchen tötet und zwar mit einer Kugel in den Kopf.
Im Mittelpunkt des Romans steht Mrs. Sandy Crosby, die Englischlehrerin der Highschool, doch auch andere Charaktere werden näher beleuchtet. Es werden viele mögliche Täter dargestellt, sodass ich bis zum Schluss nicht wusste, wer der Täter war und den wirklichen Täter niemals verdächtigt hätte.
Außerdem werden viele verschiedene Probleme der Einwohner beschrieben, vorrangig der Familie Crosbie und den Menschen um Sandy Crosbie, die erst vor kurzem mit ihrer Familie von Rochester umgezogen ist, mit ihrem Mann, ihrer Tochter und ihrem Sohn, kurz bevor er sie für eine andere Frau verlassen hat.
Joy Fielding legt eine Menge an falschen Fährten für die Leser und schafft es so, die Spannung bis zum Schluss aufrechtzuerhalten. Besonders gut gefallen haben mir die Kapitel aus der Sicht des Mörders, die in Tagebucheinträgen verfasst waren und in dem er immer wieder behauptet nicht wahnsinnig zu sein, und in der er eine genauere Sicht gibt, man erfährt beispielsweise was den Mörder zu seiner Tat bewegt und erhält Hintergrundwissen über ihn.
Ich persönlich fand das Buch wahnsinnig spannend und konnte es nicht wirklich aus der Hand legen, da ich immer darauf gewartet habe, dass sich der Täter irgendwie verrät. Das einzige, was mir nicht so gut gefallen hat, war dass es sehr viele Charaktere sind und ich zu Beginn leichte Probleme mit dem Zuordnen hatte, aber sobald man sich einmal eingelesen hat, geht es gut.
Allerdings wird es nach einiger Weile nervig, dass dauernd auf dem Gewicht herumgehackt wird, eines der Mädchen hat zu viel, ein anderes wiederum viel zu wenig, dies hätte meiner Meinung nach nicht unbedingt sein müssen.
Alles in allem fand ich das Buch aber trotzdem sehr spannend und gut geschrieben, weswegen es auch 4 von 5 Sternen erhält.
Im Mittelpunkt des Romans steht Mrs. Sandy Crosby, die Englischlehrerin der Highschool, doch auch andere Charaktere werden näher beleuchtet. Es werden viele mögliche Täter dargestellt, sodass ich bis zum Schluss nicht wusste, wer der Täter war und den wirklichen Täter niemals verdächtigt hätte.
Außerdem werden viele verschiedene Probleme der Einwohner beschrieben, vorrangig der Familie Crosbie und den Menschen um Sandy Crosbie, die erst vor kurzem mit ihrer Familie von Rochester umgezogen ist, mit ihrem Mann, ihrer Tochter und ihrem Sohn, kurz bevor er sie für eine andere Frau verlassen hat.
Joy Fielding legt eine Menge an falschen Fährten für die Leser und schafft es so, die Spannung bis zum Schluss aufrechtzuerhalten. Besonders gut gefallen haben mir die Kapitel aus der Sicht des Mörders, die in Tagebucheinträgen verfasst waren und in dem er immer wieder behauptet nicht wahnsinnig zu sein, und in der er eine genauere Sicht gibt, man erfährt beispielsweise was den Mörder zu seiner Tat bewegt und erhält Hintergrundwissen über ihn.
Ich persönlich fand das Buch wahnsinnig spannend und konnte es nicht wirklich aus der Hand legen, da ich immer darauf gewartet habe, dass sich der Täter irgendwie verrät. Das einzige, was mir nicht so gut gefallen hat, war dass es sehr viele Charaktere sind und ich zu Beginn leichte Probleme mit dem Zuordnen hatte, aber sobald man sich einmal eingelesen hat, geht es gut.
Allerdings wird es nach einiger Weile nervig, dass dauernd auf dem Gewicht herumgehackt wird, eines der Mädchen hat zu viel, ein anderes wiederum viel zu wenig, dies hätte meiner Meinung nach nicht unbedingt sein müssen.
Alles in allem fand ich das Buch aber trotzdem sehr spannend und gut geschrieben, weswegen es auch 4 von 5 Sternen erhält.
October 31, 2019
I know that Joy Fielding is regarded as a great writer, but maybe I should have chosen a different book because this book was horrible to say the least. It felt like a teen version of a suspense book - in the frame of "what would a suspense movie on the WB or Nickelodeon look like." You could certainly find more entertainment and imagination in a Lifetime network movie than in this book.
I should have known after the first 5 chapters that when there was no suspense, the characters were flat and the dialogue felt excruciatingly long that the book was not winner. This book spent so much time dealing with teenagers inadequacies that it really felt like a kid's novel as opposed to a book that anyone over the age of 21 should take seriously. Then the book throws so many possible villains in to attempt to throw you off the trail of the real killer that its more of a waste of time than full of twists and turns. You can really get who the killer is by the first half of the story without working hard to figure it out. Of course its one of those "if the person seems highly likely to be the killer then that's not the killer" kind of books.
The book has no suspense, no imagination, its really one of the worst books that I've ever read. I have read some books that I didn't enjoy that at least felt that the author had some attempt at being creative, but this book felt so cookie-cutter that I was in disbelief that this material came from a highly regarded author. The fact that its over 550 pages makes it even worse. It could have easily been shaved down to 300 pages to move from extremely bad to just ok.
As an earlier reviewer said, I don't like to give away plot-points or summarize the story in a review. I would just suggest that if anyone is looking for a way to blow some hours away with mindless "happenings", then you may find this book to be for you. If you're looking for an intelligent thriller with a great plot, interesting characters and a story that keeps you sucked in - this is definitely not the book for you.
It was simply awful...
I should have known after the first 5 chapters that when there was no suspense, the characters were flat and the dialogue felt excruciatingly long that the book was not winner. This book spent so much time dealing with teenagers inadequacies that it really felt like a kid's novel as opposed to a book that anyone over the age of 21 should take seriously. Then the book throws so many possible villains in to attempt to throw you off the trail of the real killer that its more of a waste of time than full of twists and turns. You can really get who the killer is by the first half of the story without working hard to figure it out. Of course its one of those "if the person seems highly likely to be the killer then that's not the killer" kind of books.
The book has no suspense, no imagination, its really one of the worst books that I've ever read. I have read some books that I didn't enjoy that at least felt that the author had some attempt at being creative, but this book felt so cookie-cutter that I was in disbelief that this material came from a highly regarded author. The fact that its over 550 pages makes it even worse. It could have easily been shaved down to 300 pages to move from extremely bad to just ok.
As an earlier reviewer said, I don't like to give away plot-points or summarize the story in a review. I would just suggest that if anyone is looking for a way to blow some hours away with mindless "happenings", then you may find this book to be for you. If you're looking for an intelligent thriller with a great plot, interesting characters and a story that keeps you sucked in - this is definitely not the book for you.
It was simply awful...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2022
Where to even begin… first of all Joy Fielding I hope you work on that internalized misogyny because the amount of woman bashing in this book was literally insane. It felt like every other sentence was shaming women for one thing or another like wtf. And every sentence that wasn’t misogynistic was homophobic or fat shaming and yes those are problems that exist in the world I get it and people are homophobic and fatphobic but did we really need to hear (audio book) the f slur every single paragraph? Or also hear a character comment on Delilah’s weight every paragraph?
Speaking of Delilah, we (everyone in the car listening to the audio book) guessed it was her pretty quickly, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be her because it would be too obvious and I thought it would be a waste of her character. But lo and behold, she ends up being the serial killer, because of course she is. The whole plotting of this book was nonsensical and the writing was horrendous like what editor approved of any of this?? Fire them RIGHT NOW.
Tim and Brian and Victor were literally the only tolerable characters everyone else just sucked so bad but even those three were whatever because no one had substance and there was virtually no character development to be found. Overall very disappointing.
Speaking of Delilah, we (everyone in the car listening to the audio book) guessed it was her pretty quickly, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be her because it would be too obvious and I thought it would be a waste of her character. But lo and behold, she ends up being the serial killer, because of course she is. The whole plotting of this book was nonsensical and the writing was horrendous like what editor approved of any of this?? Fire them RIGHT NOW.
Tim and Brian and Victor were literally the only tolerable characters everyone else just sucked so bad but even those three were whatever because no one had substance and there was virtually no character development to be found. Overall very disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2015
There were many things to like about this book and a few things to passionately dislike. So which one should I talk about? There are three major points-of-view in this story: a high school English teacher, the chief of police, and the writings/braggings of the antagonist. The setting, a small town in alligator alley in Florida, worked well. I don't like coming across teachers in books that are not good role models to the profession. I'm appalled at the things that Sandy Crosbie allows her student to get away with - particularly being hugely mean to each other. She wants her cheating husband back (he's a worm) even though he flaunts his new floozy right in front of her. I have no respect for her at all, except, perhaps, in some of her parenting. And then we have the chief of police. What a piece of work he is! It all come together, though, and even though I had a pretty good idea who the antagonist was, the mystery kept me enthralled for much of my cross-country journey.
November 6, 2014
This was a great book! As usual, I peeked at some of the reviews before I started reading this book. One of the reviews said that they knew who the killer was early on in the book. I did guess who the killer was correctly too, but I kept having to second guess myself because the author made it possible for many of the suspects to be the killer. The main thing that threw me off was if the killer was eighteen, and this person killed her aunt almost three years ago, that would make her about 15...and she was driving. I guess she could have had her permit or just gotten her driver's license or was driving illegally? Other than that, I was always in suspense mode, and glad I knew who the killer was...it actually made for better reading!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2016
I have read several of Joy FIELDING's thrillers and, similar to these, Heartstopper did not disappoint me, quite the contrary. This is another of her unputdownable and gripping psychological thrillers. The author drags you in the story and I was completely absorbed by it. She does her best at misleading her readers and spreading subtle clues that direct you to the wrong suspect. (at least, that was the case for me). Very cleverly done. The characters are realistic and certain situations that seemed a bit unrealistic and too much of a coincidence become clear when at the circumstances leading to the murders is revealed. This will definitely NOT be the last Joy FIELDING book I will read.
March 30, 2010
I would have to agree with the writer who made the comment about Delilah's weight. I work in a Middle School and many of the girls are about Delilah's height and weight and are quite popular. It was annoying to be constantly told how heavy she was and then to find out she is probably around a size 10 or 12. Certainly not anorexic but not obese either. It was also unrealistic to attribute all of the rejection and bullying to the so-called "weight problem". Other than that it was a light enjoyable read. Like several others, I did guess the murderer about 1/3 of the way through.
October 16, 2017
A really good read that had me hooked from start to finish.
Everyone seems to have something to hide in this apparently quiet town & when teenage girls begin to disappear it would appear the town is hiding a killer - & there's certainly enough characters to choose from! Although there's the Killer's Journal to provide some insight to "whodunnit", on this occasion I failed to spot the baddie (though I was on the right lines!) but in hindsight the clues were there...an entertaining read to the very last page.
Everyone seems to have something to hide in this apparently quiet town & when teenage girls begin to disappear it would appear the town is hiding a killer - & there's certainly enough characters to choose from! Although there's the Killer's Journal to provide some insight to "whodunnit", on this occasion I failed to spot the baddie (though I was on the right lines!) but in hindsight the clues were there...an entertaining read to the very last page.
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