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Náboj
Jedno slovo: Náboj! Tak málo stačí, aby sa krásnej a inteligentnej profesorke francúzskej literatúry zmenil život. V zlomku sekundy zistí, že všetko, čo doteraz žila, je klamstvo.
Štyridsaťročná profesorka francúzskej literatúry Caroline Cashionová začne mať bolesti v zápästí. Na lekárskom vyšetrení zistia, že ich príčinou je náboj, ktorý má v oblasti krčných stavcov. Caroline vôbec netuší, ako sa tam ocitol. Požiada rodičov o vysvetlenie, no s prekvapením zistí, že je adoptovaná a jej biologických rodičov v Atlante zastrelili, keď bola ešte dieťa. Aj ju vtedy postrelili, ale prežila. Páchateľa nikdy nechytili.
Šokovaná Caroline sa rozhodne pátrať po svojich koreňoch, snaží sa zistiť podrobnosti spojené s týmto prípadom. Vyhľadá novinára, ktorý kedysi o vražde jej rodičov písal. Ten jej navrhne, že s ňou urobí rozhovor, čo by mohlo vyvolať záujem verejnosti a pomôcť jej odhaliť pravdu. Zrazu sa však z temnej minulosti vynára čoraz viac postáv, ktoré o prípade niečo vedia. Caroline pátra po vrahovi ďalej na vlastnú päsť, lebo chce stoj čo stoj zistiť, čo sa vlastne stalo a prečo. Lenže aj vrah číta noviny...
Psychotriler Náboj sa vám dostane pod kožu, ovládne vašu myseľ i fantáziu a donúti vás rozmýšľať nad mnohými nezvyčajnými vecami.
Štyridsaťročná profesorka francúzskej literatúry Caroline Cashionová začne mať bolesti v zápästí. Na lekárskom vyšetrení zistia, že ich príčinou je náboj, ktorý má v oblasti krčných stavcov. Caroline vôbec netuší, ako sa tam ocitol. Požiada rodičov o vysvetlenie, no s prekvapením zistí, že je adoptovaná a jej biologických rodičov v Atlante zastrelili, keď bola ešte dieťa. Aj ju vtedy postrelili, ale prežila. Páchateľa nikdy nechytili.
Šokovaná Caroline sa rozhodne pátrať po svojich koreňoch, snaží sa zistiť podrobnosti spojené s týmto prípadom. Vyhľadá novinára, ktorý kedysi o vražde jej rodičov písal. Ten jej navrhne, že s ňou urobí rozhovor, čo by mohlo vyvolať záujem verejnosti a pomôcť jej odhaliť pravdu. Zrazu sa však z temnej minulosti vynára čoraz viac postáv, ktoré o prípade niečo vedia. Caroline pátra po vrahovi ďalej na vlastnú päsť, lebo chce stoj čo stoj zistiť, čo sa vlastne stalo a prečo. Lenže aj vrah číta noviny...
Psychotriler Náboj sa vám dostane pod kožu, ovládne vašu myseľ i fantáziu a donúti vás rozmýšľať nad mnohými nezvyčajnými vecami.
382 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2015
175 people are currently reading
4238 people want to read
About the author
Mary Louise Kelly
16 books464 followersMary Louise Kelly spent two decades traveling the world as a reporter for NPR and the BBC. Her assignments have taken her from grimy Belfast bars to the glittering ports of the Persian Gulf, and from mosques in Hamburg to the ruined deserts of Iraq. As an NPR correspondent covering the spy beat and the Pentagon, she reported on wars, terrorism, and rising nuclear powers. A Georgia native, her first job was working as a staff writer at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kelly was educated at Harvard University and at Cambridge University in England. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 930 reviews
September 15, 2015
The Bullet is about just that, a surprise find. A 37 year old woman has a diagnostic MRI due to arm pain and discovers she has a bullet lodged at the base of her skull. And she has no knowledge of how it got there. From there, this organized, French professor's assumptions about her entire life begin to implode. And the story is actually engaging. Caroline's story, while somewhat far fetched, is also interesting to read.
But, and there is a but, there are problems here. There are inconsistencies of character and of plot. Would the presence of the bullet in the body and learning of earlier life events change character traits developed over the past 34 years? There are a lot of inconsistencies of character that are difficult to accept and a plot that becomes simply over the top at the end. Does a life-changing event justify what seems almost an apparent change of personality over the course of the novel?
While I did read the entire book, my interest really flagged by the final third where I found the problems overwhelmed the storytelling. Of course the mystery/thriller genre has certain tropes that are present to greater and lesser degrees in all participants. This book needed to be tighter and more consistent for me.
I've had difficulty with rating this book and am going to go with 2 to 2.5 because of my disappointment with the final third of the book.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
But, and there is a but, there are problems here. There are inconsistencies of character and of plot. Would the presence of the bullet in the body and learning of earlier life events change character traits developed over the past 34 years? There are a lot of inconsistencies of character that are difficult to accept and a plot that becomes simply over the top at the end. Does a life-changing event justify what seems almost an apparent change of personality over the course of the novel?
While I did read the entire book, my interest really flagged by the final third where I found the problems overwhelmed the storytelling. Of course the mystery/thriller genre has certain tropes that are present to greater and lesser degrees in all participants. This book needed to be tighter and more consistent for me.
I've had difficulty with rating this book and am going to go with 2 to 2.5 because of my disappointment with the final third of the book.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
March 30, 2015
I liked this story, it was well written, interesting digging into a past life that she did not even know she had but for me this had pacing problems. Uneven is the word I'd use. Sometimes much talking and than a flying leap into action. Adopted? Not knowing, sure. But then rush around trying to find out everything, being so gullible you are not aware of the possible danger, threats to a killer who might not want to be exposed after getting away with the original crime all those years. Thirty-seven years old and can't put this together? So I'm a skeptic, but while this was interesting, love adventures in overturning revelations, toppling secrecy. Exposing what happens and who did it and why? But some of the naïve comments were grating. Well let's just say it had good moments and problem moments, but this is a promising author, she can definitely write and I will keep a watch on her on her future offerings.
ARC from NetGalley.
ARC from NetGalley.
December 22, 2014
*NetGalley book review*
I listen to NPR all the time for years, I mean my mother had it on in the car while we went on drives, so I'm pretty sure I heard Kelly's reporting before. With that said I was very interested in reading her newest book. This starts right off with a BANG! A shocking discovery of a bullet lodged at the back of her neck without knowing how it even got there. Family secrets come out, drama and you have a very good thriller on your hands. Excellent book for a crummy rainy night!
I listen to NPR all the time for years, I mean my mother had it on in the car while we went on drives, so I'm pretty sure I heard Kelly's reporting before. With that said I was very interested in reading her newest book. This starts right off with a BANG! A shocking discovery of a bullet lodged at the back of her neck without knowing how it even got there. Family secrets come out, drama and you have a very good thriller on your hands. Excellent book for a crummy rainy night!
March 14, 2015
I really liked the story in The Bullet. Caroline is 37 years old and during an MRI scan it is discovered that she has a bullet lodged against her spine. The only problem is, she has never been shot. A whole can of worms is opened up by this discovery when her parents admit that she was adopted when she was three years old, her birth parents having been shot dead and Caroline herself being the sole survivor. The killer has never been found and brought to justice. When Caroline goes on a quest to discover more about her birth parents and how they died, she is going to draw attention to herself and the fact that the bullet is the one piece of evidence that could convict someone is going to bring trouble to her door.
It is a very fast moving story that gets straight to the heart of the matter which I quite liked, and I really enjoyed the story telling up until probably the last 15% when the story did get a little far fetched and Caroline started acting in ways that just didn’t tie up with the person that she was and the lifestyle she had up until that point. I did find it hard to really gauge an opinion about Caroline. There is nothing specific I can put my finger on though apart from to say she is a very nondescript character. There is nothing particularly appealing about her as a person but then again, there is nothing really to dislike about her. She is just one of those people who doesn’t leave an impression. Having said that, it was a pretty good read that kept my interest and wasn’t as predictable as it sometimes seemed to be. Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
It is a very fast moving story that gets straight to the heart of the matter which I quite liked, and I really enjoyed the story telling up until probably the last 15% when the story did get a little far fetched and Caroline started acting in ways that just didn’t tie up with the person that she was and the lifestyle she had up until that point. I did find it hard to really gauge an opinion about Caroline. There is nothing specific I can put my finger on though apart from to say she is a very nondescript character. There is nothing particularly appealing about her as a person but then again, there is nothing really to dislike about her. She is just one of those people who doesn’t leave an impression. Having said that, it was a pretty good read that kept my interest and wasn’t as predictable as it sometimes seemed to be. Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
July 9, 2020
This nifty, sure-footed crime fiction is easily one of the best books I've read this year. It uses a sympathetic female protagonist and a cleverly executed plot which I won't go into. I don't want to play the spoiler. The brisk pace and smooth prose help to build the suspense. I was left guessing about how it would end, and I read a lot of these types of books, too. The violence and sex are kept to a minimum. PG13, I'd say. Recommended for crime fiction fans.
December 18, 2015
THE BULLET by talented, Mary Louise Kelly an outstanding psychological suspense crime thriller, dark scandalous family secrets and juicy revenge! Love, loved it...glued to my iPod all day and evening, daring anyone to interrupt me.
Top 50 Books of 2015 "Best Audiobook (tie), Best Action Thriller & Female Protagonist."
Caroline Cashion, age thirty-seven, beautiful, and single, a professor of French Literature at Georgetown University, well-traveled, cultured, a career she loves and a lovely family. She has recently been experiencing some pain in her wrist and is diagnosed with Carpal tunnel syndrome. Due to this issue she had a routine MRI; however, the news she received was anything but routine or normal. She has a bullet lodged in her neck next to her spinal cord. She is speechless, as she has never been shot.
Immediately, she goes to her parents for answers. Shocked, she finds out she was adopted at age three. Everything she has known has been a lie? Her parents, her much loved brothers--why weren’t they honest with her? They explain the events and it unfolds. Her parents were murdered in cold blood. She was shot in the same attack and left for dead. She survived, the bullet was so close to her spinal cord that they couldn't get it out. Until now no medical problems.
A murder, a break-in and no one was ever charged. The authorities were not able to find any family to care for her. Her adoptive parents already had two sons and wanted a little girl. It was a closed adoption and they were told it would be better to keep this news from their daughter, since it was such a traumatic event. Caroline is totally shocked, and needs answers. She has to learn more about her real parents and the events surrounding their death.
She becomes obsessed with finding answers surrounding this night in the late seventies. As she begins her research, she discovers her parents had moved from Charlotte, NC to Atlanta, GA and purchased a nice home in the Buckhead area. They were a good looking couple, with friends, and a beautiful daughter three years old, when one night someone breaks into their home, murdered them, and left her there to die.
She travels to Atlanta, and begins digging into the archives of the Atlanta Journal, meeting with the journalist who covered the story, and the detective who worked the case. She learns this was the late seventies and Atlanta’s crime and murders were some of the highest in the US. The Atlanta police force --good ole boys, unfortunately, not enough manpower or budget in order to keep the case open, as there happened to be murders occurring every day. What about their will? Did her mom or dad have enemies, or perhaps one having an affair?
At the time of the investigation, there were several suspects and everyone seemed to have an alibi. Carolina is tenacious, and continues to dig, as she feels there has to be something more than a typical burglary. When she meets up with a former neighbor the southern woman suspects her mom was having an affair, as she was quiet beautiful and sexy, with a married prominent attorney, an old football star at one time. However, the police say he had an alibi and he and his wife are upstanding citizens in Buckhead community, and was ruled out.
Carolina spends time in Atlanta doing some research and of course her doctor follows her, with much fun at the St. Regis-very nice, (they are total opposites--a little romance here). She stirs up the case again in the media, after thirty some years. The police in Atlanta urge her to have the surgery to remove the bullet to see they can gather more information.
In the meantime, back in Washington, the night before someone attempts to break into her home, and she is in danger. Someone knows she is getting to close to the truth. Her family is concerned for her safety; however, a picture the old neighbor later sends her is shocking and she begins putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
She sets out on a dangerous journey, taking the law into her own hands with a well laid out plan for sweet revenge. Too funny!! Travels from Washington, to southern Atlanta, to sophisticated Europe, readers are taken on a suspenseful roller coaster ride, with twists and turns around every corner.
WOW, fast-paced, a likable kick-ass heroine you root for, and some really witty humorous parts which will make you laugh out loud, especially if you are from the south—a well-written mystery page-turner, I thoroughly enjoyed.
Loved Caroline- Intelligent, intuitive, smart, multilingual, witty, able to get "down and dirty" when she needs to, putting the pretentious "Buckhead Bettys" in their place, works her magic with the good ole' boys in the south, while choosing the most elite spots in Paris, with elegance and flair.
What makes this noir crime fiction psychological suspense so unique and intriguing --the protagonist, Caroline. Her adoptive family is quite different than her southern biological family, and as the two worlds collide, you cannot imagine how this elegant calm personality will react. It was so much fun seeing her transform, using her strengths to cleverly maneuver her way through the bull with the best of them, as she risks it all to try and solve the mystery of her dark family secrets.
On a personal note: Having spent my entire media career, and home in Atlanta (Buckhead, Vinings, and Midtown), I loved re-visiting all my Buckhead hot spots, and felt I was back at home--funny, could walk to Georgia Grille from my condo on Peachtree Road.
Karin Slaughter fans are assured to enjoy this scandalous Atlanta suspense thriller, especially since the crime was set in the 70s, when times were at their worst.
Highly recommend the audiobook. Cassandra Campbell delivers an extraordinary "award-winning" performance--every voice, perfectly matched--impressive!
Love Kelly's writing style and creativity. Enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind the book, and can't wait for the next. The characters are too good to end; how about a sequel? A Must. Film Worthy.
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
Top 50 Books of 2015 "Best Audiobook (tie), Best Action Thriller & Female Protagonist."
Caroline Cashion, age thirty-seven, beautiful, and single, a professor of French Literature at Georgetown University, well-traveled, cultured, a career she loves and a lovely family. She has recently been experiencing some pain in her wrist and is diagnosed with Carpal tunnel syndrome. Due to this issue she had a routine MRI; however, the news she received was anything but routine or normal. She has a bullet lodged in her neck next to her spinal cord. She is speechless, as she has never been shot.
Immediately, she goes to her parents for answers. Shocked, she finds out she was adopted at age three. Everything she has known has been a lie? Her parents, her much loved brothers--why weren’t they honest with her? They explain the events and it unfolds. Her parents were murdered in cold blood. She was shot in the same attack and left for dead. She survived, the bullet was so close to her spinal cord that they couldn't get it out. Until now no medical problems.
A murder, a break-in and no one was ever charged. The authorities were not able to find any family to care for her. Her adoptive parents already had two sons and wanted a little girl. It was a closed adoption and they were told it would be better to keep this news from their daughter, since it was such a traumatic event. Caroline is totally shocked, and needs answers. She has to learn more about her real parents and the events surrounding their death.
She becomes obsessed with finding answers surrounding this night in the late seventies. As she begins her research, she discovers her parents had moved from Charlotte, NC to Atlanta, GA and purchased a nice home in the Buckhead area. They were a good looking couple, with friends, and a beautiful daughter three years old, when one night someone breaks into their home, murdered them, and left her there to die.
She travels to Atlanta, and begins digging into the archives of the Atlanta Journal, meeting with the journalist who covered the story, and the detective who worked the case. She learns this was the late seventies and Atlanta’s crime and murders were some of the highest in the US. The Atlanta police force --good ole boys, unfortunately, not enough manpower or budget in order to keep the case open, as there happened to be murders occurring every day. What about their will? Did her mom or dad have enemies, or perhaps one having an affair?
At the time of the investigation, there were several suspects and everyone seemed to have an alibi. Carolina is tenacious, and continues to dig, as she feels there has to be something more than a typical burglary. When she meets up with a former neighbor the southern woman suspects her mom was having an affair, as she was quiet beautiful and sexy, with a married prominent attorney, an old football star at one time. However, the police say he had an alibi and he and his wife are upstanding citizens in Buckhead community, and was ruled out.
Carolina spends time in Atlanta doing some research and of course her doctor follows her, with much fun at the St. Regis-very nice, (they are total opposites--a little romance here). She stirs up the case again in the media, after thirty some years. The police in Atlanta urge her to have the surgery to remove the bullet to see they can gather more information.
In the meantime, back in Washington, the night before someone attempts to break into her home, and she is in danger. Someone knows she is getting to close to the truth. Her family is concerned for her safety; however, a picture the old neighbor later sends her is shocking and she begins putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
She sets out on a dangerous journey, taking the law into her own hands with a well laid out plan for sweet revenge. Too funny!! Travels from Washington, to southern Atlanta, to sophisticated Europe, readers are taken on a suspenseful roller coaster ride, with twists and turns around every corner.
WOW, fast-paced, a likable kick-ass heroine you root for, and some really witty humorous parts which will make you laugh out loud, especially if you are from the south—a well-written mystery page-turner, I thoroughly enjoyed.
Loved Caroline- Intelligent, intuitive, smart, multilingual, witty, able to get "down and dirty" when she needs to, putting the pretentious "Buckhead Bettys" in their place, works her magic with the good ole' boys in the south, while choosing the most elite spots in Paris, with elegance and flair.
What makes this noir crime fiction psychological suspense so unique and intriguing --the protagonist, Caroline. Her adoptive family is quite different than her southern biological family, and as the two worlds collide, you cannot imagine how this elegant calm personality will react. It was so much fun seeing her transform, using her strengths to cleverly maneuver her way through the bull with the best of them, as she risks it all to try and solve the mystery of her dark family secrets.
On a personal note: Having spent my entire media career, and home in Atlanta (Buckhead, Vinings, and Midtown), I loved re-visiting all my Buckhead hot spots, and felt I was back at home--funny, could walk to Georgia Grille from my condo on Peachtree Road.
Karin Slaughter fans are assured to enjoy this scandalous Atlanta suspense thriller, especially since the crime was set in the 70s, when times were at their worst.
Highly recommend the audiobook. Cassandra Campbell delivers an extraordinary "award-winning" performance--every voice, perfectly matched--impressive!
Love Kelly's writing style and creativity. Enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind the book, and can't wait for the next. The characters are too good to end; how about a sequel? A Must. Film Worthy.
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
April 20, 2015
When I reached the end of this novel, I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of it. Most definitely the premise of “The Bullet” is an intriguing one. You go to the doctor because your hand has been in so much pain for days. One appointment leads to another, and then another, which reveals you’ve got a bullet lodged in the back of your neck. If that wasn’t bad enough, not to mention a mystery, you find out you were adopted; that your birth parents were murdered; and that you were also shot at the age of three, hence the bullet. Most intriguing. Unfortunately, the execution of this novel left little to be desired. I didn’t mind how it was told. It’s just that even with the mystery, nothing about it felt suspenseful. Yes, I read the whole book as I wanted to know who and why, but any excitement or chills I was hoping to feel, I felt none. As for the protagonist, Caroline, I didn’t find her to be interesting at all. I actually didn’t feel anything for her. I didn’t hate her, but I didn’t like her either.
For someone supposedly so bright and educated, never impulsive, I found her to be ridiculous at times, even stupid. She’s running around trying to figure out who killed her birth parents, asking questions, even being interviewed by a reporter. Seriously, how stupid are you? As you’re poking and prodding, digging for information trying to find the killer since he/she was never caught, you’d think she’d take some precautions. She doesn’t even think or take into consideration how her actions could affect her family, a family she is very close to and loves with all her heart. By the time I got to the end when all was exposed, it wasn’t much of a surprise. I have to say that I couldn’t understand the direction the author took with Caroline towards the end. It didn’t make any sense. It’s as though the author was trying to create some suspenseful drama about how Caroline’s life was about to change, all of which came across as forced and honestly, a waste of time especially when you consider how it ended. (Yawn) A terrific concept that unfortunately wasn’t interesting or intriguing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2015
Caroline Cashion is, as she herself admits in this novel, an “unlikely heroine.” Aged thirty seven, an academic with a speciality in nineteenth century France, her days are pleasantly spent marking papers or curled up reading. Although unmarried, she is close to her parents and her two, married brothers, and has a happy and fulfilled life. However, when her wrist begins to hurt, she has a scan to rule out arthritis and this chance medical test changes her life forever when the technician casually asks how she got a bullet in her neck – a bullet that Caroline had no idea was there….
Within a short time, Caroline discovers that she was adopted at the age of three, when her birth parents were murdered and she was left for dead. Looking for answers, she visits her childhood home and her enquiries bring about a renewed interest in a case which has never been solved. What is more, the pain in her wrist may be linked to the bullet and this may need to be removed. Could the bullet be traced to the murderer after so long? Caroline meets up with journalist Leland Brett, Beamer Beasley, who initially investigated the crime, plus friends and neighbours of her birth parents. Meanwhile, her doctor, Will Zartman, shows a personal interest in her well being, even while her questions are leading her into danger.
This is an exciting and tense thriller, with an interesting main character and a good cast of suspects. I really enjoyed this novel; especially the beginning and middle of the book, where Caroline discovers her secret past and begins to investigate, and try to come to terms with, what had happened to her as a young child. There are several plot twists and I am not entirely sure that the ending of the book worked as well for me as the beginning. However, I was certainly intrigued enough, and enjoying the story enough, to want to read on to the end. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Within a short time, Caroline discovers that she was adopted at the age of three, when her birth parents were murdered and she was left for dead. Looking for answers, she visits her childhood home and her enquiries bring about a renewed interest in a case which has never been solved. What is more, the pain in her wrist may be linked to the bullet and this may need to be removed. Could the bullet be traced to the murderer after so long? Caroline meets up with journalist Leland Brett, Beamer Beasley, who initially investigated the crime, plus friends and neighbours of her birth parents. Meanwhile, her doctor, Will Zartman, shows a personal interest in her well being, even while her questions are leading her into danger.
This is an exciting and tense thriller, with an interesting main character and a good cast of suspects. I really enjoyed this novel; especially the beginning and middle of the book, where Caroline discovers her secret past and begins to investigate, and try to come to terms with, what had happened to her as a young child. There are several plot twists and I am not entirely sure that the ending of the book worked as well for me as the beginning. However, I was certainly intrigued enough, and enjoying the story enough, to want to read on to the end. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
March 18, 2015
OMG I had to stop reading this book and go to dinner with friends. I was pissed. My friends were pissed that it was all I talked about. Ha! They definitely couldn't believe I was leaving early to get back to my book.
I LOVED this book!! Could you imagine being 37 years and find out you had a bullet at the base of your spine that had been there since you were three?
The secrets and stories that started to unravel after that finding made for such a good book. There were so many plot twists that I think I actually gasped out loud at a few of them. I know I literally said "oh my God" out loud at least once. Thankfully I was home alone on my back patio during that reaction.
There was a little slow part that came about towards the end, but I think that it was only felt slow because of the fast pace that the book had had for the 8/10th's of it. You will just not believe the things Caroline discovers and finding the bullet.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and will definitely be recommending it to EVERYONE!
Thank you Gallery, Threshold, Pocket books and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVED this book!! Could you imagine being 37 years and find out you had a bullet at the base of your spine that had been there since you were three?
The secrets and stories that started to unravel after that finding made for such a good book. There were so many plot twists that I think I actually gasped out loud at a few of them. I know I literally said "oh my God" out loud at least once. Thankfully I was home alone on my back patio during that reaction.
There was a little slow part that came about towards the end, but I think that it was only felt slow because of the fast pace that the book had had for the 8/10th's of it. You will just not believe the things Caroline discovers and finding the bullet.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and will definitely be recommending it to EVERYONE!
Thank you Gallery, Threshold, Pocket books and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2016
2.5 stars
Started out with a lot of potential but then spiraled out into the land of implausiblity.
After learning that she has a bullet lodged in her neck, with no memory of ever being shot, Caroline Cashion, a gorgeous but nerdy professor of French literature and linguistics (or something like that) at Georgetown University, goes down a dark road of discovery into a past she never knew she had.
To be fair, the plot is actually the only interesting aspect here and if the MC and supporting characters had been more likable and believable or even less stereotypical, I think that this one would have rated a higher. However, if you are a Lifetime movie fan, you may still enjoy it.
The MC is one of those typical ‘I don’t think I’m much but I see how the men stare at me as if devouring me with their eyes’. What, it didn’t say that? Ok, ok, maybe not verbatim but close enough. For a scholar, she is also incredibly uneducated in anything BUT classical French literature and is way beyond naïve. Caroline just couldn’t get any more pretentious if she tried, even when she is on the run, she has to stop and buy her getaway clothes: Coach boots, DKNY sunglasses, Armani sweater and slacks, etc. I am rambling, clearly you can catch I wasn’t a fan of hers. Her “boyfriend” doesn’t fare much better in my estimation. A doctor, HER doctor to be exact, who stalks her to another state and then goes MIA. One weekend and she deems him her boyfriend. So much for the Hippocratic Oath. And he just keeps getting worse.
And even given those annoyances, I will still mildly enjoying this one up until about the 80% mark where it took a 180 and tumbled downhill. Meek non-cursing, book-nerd turned Jason Bourne with a sailor’s mouth…riiiight. Are you sure part of the bullet wasn’t lodged in her brain when they pulled it out?
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
Started out with a lot of potential but then spiraled out into the land of implausiblity.
After learning that she has a bullet lodged in her neck, with no memory of ever being shot, Caroline Cashion, a gorgeous but nerdy professor of French literature and linguistics (or something like that) at Georgetown University, goes down a dark road of discovery into a past she never knew she had.
To be fair, the plot is actually the only interesting aspect here and if the MC and supporting characters had been more likable and believable or even less stereotypical, I think that this one would have rated a higher. However, if you are a Lifetime movie fan, you may still enjoy it.
The MC is one of those typical ‘I don’t think I’m much but I see how the men stare at me as if devouring me with their eyes’. What, it didn’t say that? Ok, ok, maybe not verbatim but close enough. For a scholar, she is also incredibly uneducated in anything BUT classical French literature and is way beyond naïve. Caroline just couldn’t get any more pretentious if she tried, even when she is on the run, she has to stop and buy her getaway clothes: Coach boots, DKNY sunglasses, Armani sweater and slacks, etc. I am rambling, clearly you can catch I wasn’t a fan of hers. Her “boyfriend” doesn’t fare much better in my estimation. A doctor, HER doctor to be exact, who stalks her to another state and then goes MIA. One weekend and she deems him her boyfriend. So much for the Hippocratic Oath. And he just keeps getting worse.
And even given those annoyances, I will still mildly enjoying this one up until about the 80% mark where it took a 180 and tumbled downhill. Meek non-cursing, book-nerd turned Jason Bourne with a sailor’s mouth…riiiight. Are you sure part of the bullet wasn’t lodged in her brain when they pulled it out?
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
April 16, 2022
I was not paid for this review and received this book as an ARC through Netgalley from the publisher.
Excellent book. Thoroughly fact checked and extremely well written. Written in an excellent format that made it very easy to follow. Lots of twists and turn, and action too. A mind-twisting thriller.
Excellent book. Thoroughly fact checked and extremely well written. Written in an excellent format that made it very easy to follow. Lots of twists and turn, and action too. A mind-twisting thriller.
April 30, 2015
I loved the first 85% of this novel so much that the end of it wasn't enough to lower my rating, although I thought it really started to fall apart at that point. I was disappointed in that last 15 percent, and was not at all satisfied with the conclusion. However, the rest of the book, I found completely thrilling. The main character, Caroline Cashion, was great during this major portion of the story, and I really felt for all she was going through. I cannot begin to imagine how it would be to discover such things about yourself at that age. I really enjoyed her relationship with her family, and I was touched by how close she was to her parents and brothers. The storyline was so compelling, and it kept me on the edge of my seat.
At age 37, Professor Caroline Cashion is suffering from wrist pain believed by her doctor to be caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. When she can get no relief from the pain, an MRI is ordered and shockingly shows what appears to be a bullet lodged next to her skull. An X-ray confirms that there is actually a bullet there, and Caroline is sent reeling, as she had no idea she'd ever been shot. When she confronts her parents, a story that is almost unbelievable to her comes out. Caroline was adopted as a three year old after the murder of her parents, at which time she was also shot and left for dead. As Caroline tries to wrap her mind around the truth of her past, she also has to make decisions about the bullet that seems to have shifted in its dangerous location. Caroline travels from her home in Washington, D.C. to where she spent her early childhood in Atlanta, in order to find as much information as possible about her past and her parents. The shocking things she discovers will have enormous impact on Caroline and her future.
This book was so good for most of the story. Caroline and her family were wonderful characters, and I even felt a connection to and some sympathy for Will Zartman, Carline's doctor. I was so sorry to see the book start to go off the rails near the end, and then never find the way back on track. I struggled with my rating since I was so disappointed by the last part, but until then, I was certain that it was going to go to the top spot of my favorite books of the year so far. This is a book that I will not forget, so I made the decision to go with 5 stars, even though the book has issues.
At age 37, Professor Caroline Cashion is suffering from wrist pain believed by her doctor to be caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. When she can get no relief from the pain, an MRI is ordered and shockingly shows what appears to be a bullet lodged next to her skull. An X-ray confirms that there is actually a bullet there, and Caroline is sent reeling, as she had no idea she'd ever been shot. When she confronts her parents, a story that is almost unbelievable to her comes out. Caroline was adopted as a three year old after the murder of her parents, at which time she was also shot and left for dead. As Caroline tries to wrap her mind around the truth of her past, she also has to make decisions about the bullet that seems to have shifted in its dangerous location. Caroline travels from her home in Washington, D.C. to where she spent her early childhood in Atlanta, in order to find as much information as possible about her past and her parents. The shocking things she discovers will have enormous impact on Caroline and her future.
This book was so good for most of the story. Caroline and her family were wonderful characters, and I even felt a connection to and some sympathy for Will Zartman, Carline's doctor. I was so sorry to see the book start to go off the rails near the end, and then never find the way back on track. I struggled with my rating since I was so disappointed by the last part, but until then, I was certain that it was going to go to the top spot of my favorite books of the year so far. This is a book that I will not forget, so I made the decision to go with 5 stars, even though the book has issues.
February 7, 2018
... Lituji toho, že jsem tohle vůbec četla. (Alespoň můžu vinit mamku, která to dotáhla domů).
Může obsahovat náznaky spoilerů
Můj první problém začal hned na první stránce: Jmenuji se xy, jsem yyy a tohle je můj příběh. Sorry, ale tohle je amatérština. Jenom to ukazuje, že osoba neumí představit postavu, příběh nenuceně v průběhu.
Hned na první stránce se mi postava taky znechutila, když se popíše jako megální krásku a jak je strašně super! Pak se přirovná snad k Selmě Hayek? Tuším. Nevím, někdo jí zjevně zapomněl říct, že skromnost udělá divy.
Furt mává tím, že je profesorka (a lidi kvůli tomu ohýbají pravidla) a učí francouzštinu. Sice je to už pár let, co jsem ji aktivně studovala, ale stejně jsem tam našla několik chyb a párkrát to vypadá, že hodili větu do překladače, protože takhle by tu větu Francouz fakticky neřekl.
A hned z toho vyplývá další vět. Když dělali překlad, tak jim nevadila hromada textu ve FJ, ale museli počeštit Quiche. Přiznávám, že když jsem viděla poprvé napsané slovo kiš, tak ta knížka málem letěla z okna!
Spisovatelka si zjevně něco kompenzuje. Já jsem mega žrout, o jídle přemýšlím furt. Ale co se dělo v té knížce? To už fakticky byla nějaká nemoc. Brácha na to koukl a říká: "Jasný, ženská se hladoví, aby byla hubená, tak se nají aspoň na stránkách." A doopravdy to tak vypadalo.
Jistě, nikdy o Smithových neslyšela, ale bude je hned obhajovat, jak to byli super lidi. A vezme slovo sousedky za daný fakt a žene se za svou pravdou.
Ten konec? Nebyl realistický ani trochu. Vypadalo to tak, že vzala výčet na začátku a jediná chyba v hlavní postavě byla, že to není žádná Lara Croft, tak to musela napravit. Bylo to doslova směšné.
Stejně jako celý románek s jejím doktorem. A sorry, že ti řekne, že k doktorovi moc nechodí, tak to stejně nevysvětluje, že má najednou o ni zájem, jen co se zjistí, že má v "hlavě" kulku.
Může obsahovat náznaky spoilerů
Můj první problém začal hned na první stránce: Jmenuji se xy, jsem yyy a tohle je můj příběh. Sorry, ale tohle je amatérština. Jenom to ukazuje, že osoba neumí představit postavu, příběh nenuceně v průběhu.
Hned na první stránce se mi postava taky znechutila, když se popíše jako megální krásku a jak je strašně super! Pak se přirovná snad k Selmě Hayek? Tuším. Nevím, někdo jí zjevně zapomněl říct, že skromnost udělá divy.
Furt mává tím, že je profesorka (a lidi kvůli tomu ohýbají pravidla) a učí francouzštinu. Sice je to už pár let, co jsem ji aktivně studovala, ale stejně jsem tam našla několik chyb a párkrát to vypadá, že hodili větu do překladače, protože takhle by tu větu Francouz fakticky neřekl.
A hned z toho vyplývá další vět. Když dělali překlad, tak jim nevadila hromada textu ve FJ, ale museli počeštit Quiche. Přiznávám, že když jsem viděla poprvé napsané slovo kiš, tak ta knížka málem letěla z okna!
Spisovatelka si zjevně něco kompenzuje. Já jsem mega žrout, o jídle přemýšlím furt. Ale co se dělo v té knížce? To už fakticky byla nějaká nemoc. Brácha na to koukl a říká: "Jasný, ženská se hladoví, aby byla hubená, tak se nají aspoň na stránkách." A doopravdy to tak vypadalo.
Jistě, nikdy o Smithových neslyšela, ale bude je hned obhajovat, jak to byli super lidi. A vezme slovo sousedky za daný fakt a žene se za svou pravdou.
Ten konec? Nebyl realistický ani trochu. Vypadalo to tak, že vzala výčet na začátku a jediná chyba v hlavní postavě byla, že to není žádná Lara Croft, tak to musela napravit. Bylo to doslova směšné.
Stejně jako celý románek s jejím doktorem. A sorry, že ti řekne, že k doktorovi moc nechodí, tak to stejně nevysvětluje, že má najednou o ni zájem, jen co se zjistí, že má v "hlavě" kulku.
August 29, 2017
This is a fast-paced, well written thriller set in DC and Atlanta, surrounding the mystery of a woman who learns she has a bullet in her spine. The strange things is, she has not visible scar, nor any memory of being shot. So the story unfolds as Caroline Cashion tries to discover what truly happened to her.
This novel was an engaging, easy read. I know DC well, and it was fun to read about places I have spent time myself in this book. Beyond that, the story is clever and the premise unusual. My only gripe is that I didn't really connect with Caroline, and I felt, towards the last quarter of the book, that it lost me a bit, the main character acting, frankly, out-of-character, and resorting to formulaic, thriller-type actions.
However, I would definitely recommend this to fans of intelligent thrillers.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
This novel was an engaging, easy read. I know DC well, and it was fun to read about places I have spent time myself in this book. Beyond that, the story is clever and the premise unusual. My only gripe is that I didn't really connect with Caroline, and I felt, towards the last quarter of the book, that it lost me a bit, the main character acting, frankly, out-of-character, and resorting to formulaic, thriller-type actions.
However, I would definitely recommend this to fans of intelligent thrillers.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
May 5, 2015
Can you even imagine this scenario? Imagine a situation where you realize, after being alive for 37 years, that your history sounds like something out of a Criminal Minds episode. This is the reality that Caroline Cashion is hit with, quite literally, when she unwittingly discovers that she's got a bullet lodged in the back of her skull. People start asking her the same question, over and over; people like doctors and friends and colleagues: "You never knew?" "Are you sure you don't remember anything?" "You had no idea?" It's jarring really, this new reality that puts a completely different perspective on everything she's ever known, thought, and believed about herself and those around her.
The author skillfully guides readers through Caroline's response; in one passage, Caroline is clearly struggling with the details that begin to unfold, following this revelation and those that follow:
"All people have their secrets, and not just things they keep from you, but secrets about you. Things they hope you'll never learn. You can share your home with someone, share all the silly, little details of life, share the soap, the sugar bowl, shoes - and you would never guess."
A somewhat disconcerting thought, as Caroline begins to slowly learn more and more about the secrets people have been keeping from her, from each other, from the world. She also seems to correlate a change in her personal history to a sense of freedom in moving forward. She doesn't have to be the Caroline she's always been, now that she's discovering a new self; a self with a hidden bullet and so much more.
"Something else felt different, too. I think I've mentioned that I'm not known for rash decisions, am not a taker of spur-of-the-moment trips. Yet here I sat, about to buy a ticket for a plane that left in eleven hours, to fly to an island that I'd never seen, to meet a stranger. I should have felt nervous, but instead, I felt invigorated. Sometime in the chaos of these last few weeks, I appear to have developed a taste for recklessness."
I was blown away by this story and finished this novel in less than two days (including a work day). It's incredible to think that this is Kelly's debut; she is an amazing storyteller, and her experience as a notable journalist is certainly evident. If you are able to uncover all of these secrets before Caroline does, then you are a much more intuitive reader than I am; I was hanging on for dear life, heart rate racing as I approached the final pages of this novel. I'm not giving away any spoilers here, and you should do yourself a favor and pre-order this one; you will not be disappointed.
The author skillfully guides readers through Caroline's response; in one passage, Caroline is clearly struggling with the details that begin to unfold, following this revelation and those that follow:
"All people have their secrets, and not just things they keep from you, but secrets about you. Things they hope you'll never learn. You can share your home with someone, share all the silly, little details of life, share the soap, the sugar bowl, shoes - and you would never guess."
A somewhat disconcerting thought, as Caroline begins to slowly learn more and more about the secrets people have been keeping from her, from each other, from the world. She also seems to correlate a change in her personal history to a sense of freedom in moving forward. She doesn't have to be the Caroline she's always been, now that she's discovering a new self; a self with a hidden bullet and so much more.
"Something else felt different, too. I think I've mentioned that I'm not known for rash decisions, am not a taker of spur-of-the-moment trips. Yet here I sat, about to buy a ticket for a plane that left in eleven hours, to fly to an island that I'd never seen, to meet a stranger. I should have felt nervous, but instead, I felt invigorated. Sometime in the chaos of these last few weeks, I appear to have developed a taste for recklessness."
I was blown away by this story and finished this novel in less than two days (including a work day). It's incredible to think that this is Kelly's debut; she is an amazing storyteller, and her experience as a notable journalist is certainly evident. If you are able to uncover all of these secrets before Caroline does, then you are a much more intuitive reader than I am; I was hanging on for dear life, heart rate racing as I approached the final pages of this novel. I'm not giving away any spoilers here, and you should do yourself a favor and pre-order this one; you will not be disappointed.
February 22, 2015
I could not put this book down. Caroline is having issues with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and while getting an MRI, finds out that she has a bullet lodged in her neck. At the age of thirty-seven, she has no recollection of getting shot and has no idea how it got there. The rest of the book is a roller coaster ride to find out not only how the bullet got there but who put it there. I will be recommending this one to my friends!
September 4, 2024
Ciddi anlamda kötü yazılmış, kurgu akışı ve ana karakter inanılmaz vasat. Beni bir nevi rs'ye soktu, asla devam edesim gelmedi kitaba. Kitabın sonu daha da kötü. Tam bir vakit kaybı, kimseye önereceğim bir kitap değil. Çok muhtemelen ilk sahaf yolculuğunda da elimden çıkacak.
May 28, 2021
Caroline Cashione learns the tragic turth about her past and real parents when an MIR scan shows that she got a bullet lodge in her skull, and now she is determined to learn exactly what happened all those years ago and before the killer comes back for her. The book had some really good potential but didn't quite get there. It was a decent read overall and I would like to see if I like an other book by Mary Louise Kelly more.
November 29, 2014
Here's another prime reason why GoodReads needs to have half-star ratings. While not quite a four-star, THE BULLET by Mary Louise Kelly is good enough to warrant a 3 1/2 star review. With a solid premise, a captivating storyline, and twists and turns that won't quit, THE BULLET is a solid read ... right up until the ending.
RELEASE DATE: March 2015
PUBLISHER: Gallery Books
DISCLAIMER: Novel was sent via NetGallery in exchange for a honest review
SYNOPSIS: Caroline Cashion, a professor of French literature at Georgetown University, is stunned when an MRI reveals that she has a bullet lodged near the base of her skull. It makes no sense: she has never been shot. She has no entry wound. No scar. When she confronts her parents, they initially profess bewilderment. Then, over the course of one awful evening, she learns the truth: she was adopted when she was three years old, after her real parents were murdered in cold blood. Caroline had been there the night of the attack, and she was hit by a single gunshot to the neck. Buried too deep among vital nerves and blood vessels, the surgeons had left it, and stitched up the traumatized little girl with the bullet still inside. That was thirty-four years ago. Now, Caroline returns to her hometown to learn whatever she can about who her parents were and why they died. Along the way she meets a cop who worked the case, who reveals that even after all these years, the police do not have enough evidence to nail their suspect. The killer is still at large. Caroline is in danger: the bullet in her neck could identify the murderer, and he'll do anything to keep it out of the police hands. Now Caroline will have to decide: run for her life, or stay and fight?
REVIEW: THE BULLET has an amazingly captivating premise - one that had me reaching for this novel the second it ended my inbox (release date be damned!). A easy to devour read, THE BULLET had me right there with them ... until I got about 85% in.
Caroline is a respectable adult - professor of French at a prestigious Washington university with a tight knit family. When a troublesome wrist injury keeps flaring up, Caroline goes for a routine MRI. The discovery? A bullet in her neck, sitting right next to her spinal cord. The problem? Caroline doesn't ever remember being shot. The bullet in her neck is the first in a series of revelations about Caroline's life - all kept hidden from her until now. A journey that takes her everywhere from Atlanta to Washington, and Mexico to France, Caroline soon discovers that the bullet in her neck is making her a target....34 years after it was put there.
With a synopsis like that, it's really hard to stop yourself from delving into this novel. I'm really glad I did. The novel jumps right into the action - Caroline discovers the bullet in her neck like 5 pages in (no drawn out storyline, yay!). Immediately, we are plunged into the action. The story winds up excellently and holds onto the readers attention nearly all the way through. Twists, turns, and revelations keep the reader engaged throughout the entire storyline. I loved how Kelly entangled Caroline's past live and her current live - it could have come off terribly, but the revelations here truly work. I was on the edge of my seat near the entire novel.
Except when I got about 85% into the book (thank you Kindle for providing percentage estimates!). Around there, the novel goes right off the rails. I felt as if I was reading a different novel with the same character names. The actions of Caroline felt really out of left field, in my honest opinion. I understand character development, but it just really felt ... off. The last 15% of the novel was truly off for me, and really kept me from giving this novel a solid 4 star review.
FAVOURITE QUOTES:
- "So I pretended to be fine until the fake girl became the truth and the real me stayed bottled up inside."
- " All people have their secrets, and not just things they keep from you, but secrets about you. Things they hope you'll never learn."
- "It is a small mercy that the body is capable of overriding the brain, forcing it to shut down in times of crisis."
- "One sense falters; the others sharpen. So it is at night. At night it is the sense of sound that will save you."
- "By which I mean, you could not see the man's shadow outside, waiting. Could not touch it, as it slipped to the back cellar window, where the black was absolute, where the moonlight did not reach. You could not smell his fingertips as they closed around the doorknob. Could not taste his sweat beading, salt and glistening, under wool".
RELEASE DATE: March 2015
PUBLISHER: Gallery Books
DISCLAIMER: Novel was sent via NetGallery in exchange for a honest review
SYNOPSIS: Caroline Cashion, a professor of French literature at Georgetown University, is stunned when an MRI reveals that she has a bullet lodged near the base of her skull. It makes no sense: she has never been shot. She has no entry wound. No scar. When she confronts her parents, they initially profess bewilderment. Then, over the course of one awful evening, she learns the truth: she was adopted when she was three years old, after her real parents were murdered in cold blood. Caroline had been there the night of the attack, and she was hit by a single gunshot to the neck. Buried too deep among vital nerves and blood vessels, the surgeons had left it, and stitched up the traumatized little girl with the bullet still inside. That was thirty-four years ago. Now, Caroline returns to her hometown to learn whatever she can about who her parents were and why they died. Along the way she meets a cop who worked the case, who reveals that even after all these years, the police do not have enough evidence to nail their suspect. The killer is still at large. Caroline is in danger: the bullet in her neck could identify the murderer, and he'll do anything to keep it out of the police hands. Now Caroline will have to decide: run for her life, or stay and fight?
REVIEW: THE BULLET has an amazingly captivating premise - one that had me reaching for this novel the second it ended my inbox (release date be damned!). A easy to devour read, THE BULLET had me right there with them ... until I got about 85% in.
Caroline is a respectable adult - professor of French at a prestigious Washington university with a tight knit family. When a troublesome wrist injury keeps flaring up, Caroline goes for a routine MRI. The discovery? A bullet in her neck, sitting right next to her spinal cord. The problem? Caroline doesn't ever remember being shot. The bullet in her neck is the first in a series of revelations about Caroline's life - all kept hidden from her until now. A journey that takes her everywhere from Atlanta to Washington, and Mexico to France, Caroline soon discovers that the bullet in her neck is making her a target....34 years after it was put there.
With a synopsis like that, it's really hard to stop yourself from delving into this novel. I'm really glad I did. The novel jumps right into the action - Caroline discovers the bullet in her neck like 5 pages in (no drawn out storyline, yay!). Immediately, we are plunged into the action. The story winds up excellently and holds onto the readers attention nearly all the way through. Twists, turns, and revelations keep the reader engaged throughout the entire storyline. I loved how Kelly entangled Caroline's past live and her current live - it could have come off terribly, but the revelations here truly work. I was on the edge of my seat near the entire novel.
Except when I got about 85% into the book (thank you Kindle for providing percentage estimates!). Around there, the novel goes right off the rails. I felt as if I was reading a different novel with the same character names. The actions of Caroline felt really out of left field, in my honest opinion. I understand character development, but it just really felt ... off. The last 15% of the novel was truly off for me, and really kept me from giving this novel a solid 4 star review.
FAVOURITE QUOTES:
- "So I pretended to be fine until the fake girl became the truth and the real me stayed bottled up inside."
- " All people have their secrets, and not just things they keep from you, but secrets about you. Things they hope you'll never learn."
- "It is a small mercy that the body is capable of overriding the brain, forcing it to shut down in times of crisis."
- "One sense falters; the others sharpen. So it is at night. At night it is the sense of sound that will save you."
- "By which I mean, you could not see the man's shadow outside, waiting. Could not touch it, as it slipped to the back cellar window, where the black was absolute, where the moonlight did not reach. You could not smell his fingertips as they closed around the doorknob. Could not taste his sweat beading, salt and glistening, under wool".
February 5, 2015
Mary Louise Kelly is a gifted writer and The Bullet is an original and fresh mystery novel that should not be missed.
Caroline Cashion, a beautiful young professor of French Literature at Georgetown University is experiencing pain in her wrist. She is diagnosed with Carpal tunnel syndrome and that is how she comes one morning, Wednesday, October 9th, to be sitting in the radiologist's office awaiting a MRI. A procedure that will change her life forever. Lodged in her neck, up against her spinal cord is a bullet. A great surprise to Caroline because as far as she has known, she has never been shot. There is no entry wound. No scar. She is about to find out that her whole life has been a lie.
"..'May I?' He placed his hand on my neck. Prodded gently up and down. 'There's no bump. No subcutaneous scar tissue that I can feel. Where was the entrance wound?'
'I don't know.'
'Maybe around her?' His fingers inched higher, kneading the base of my scalp.
'I said, I don't know. I didn't know it was there in the first place.'
'So you don't know how long it's been in there?'
'No idea. I have no idea. I don't know what to say.'
His eyes narrowed. 'It's awfully...unusual. Getting shot would seem to be a memorable event. Getting shot in the neck, especially so.'
'I agree. What's your point?'
'Just that-forgive me, how to put this?-I'm finding it hard to believe you really had no idea you've been walking around with a bullet in your neck.'
I glared at him. 'Well, that makes two of us then. Two of us who think this'-I rapped my fingers against the flat screen-'that this here makes absolutely no sense..."
Thirty-four years ago, in Atlanta, Georgia, a young girl of three watches as her parents are killed and she herself is shot. Wounded in the neck. The doctors decide that it is too dangerous to operate and the bullet is left in. The girl is adopted by a new family who know little of what has happened and soon enough the child herself forgets the events of that horrific night. All that remains is the bullet.
Now Caroline needs to learn the truth of what happened that night. Who were her parents. Why were they killed? What kind of killer would shoot a three year old child. As she begins to hunt for the truth, she decides to undergo surgery to remove the bullet. The only remaining physical evidence of the murders. But someone else knows what happened that night and knows that the bullet in Caroline's neck may be the only evidence of who the murderer was.
"..'I don't-I don't understand.'
'The reason you didn't die was that bullet was going slower by the time it got to you. You mama did protect you. She slowed it down.'
I blinked at him.
It took a moment for the full, sickening significance of what he was saying to hit home. Then my hands flew to my neck, and I began to claw..."
As Caroline hunts for the truth of that night, she becomes the hunted and the race is on to find out the truth of her life and the bullet that is all that remains of the young girl she was.
The Bullet is a classic style mystery. The truths of that night unravel slowly, like the hidden secrets of Caroline's own life. She was adopted. The parents she grew up with were not her biological parents. Her brothers were not her biological brothers. Her life is torn and she needs to tie it back together and the only way she can is to find out what really happened that night to her birth parents and how she came to end up with the bullet, lodged for over thirty years in her neck.
This is true Noir fiction in that there is not justice to be had. Not by conventional means and even then, everyone must find out if they can live with the decisions they've made and the actions they've taken. Mary Louise Kelly is a writer to be reckoned with in the crime mystery field. She is inventive and daring.
A fun and worth following combination to find in such a gifted writer.
The Bullet is a very good read.
Caroline Cashion, a beautiful young professor of French Literature at Georgetown University is experiencing pain in her wrist. She is diagnosed with Carpal tunnel syndrome and that is how she comes one morning, Wednesday, October 9th, to be sitting in the radiologist's office awaiting a MRI. A procedure that will change her life forever. Lodged in her neck, up against her spinal cord is a bullet. A great surprise to Caroline because as far as she has known, she has never been shot. There is no entry wound. No scar. She is about to find out that her whole life has been a lie.
"..'May I?' He placed his hand on my neck. Prodded gently up and down. 'There's no bump. No subcutaneous scar tissue that I can feel. Where was the entrance wound?'
'I don't know.'
'Maybe around her?' His fingers inched higher, kneading the base of my scalp.
'I said, I don't know. I didn't know it was there in the first place.'
'So you don't know how long it's been in there?'
'No idea. I have no idea. I don't know what to say.'
His eyes narrowed. 'It's awfully...unusual. Getting shot would seem to be a memorable event. Getting shot in the neck, especially so.'
'I agree. What's your point?'
'Just that-forgive me, how to put this?-I'm finding it hard to believe you really had no idea you've been walking around with a bullet in your neck.'
I glared at him. 'Well, that makes two of us then. Two of us who think this'-I rapped my fingers against the flat screen-'that this here makes absolutely no sense..."
Thirty-four years ago, in Atlanta, Georgia, a young girl of three watches as her parents are killed and she herself is shot. Wounded in the neck. The doctors decide that it is too dangerous to operate and the bullet is left in. The girl is adopted by a new family who know little of what has happened and soon enough the child herself forgets the events of that horrific night. All that remains is the bullet.
Now Caroline needs to learn the truth of what happened that night. Who were her parents. Why were they killed? What kind of killer would shoot a three year old child. As she begins to hunt for the truth, she decides to undergo surgery to remove the bullet. The only remaining physical evidence of the murders. But someone else knows what happened that night and knows that the bullet in Caroline's neck may be the only evidence of who the murderer was.
"..'I don't-I don't understand.'
'The reason you didn't die was that bullet was going slower by the time it got to you. You mama did protect you. She slowed it down.'
I blinked at him.
It took a moment for the full, sickening significance of what he was saying to hit home. Then my hands flew to my neck, and I began to claw..."
As Caroline hunts for the truth of that night, she becomes the hunted and the race is on to find out the truth of her life and the bullet that is all that remains of the young girl she was.
The Bullet is a classic style mystery. The truths of that night unravel slowly, like the hidden secrets of Caroline's own life. She was adopted. The parents she grew up with were not her biological parents. Her brothers were not her biological brothers. Her life is torn and she needs to tie it back together and the only way she can is to find out what really happened that night to her birth parents and how she came to end up with the bullet, lodged for over thirty years in her neck.
This is true Noir fiction in that there is not justice to be had. Not by conventional means and even then, everyone must find out if they can live with the decisions they've made and the actions they've taken. Mary Louise Kelly is a writer to be reckoned with in the crime mystery field. She is inventive and daring.
A fun and worth following combination to find in such a gifted writer.
The Bullet is a very good read.
April 30, 2015
Trying to figure out what is causing her wrist pain,a french literature professor Caroline Cashion gets a MRI and a bullet is found in her neck.
Asking her parents how it got there leads to a couple of other discoveries, she is adopted and her parents were murdered.
This is a great premise to start a book.Coming to realize that her parents murders' were never solved, she starts her own investigation.
There are some good parts to the book but it mostly falls flat.And I don't know why.
Asking her parents how it got there leads to a couple of other discoveries, she is adopted and her parents were murdered.
This is a great premise to start a book.Coming to realize that her parents murders' were never solved, she starts her own investigation.
There are some good parts to the book but it mostly falls flat.And I don't know why.
July 31, 2017
"...Sometimes justice is served in ways that have precious little to do with the criminal justice system..."
There is no way of knowing how life will change. No way of knowing when the phone will ring or a stranger will show up on your doorstep. One minute, life is perfectly normal and the next it is irrevocably changed.
When a painful twinge in her wrist becomes too much to endure, Caroline Cashion heads to the doctor. The MRI results show she has spent the majority of her 34 years on this earth carrying around a bullet in her neck. A bullet.
And so unravels the story of where the bullet came from. How did such a thing come to be? Had she really been shot and live to tell about it? But what is there to tell?
Mary Louise Kelly tells a gripping story full of adventure, twists, and emotion in her latest novel, The Bullet. It is a tale of love and loss, tragedy, and adventure. Of old experiences and fresh starts. But at the heart of the story is a terrified little girl that has grown into an intelligent woman that cannot let the past go. Once the bullet is discovered, Caroline will go to any length to find the truth. But sometimes with truth, there can be no closure.
After traveling across the country, then across the world, Caroline must face the facts and determine the fate that lies in front of her.
In life, there are no guarantees. And Kelly plots that out in a way that is fresh and riveting. How would the story end? "The scales are not yet balanced. Laid before me then, a choice...It is mine to decide when this story will end. For now, I rise" because after all, what else can we do?
Guest Review Kate Kelly
There is no way of knowing how life will change. No way of knowing when the phone will ring or a stranger will show up on your doorstep. One minute, life is perfectly normal and the next it is irrevocably changed.
When a painful twinge in her wrist becomes too much to endure, Caroline Cashion heads to the doctor. The MRI results show she has spent the majority of her 34 years on this earth carrying around a bullet in her neck. A bullet.
And so unravels the story of where the bullet came from. How did such a thing come to be? Had she really been shot and live to tell about it? But what is there to tell?
Mary Louise Kelly tells a gripping story full of adventure, twists, and emotion in her latest novel, The Bullet. It is a tale of love and loss, tragedy, and adventure. Of old experiences and fresh starts. But at the heart of the story is a terrified little girl that has grown into an intelligent woman that cannot let the past go. Once the bullet is discovered, Caroline will go to any length to find the truth. But sometimes with truth, there can be no closure.
After traveling across the country, then across the world, Caroline must face the facts and determine the fate that lies in front of her.
In life, there are no guarantees. And Kelly plots that out in a way that is fresh and riveting. How would the story end? "The scales are not yet balanced. Laid before me then, a choice...It is mine to decide when this story will end. For now, I rise" because after all, what else can we do?
Guest Review Kate Kelly
April 11, 2015
I really liked the twist at the end with the real killer.
I had some trouble with the logistics of the book. The mother is shot in the heart and the bullet somehow goes through her and ends up in her three yo's neck, who she is sheltering behind her back. It's hard for me to visualize the angle of the shot.
Also, two hairs are found on the main character's victim: "My hair, sheeting across my face, covering his arm." So that sounds like naturally shed hair, not hair that's pulled out or yanked. In the book, these yield a DNA profile. But as the FBI says, "Naturally shed hairs typically do not provide sufficient amounts of nuclear DNA for analysis."
The detective advises her "to be awful careful not to find a reason to get their DNA tested. Not ever to end up in a national data base." But commercial sources like Ancestry.com don't report to a national data base. So that would leave the cops asking her for a sample, and it will be hard to avoid that.
Also, she used duct tape on the victim's wife. You think they aren't going to look on that duct tape for prints and touch DNA evidence?
And I have to say that her killing the man and going back to her (once-married) lover did not make me like her.
I had some trouble with the logistics of the book. The mother is shot in the heart and the bullet somehow goes through her and ends up in her three yo's neck, who she is sheltering behind her back. It's hard for me to visualize the angle of the shot.
Also, two hairs are found on the main character's victim: "My hair, sheeting across my face, covering his arm." So that sounds like naturally shed hair, not hair that's pulled out or yanked. In the book, these yield a DNA profile. But as the FBI says, "Naturally shed hairs typically do not provide sufficient amounts of nuclear DNA for analysis."
The detective advises her "to be awful careful not to find a reason to get their DNA tested. Not ever to end up in a national data base." But commercial sources like Ancestry.com don't report to a national data base. So that would leave the cops asking her for a sample, and it will be hard to avoid that.
Also, she used duct tape on the victim's wife. You think they aren't going to look on that duct tape for prints and touch DNA evidence?
And I have to say that her killing the man and going back to her (once-married) lover did not make me like her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2014
I got a free copy of The Bullet from the publisher through Netgalley. So this was really 3 1/2 stars for me. I was really enjoying the concept and the main character in the first three quarters of the book, but the main character changes dramatically in the last quarter in ways that didn't work for me. She goes way out of character, which leads to an ending-- albeit ultimately dramatic and surprising -- that just seems wrong. I did appreciate Kelly's simple writing style and all the details that gave the characters and setting real dimension. The book's strengths will ultimately carry The Bullet for many readers, but readers should be prepared for a sharp turn at the end that might interfere with the ability to suspend disbelief. I would still be willing to try another book by Kelly.
November 9, 2020
Rich, good-looking, overeducated white woman discovers rich white parents forgot to tell her she was adopted for some reason. Her mother has to tell her "you're still our daughter" so many times one wonders if mother has misgivings. We initially learn main character is attractive to men and wears expensive clothes. Who needs character depth or likeability when one has designer clothes?
After primary character discovers her origins she does dangerous stupid stuff instead of shopping therapy.
After primary character discovers her origins she does dangerous stupid stuff instead of shopping therapy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2021
I rarely read books that either Audible or Kindle's algorithm recommend to me because of my previous reading history. In the past, such reads have usually proved disappointing -- a less-than-original imitation of an earlier read. In this case, I am glad that I did not let my usual reticence about such recommendations to prevent me from trying this book.
The premise of the story is what happens when a thirty-seven-year-old woman, Caroline, discovers everything that she thought that she knew about herself and her family turns out not to true. The revelations begin when she discovers that she had a bullet lodged in the back of her neck that she has no idea how it got there. From this first discovery, she then discovers that she was adopted and that at three years of age, she witnessed and barely survived the murder of her biological parents.
I know that some readers have found Caroline's actions at the end of the novel inconsistent with her character. And I would agree that they are inconsistent with the person that she is at the beginning of the novel. However, over the course of the novel, it seemed to me that her personality underwent fundamental changes as she discovered more about her past, found her life threatened, and discovered that the police were not always effective. Thus, I did find her final actions unbelievable.
My first read by this author and definitely want to try more!
The premise of the story is what happens when a thirty-seven-year-old woman, Caroline, discovers everything that she thought that she knew about herself and her family turns out not to true. The revelations begin when she discovers that she had a bullet lodged in the back of her neck that she has no idea how it got there. From this first discovery, she then discovers that she was adopted and that at three years of age, she witnessed and barely survived the murder of her biological parents.
I know that some readers have found Caroline's actions at the end of the novel inconsistent with her character. And I would agree that they are inconsistent with the person that she is at the beginning of the novel. However, over the course of the novel, it seemed to me that her personality underwent fundamental changes as she discovered more about her past, found her life threatened, and discovered that the police were not always effective. Thus, I did find her final actions unbelievable.
My first read by this author and definitely want to try more!
July 25, 2019
There might have been a message here about vengeance and taking "justice" into your own hands and why this is not a good thing, but if so I missed it. And maybe you're supposed to feel sympathetic to this character and maybe you're not, but either way, it's not clear, and anyway I didn't, I thought she was a psychopathic monster, and if I get a gold star for that from the author then I suppose she did a good job, but I'm not sure she's reaching her audience with this message in general.
I think it's a mistake to write "thrillers" (which IMO this really wasn't, because the narrator was emotionally detached, so there wasn't enough emotional intensity for it to be very thrilling) in first person. Very few people can pull it off. Peter Cameron is one example (in the case of Andorra), but that's a situation in which there is a real twist and you don't realize you're in the head of a psychopath till the end. (Sorry for giving that away.) Roxanne Gay is another example. Du Maurier is another, as in Rebecca, but in that case the narrator is figuring out something after the fact, so she is telling someone else's story, really. But in general, the trouble with first person narrators is that in order for them to screw up they have to make mistakes that you they (which, since you're in their head,=you) didn't see coming. But you, as the reader, are almost always at least one step ahead of them. It is painful to be stuck in the head of someone dumber than you. Therefore, since you are almost always going to be able to figure things out better than the narrator/victim, it is much better to just be given the cards and be the watcher rather than stuck in the narrator's brain. So, the story should be in third person, whether close or omniscient. It can still be mysterious, but the reader should still have a bigger picture than the victim/sleuth does. That's because part of the thrill depends on the vulnerability of the protagonist, but WE can't be vulnerable with her if we can figure out what's coming next and we're sitting there thinking, WHY are you telling the reporter when your surgery is when you know very well they're taking vital evidence out of your body at that time?
The voice seemed off, too. Not reflective or deep enough for someone who spends her days immersed in French literature. (And I thought the interpretation of Madame Bovary as a *feminist* work was up for debate...) The sentences were too fragmented for such a character...there simply wasn't enough *quiet* in the tone. She TOLD us she was a quiet person, but she didn't feel like one.
I think it's a mistake to write "thrillers" (which IMO this really wasn't, because the narrator was emotionally detached, so there wasn't enough emotional intensity for it to be very thrilling) in first person. Very few people can pull it off. Peter Cameron is one example (in the case of Andorra), but that's a situation in which there is a real twist and you don't realize you're in the head of a psychopath till the end. (Sorry for giving that away.) Roxanne Gay is another example. Du Maurier is another, as in Rebecca, but in that case the narrator is figuring out something after the fact, so she is telling someone else's story, really. But in general, the trouble with first person narrators is that in order for them to screw up they have to make mistakes that you they (which, since you're in their head,=you) didn't see coming. But you, as the reader, are almost always at least one step ahead of them. It is painful to be stuck in the head of someone dumber than you. Therefore, since you are almost always going to be able to figure things out better than the narrator/victim, it is much better to just be given the cards and be the watcher rather than stuck in the narrator's brain. So, the story should be in third person, whether close or omniscient. It can still be mysterious, but the reader should still have a bigger picture than the victim/sleuth does. That's because part of the thrill depends on the vulnerability of the protagonist, but WE can't be vulnerable with her if we can figure out what's coming next and we're sitting there thinking, WHY are you telling the reporter when your surgery is when you know very well they're taking vital evidence out of your body at that time?
The voice seemed off, too. Not reflective or deep enough for someone who spends her days immersed in French literature. (And I thought the interpretation of Madame Bovary as a *feminist* work was up for debate...) The sentences were too fragmented for such a character...there simply wasn't enough *quiet* in the tone. She TOLD us she was a quiet person, but she didn't feel like one.
May 29, 2015
I received this book from Gallery Book and Netgally for an honest review. The official release date is March 17th.
So what would you do if you went to have your naggingly painful wrist checked out and the doctors found a bullet in the back of your neck, but yet you were never shot? That's the unfolding plot of THE BULLET expect our protagonist Caroline Cashion finds out that she had in fact been shot as a kid on the same day both of her biological parents killed. Now Caroline is on a quest to solve this mystery.
This book was a fantastic crime drama with excellent writing that pulls you in from the very beginning. I like that author Mary Louise Kelly doesn't beat around bush and the plot is set up and starts to unfold very quickly. There's not drawn out and needless exposition, but rather the story hits its stride early and never lets up.
THE BULLET had heart and soul to it, you really feel for the characters. I think that is in part due to the different emotions we see from them. A lot of times with crime novels the tone is dead serious throughout, and most of the time for good reason, but with this book we get some lighthearted moments, mainly between Caroline and her two brothers Martin and Tony. These interactions during a very serious situation in their lives, makes their relationship(s) seem real and authentic.
Caroline is a determined and strong character as we go along for the ride of her solving this 30+ year old mystery. I like that her character breaks the fourth wall and occasionally converses directly with the reader. It makes the story seem more personal and got me even more invested in her story.
Fans of crime and mystery novels will want to check this one out, it was a book that I couldn't put down and just wanted to keep reading until it was finished. I give this one 4/5
So what would you do if you went to have your naggingly painful wrist checked out and the doctors found a bullet in the back of your neck, but yet you were never shot? That's the unfolding plot of THE BULLET expect our protagonist Caroline Cashion finds out that she had in fact been shot as a kid on the same day both of her biological parents killed. Now Caroline is on a quest to solve this mystery.
This book was a fantastic crime drama with excellent writing that pulls you in from the very beginning. I like that author Mary Louise Kelly doesn't beat around bush and the plot is set up and starts to unfold very quickly. There's not drawn out and needless exposition, but rather the story hits its stride early and never lets up.
THE BULLET had heart and soul to it, you really feel for the characters. I think that is in part due to the different emotions we see from them. A lot of times with crime novels the tone is dead serious throughout, and most of the time for good reason, but with this book we get some lighthearted moments, mainly between Caroline and her two brothers Martin and Tony. These interactions during a very serious situation in their lives, makes their relationship(s) seem real and authentic.
Caroline is a determined and strong character as we go along for the ride of her solving this 30+ year old mystery. I like that her character breaks the fourth wall and occasionally converses directly with the reader. It makes the story seem more personal and got me even more invested in her story.
Fans of crime and mystery novels will want to check this one out, it was a book that I couldn't put down and just wanted to keep reading until it was finished. I give this one 4/5
April 13, 2015
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I picked this one up because Mary Louise Kelly is an NPR correspondent who has spent years reporting on US intelligence. I was intrigued by the plot and thought this might be an intelligent thriller. In actuality, it is your basic supermarket book.
The heroine is a middle-aged French professor who sits on her butt all day, every day reading books and grading papers, occasionally leaving the library to teach a class, brew some tea or have dinner at her parents' house. Her diet consists of ham, cheese and bread with an occasional foray into cheeseburgers, pancakes, rye whiskey and jalapeno poppers. This is a character I was set up to love, except for the fact that the author decided to have her be impossibly gorgeous and irresistible to men, despite her unbelievably frumpy lifestyle. Meh.
Her life is turned upside down one day by the discovery of a bullet in her neck, despite the fact that she has no recollection of ever getting shot. This leads to even more discoveries and she finds that she is not who she thought she was and there's a terrible tragedy in her past that needs avenging.
What follows is a fast-paced but pretty standard murder mystery/thriller with an obligatory romance thrown in for kicks. There aren't a lot of surprises until the plot takes a weird turn at the very end. But it's only weird because the protagonists actions aren't believable at all. The actual stuff that happens and the "twist" that follows is utterly predictable.
It's okay for a supermarket-paperback-type book, but I was expecting a bit more from someone of the author's background.
I picked this one up because Mary Louise Kelly is an NPR correspondent who has spent years reporting on US intelligence. I was intrigued by the plot and thought this might be an intelligent thriller. In actuality, it is your basic supermarket book.
The heroine is a middle-aged French professor who sits on her butt all day, every day reading books and grading papers, occasionally leaving the library to teach a class, brew some tea or have dinner at her parents' house. Her diet consists of ham, cheese and bread with an occasional foray into cheeseburgers, pancakes, rye whiskey and jalapeno poppers. This is a character I was set up to love, except for the fact that the author decided to have her be impossibly gorgeous and irresistible to men, despite her unbelievably frumpy lifestyle. Meh.
Her life is turned upside down one day by the discovery of a bullet in her neck, despite the fact that she has no recollection of ever getting shot. This leads to even more discoveries and she finds that she is not who she thought she was and there's a terrible tragedy in her past that needs avenging.
What follows is a fast-paced but pretty standard murder mystery/thriller with an obligatory romance thrown in for kicks. There aren't a lot of surprises until the plot takes a weird turn at the very end. But it's only weird because the protagonists actions aren't believable at all. The actual stuff that happens and the "twist" that follows is utterly predictable.
It's okay for a supermarket-paperback-type book, but I was expecting a bit more from someone of the author's background.
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