The Follower

by Koethi Zan

SHE'D DO ANYTHING FOR HER HUSBAND.

Julie has the perfect life

A kind boyfriend, loving parents and good grades. She has everything ahead of her.

Cora’s life is a nightmare

A psychopath for a husband, a violent father and a terrible secret. There’s no way out.

But one night, their worlds collide

Locked in an isolated house together, they must work out what has happened – and who they can trust to set them free.

From the bestselling author of The Never List, this is a breath-taking new thriller about the wife of a kidnapper and her relationship with his last victim.

Genres: Thriller, Crime, Suspense, Mystery, Fiction, Adult, Psychological Thriller

412 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 23, 2017

About the author

When Koethi Zan was born in the sleepy farming town of Opp, Alabama, the “City of Opportunity,” her mother was Valedictorian of the local public high school and her father the star of its football team. Her parents named her after the homecoming queen of Lurleen B. Wallace Junior College, perhaps hopeful that some of that glory would rub off on her.
But Koethi would never be a homecoming queen. In fact, she spent most of her youth in her room, reading, listening to Morrissey, and avoiding everything connected to high school football—not an easy task in those parts.
After graduation, Koethi put herself through Birmingham-Southern College with scholarships and a small “cow fund” courtesy of Molly, the Charolais heifer she’d received as her third birthday present. She used the money wisely, travelling to New Orleans on the weekends to hit the club scene, almost always in silver-sequined costume, surrounded by transvestites, Goth kids and her gay male entourage. Perhaps, in some roundabout way, she had fulfilled her homecoming queen destiny after all.
Then, in what may have been a misguided fit of pique, Koethi threw away her all-black daywear and her thrift-store evening gowns, and went to Yale Law School, with some vague idea of becoming a film producer. Afterwards, however, she unexpectedly found herself twenty-eight stories up in the Manhattan offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell, a prestigious white shoe law firm that represented mostly investment banks. She regularly pulled all-nighters working on secured financings and revolving credit facilities. She tended to wear demure black pantsuits, with her hair up.
It didn’t take her long to realize corporate life wasn’t for her, and Koethi spent the next fifteen years practicing entertainment law both in private practice (at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison and, later, Schreck Rose & Dapello) and in-house business and legal affairs positions (for the film producer, Ed Pressman, and, most recently, at MTV), with a slight detour along the way to study cinema at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
As an entertainment lawyer, Koethi attended glamorous premieres and openings, international film festivals and celebrity-filled parties. She dealt with gritty production issues as varied as suicide threats, drug overdoses and sex-tape allegations. She warred with Hollywood agents and befriended reality stars.
Then, while Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at MTV, she decided to fulfill a lifelong dream on the side, and in the early mornings she wrote a crime novel, The Never List.
Now, coming full circle in a way, Koethi, her husband, Stephen Metcalf, and their two daughters, live in an old farmhouse in a rural community in upstate New York. Her husband occasionally watches a football game on television. But her daughters have never even heard of homecoming queens.

Reviews

[Selene · Rating 3 out of 5]

NYU student Julie Brockman is abducted. She spends captivity in a small cell growing weaker by the day but still determined to find freedom once more.

I liked some parts of this book more than others and it took getting to the halfway point for me to fall into a steady rhythm with this story. I would've skipped this book altogether had I known about the religious fanaticism layered into the story. The ending was a disappointment.

[Joanne Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, the dreaded second book! Half of me didn’t even want to read this because I was so worried that I would compare it to The Never List which I recently put in a list of my top 20 books of the last few years. But I tried to put those feelings to the side and read this on its own merits. And while it didn’t live up to, for me personally anyway, her hugely successful and gripping first novel, The Follower was…..okay! For anyone unfamiliar with The Never List then I’m sure they will love this dark and disturbing thriller but fans of The Never List may find it lacking the heart racing suspense and jaw dropping twists they are probably expecting.

The first few pages were actually very promising. Julie is kidnapped from a deserted train station by an unknown perpetrator and taken to an isolated farmhouse. When she gets there, she sees a woman and expecting some sisterhood kindness she asks to help but that woman is Cora and as we find out via flashbacks, Cora’s cold and aloof behaviour has its roots in her unconventional upbringing. Cora tells her present day story interspersed with Julie’s account of her imprisonment as well as Cora’s past. We also meet Adam, an ex policeman with a heart breaking family past, who is devoting his life to tracking down missing girls.

I read this over two days as I really hoped it would start to grab me like The Never List did but sadly it didn’t. There was absolutely nothing definitive I can put my finger on as the plot was well thought out, the characters were intriguing and multi-layered but I didn’t really care about them-they left me cold and I never felt like I was there with them, willing them on. And I really didn’t enjoy The ending either. In fact when I turned the last page, I was shocked that it had finished there as I had been expecting more. And that pretty much sums up my feelings about the whole book-I think my expectations were too high!

Thanks to Vintage and to Netgalley for my review copy of  The Follower.

[Sapphir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suspense-packed psychological thriller, told from three different perspectives, along with the backstories of the three protagonists, especially Cora. My only point of criticism is that the end felt a little rushed. 4 Stars.

[Ingstje · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is very character driven. There are three characters (Julie, Cora and Adam) who are the main focus but there was actually one that I felt this novel was really most about and – here’s a surprise – it wasn’t the girl kept captive. Don’t get me wrong, I felt for Julie, the girl that got abducted and locked up in a room with boarded up windows. Her ordeal was horrific and although nothing graphic is mentioned, it doesn’t take much to feel the impact of her situation. Fact is, she gets only a few scraps to eat from Cora turning her into a severely emaciated girl. She certainly isn’t the lively girl from before, her days turned monotone and all she’s able to do is think about the best tactic to escape. I was happy to see that even in the most dire moments she never loses the fire within completely and she’s quite smart too in the way she’s thinking, how she tries different tactics to please her captor. I read her chapters and was very on edge every time because I knew she would only need a moment. I was waiting with her for that break, that opportunity to attack and be free again after all these months. Unfortunately, that moment doesn’t seem to come along as all angles are covered…

No the one I’m talking about is Cora, the woman who brings her food and who Julie tries to appeal to and engage in conversation every day. When I met Cora I thought she was pure evil to let this happen. When her husband James is away she could set her free if she wanted too. Then it became clear that these women share a bond. Even though Cora can move freely, she is just as scared for her husband and after a while it dawned on me that there was a time when she was just a normal kid. The only thing that made her different from you and me was her tragic life and the fact that nobody believed in her, was her friend or lover. I couldn’t help but feel pity and just when that feeling of empathy overruled, I was catapulted back to the present situation. I wanted her to still have some good in her, I wanted to believe in her, but all I saw was someone cold and detached, evil. How did it come to this, how can she be like that? All is explained in chapters in between, going back and fro present and past, working its way slowly up to her encounter with James, her husband and leader of a cult.

James’ voice isn’t very prominent but it was rather horrifying to read that she’s falling for him. It’s clear he kind of brainwashed her, or perhaps she wanted to believe in what he was telling because she never had anyone who believed in her and just wanted to belong. Again, I felt understanding and sympathy with her past self, alternating with anger for her present character. She dreams of living a quiet life on the farm and having a loving family. With a father who never gave her the time of day she finally sees someone who can give her the life she longs for. She starts believing and becomes his follower. They believe that The Revelation will come. What that entails will be revealed slowly, after I already feared the worst.

A final mention is for Adam, an ex-cop with an – unhealthy – obsession for finding missing girls and this case in particular for his own personal reasons. Adam is on a mission to rescue someone but who is he going to rescue exactly? I was a bit confused how Adam got on Cora’s trail because she wasn’t missing and I thought I spotted a few plot holes there in his explanations but nothing that put a downer on my reading experience.

This is Koethi Zan’s second novel and although it wasn’t as mind-blowing as The Never List (which I gave 5 stars) and has a different approach, it was intriguing and played with my feelings brilliantly. The characterization of Cora and Julie was very strong and on point and I could have given it 4 stars but I don’t think I really want to read it again, it’s not a very uplifting story after all, hence my 3.5 stars.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...

This book failed to get going for me. I was anticipating a spark but it did not ignite my imagination. I am aware that the writer has produced a cracking debut novel, so maybe this second book wasn’t up to the same standard.

For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...

[Tania · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the author's previous title, The Never list, although the characters weren't perfect, it suprised me with it's unexpected twists and turns. I hoped that she would have ironed out the character issues in her second book, but unfortunately this was only okay for me. Although it was suspenseful at times, I never connected with the characters, especially Adam. 2017 seems to be the year of thrillers, and there was nothing in this story that made it stand out. I am sure there are many suspense readers who will disagree with my opinions.

The Story: Julie Brookman has the perfect life. She has many friends, a boyfriend she loves, an affluent family and promising career ahead of her, until one night all that changes. Waiting alone at a deserted train station Julie is kidnapped by James a religious cult leader who believes Julie will bring him his destiny. Locked away in his house Julie struggles to cope and tries her hardest to communicate with James’ crazy “wife” Cora, who could turn out to be more dangerous than Julie first realised.

[Tracy Shephard · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Julie is kidnapped and taken to somewhere remote..she meets Cora

But Cora isn't like Julie.

Zan's second novel is creepy, intriguing and I really liked it. The characters are well developed and there is an actual story.Unlike many books of this genre I was interested in the lives of the people and the reasons behind Julie's captivity.

Although quite samey in places The Follower is gripping and rather scary, Julie's ordeal is twisted. Adam was the one who interested me more. An ex-cop, his young sister went missing and in trying to find her, he develops an obsession..a rather unhealthy one.

Although I did enjoy this read,I feel it could have had more of a hold on me. I felt that the tale was up and down, Usually with thrillers I read in a day but this one I was able to put down, do something else and then go back to it.

Saying that.. it will appeal to thriller fans

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tricky second novel...

As she is making her way back to university one evening, Julie is abducted. She is kept in a locked room and gradually learns a little about her captors. The man, James, is a fanatic who has created his own distorted religion and for a time had a small group of followers. All have since deserted him except for his wife Cora – a woman he has abused to the point where she is entirely submissive to him. Julie begins to wonder if somehow she can win Cora over, so that she will help her escape.

Alongside the story of Julie's plight, we gradually learn Cora's story – the troubled childhood and adolescence that led to her coming under the sway of the evil James. James himself is given no real backstory, so his motivation is left undeveloped – he's simply a mad monster. The final strand of the book belongs to Adam, an ex-policeman who hunts for abducted women in his own time, as a kind of penance for the loss of his own sister to a predator before Adam was born.

The first third of this book is great and then I'm afraid it all begins to slide downhill, eventually landing with a crash which shatters the last remaining pieces of credibility. The quality of the writing is high and at first it builds a good level of tension. The storyline is very dark – Julie's treatment in her captivity is horrific with repeated episodes of violence and rape, although happily Zan doesn't make us watch the latter – it is implied rather than described. Each of the characters is deeply damaged except Julie, so it's unfortunate that she's so unlikeable. Despite the traumas she undergoes, I found it hard to empathise with her or, indeed, to care much what happened to her.

Cora's story is perhaps more interesting and she is rather more empathetic during her teen years, when she is dragged around the country by her drunken father, never staying in any place long enough to put down roots or make friends. But sadly, her story gradually descends from being dark but credible, going straight past melodrama and on down to ridiculous. Adam never really comes to life as a character and feels rather tacked on, as if he exists only so that he can be around for the denouement – a denouement that regrettably becomes somewhat farcical.

The basic idea is good and the quality of the writing makes it quite readable. At first, the characterisation seems as if it's going to be good too but somehow after a bit they stop ringing true. It all becomes a bit over the top – too many crazy people with poorly developed motivation. I think the problem is that none of it feels psychologically believable, and in the end I'm afraid they all begin to feel cartoonish. A pity, but now that Zan has the notoriously tricky second book out of the way, here's hoping her next one will replicate the much higher standard she reached in her excellent first one, The Never List. 2½ stars for me, so rounded up.

www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an arc of this book. I loved The Never List and recommend it to everyone so when I saw this I was really excited to read it. The rest of my TBR was instantly ignored. Right from the start a creepy tone was set and I was swept up in the disturbing story unable to tear myself away. I did not love the ending but up until then this book was brilliant and definitely another I will be recommending. Kept me on the edge of my seat.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* I loved The Never List. This was a good story and I did enjoy it for the most part, though there always felt like there was something missing that I can't put my finger on. The ending was way to abrupt and left too many loose ends after such a long build up, while I like this sometimes with a single thread of a story I am no so keen when they all end this way.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given more stars if it wasn't for the ending. I was really shocked when I turned the page and found the booked had just abrubtly ended. There were too many loose ends still.

Apart from that it was a very good read. Julie is abducted one evening late, at a train station. When they get to the abductor's house, there is another woman and Julie thought she will help her. But this is Cora, the wife. And she will do anything for her husband.

Then Julie's nightmare begins, but she never gives up hope that she will escape and make her way home.

[Nadin · Rating 1 out of 5]

A fast read, based on an implausible concept of human psychology, with a frustrating end.

[Lia Valenti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Libro brutto e incompleto,non merita commenti!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

All my reviews are published here:https://ahavenforbooklovers.wordpress...

The Follower by Koethi Zan is a fast-paced thriller about two women brought together by a leader of a cult. One woman was a willing follower while the other one had been abducted. The story begins with this abduction. Julie is a regular girl enjoying her life when she is suddenly kidnapped and locked in a room by a sort of religious, demented couple.

The story focuses more on the two women than on the leader. Julie’s narrations are heart-wrenching. Her life as a prisoner is devastating and sometimes tough to read about. She goes through phases of acceptance and again the resolve to escape. Her narrations had my heart racing a couple of times wondering whether she would make it out alive or lose the fight in that cursed house. On the other hand, Cora’s narrations are given through two timelines. We get to see her life before the cult and after it. Through alternating chapters, the two women tell of the horrors of being in the cult especially with the leader. However, one is struggling while the other shifts between moments of doubts and content. A few chapters are narrated by the cultic leader.

Apart from the two women and the leader, there is a fourth narrator, Adam. He is a former police officer with lots of personal demons. Although, he doesn’t have badge anymore, Adam is carrying out his own investigation which brings him close to the two women. However, it is evident that something is not quite right with him. He is a bit obsessed with the case and not for the reasons that you would guess.

The four main characters are as different as can be. Adam has determination and the drive to solve the case. However, he is obsessed with it and it is heartbreaking to see the lengths that he went to solve it. His frustrations at every dead end made me share in his disappointments. I felt bad for him and really wanted him to succeed. I wasn’t so sure about his mental status though. Nevertheless, unhinged or not, he was brilliant. Julie is easily the most sympathetic character in the book. I can’t imagine what she went through in that cell. Being pulled away from her life and forced into the harrowing experience was tough on her. Cora is the most complex character of the four. I sympathized with her, hated her, pitied her and then went back to disliking her. Her background story and current circumstances make it hard to label her as either good or bad. As for the cultic leader, I just didn’t like him.

The story is mainly set in the house where Julie is being held captive. Only chapters with Adam and the flashbacks take place elsewhere. However, so much take places in that house. The relationship between the two women was so intense and full of drama. There are sections where I had to flip through the pages very fast to see if they would survive each other. The scenes in the house reminded me of an old movie, Panic Room. One house but so much craziness.

The Follower by Koethi Zan is a fast-paced psychological thriller. If you like this genre then this one may be for you. Although, the cult was mentioned, I didn’t feel like it was a major part of the story. However, it still provided a chilling background to the story hence adding to the tension through the chapters. The ending was definitely memorable and unpredictable. The cliffhanger makes me wonder if the author has plans for a second book or if she just decided to end it that way. Either way, the book is definitely worth checking out.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Julie Brockman hat das perfekte Leben: Ein tolles Studium, einen unfassbar attraktiven Freund und ein reiches Elternhaus. Doch das alles nützt ihr nichts, als sie eines Nachts entführt wird. Benommen wacht sie in einem kleinen Zimmer im Nirgendwo auf. Sie weiß nicht, wer ihre Entführer sind und setzt ihre Hoffnung in die Ehefrau des Mannes, der sie gekidnappt hat. Jedoch kennt das Böse kein Geschlecht...

"Nur das Böse" ist der zweite Thriller von Koethi Zan und hat mich enttäuscht. Das Debüt "Danach" der Autorin hatte mich begeistert und so war ich sehr gespannt auf ihr zweites Werk. Doch Koethi Zan kann nicht an ihren Erstlingserfolg anknüpfen. Ihr neuer Roman ist flach, vorhersehbar und unbefriedigend.

Die Geschichte wird von einem auktorialen Erzähler berichtet. Dabei folgt man zum Einen Julie und ihrem Martyrium. Zum Anderen begleitet man den Ex-Polizisten Adam, der versucht, ein jahrzehntealtes Verbrechen aufzuklären. Zudem bekommt man kapitelweise einen Einblick in die Welt des Entführer James und seiner Frau Cora. Diese Mischung ist zugegebenermaßen nicht neu, fand ich aber dennoch interessant.

Leider blieben mir die Figuren allesamt fern und ich konnte weder zum Opfer noch zu den Tätern eine Verbindung aufbauen. Zwar fand ich die Einblicke in ihre Gedanken durchaus lesenswert, jedoch boten diese nach wenigen Kapiteln keine neuen Wendungen mehr. Koethi Zan hält sich hier an bewährten Mustern fest, die ich so schon besser erzählt gelesen habe. Selbst die vermeintlich überraschenden Wendungen waren für mich nur ein Abklatsch und vorhersehbar.

Lediglich der einfühlsame Stil der Autorin und ihr Talent, beklemmende Begebenheiten so intensiv beschreiben zu können, dass ich als Leser mitfühlen konnte, haben mich das Buch beenden lassen. Das Finale war für mich nochmals ein Aufbäumen, befriedigte mich allerdings nicht. Zu ungelöst blieben viele Fragen. Echt schade!

Fazit: Koethi Zan schafft es nicht, an den Vorgänger anzuknüpfen. Ich kann das Buch nicht empfehlen.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its difficult to summarise the plot here... we start with Julie who is abducted while waiting for a train. She gets held captive by James who believes she will help him fulfill his divine purpose. James' wife, Cora feeds Julie and she hopes might offer her a way out. Then we have Adam - an ex cop with a fanatical obsession for looking for missing girls. In amongst this we get shown Cora's back story and this story is primarily about her...

This was an easy read and quite compelling. I wanted to find out what happened... but there was just something missing for me that often happens when I don't feel like I've got anything invested in the main characters. I didn't really like any of them. Don't get me wrong, I felt for Julie but I didn't find her very likable. I felt for Cork, she had a bad upbringing but I didn't like her. Adam i found to be completely useless and inept to be honest... if ever there was an emergency and he turned up I think I'd say 'nah, I'm good... I'll manage on my own thanks!' There wasn't anything about this i found frightening as it just lacked any sense of realism. Cora and James are clearly disturbed... Julie can't seem to help herself and Adam... well... he just wanted to be a hero but he's just so bad at it!

The ending was such a massive disappointment. It seems a bit trendy now for books to just stop. I really hate it. Given how useless Julie was... and Cora... and Adam I feel like I needed to be told what happened. I could guess but I wouldn't put it past any or all of them to mess it up.

I received a free copy of this book with no promise of a favourable review.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on Hummingbird Reviews.

The Follower is a dark and obsessive tale by Koethi Zan, which follows the abduction of Julie, and the frightening days of captivity that follow that terrifying moment where she is snatched, thrown into the back of a van and driven away to the place that will become her prison. Unsuspecting and oblivious to the danger that lurks, Julie has no idea of where she is and why she is being kept there. All she knows is that it will be near impossible for her loved ones to find her. Not only is she being held captive by a violent and ruthless brute of a man, but also by his wife, a woman afraid of her very own shadow. Julie is determined to find a way out, no matter what the cost. Even if that cost just happens to be her life.

I was surprised to find how swiftly this novel got off to a flying start. There is certainly no hanging about on Zan's half and the abduction takes place pretty much right away. For me, this ensured I was hooked from that moment onwards. From the start, it was sharp, fast-paced, barely giving me time to catch my breath once the unthinkable had happened. If ever there's a way to begin a novel, then this was it. While waiting for her train, unsuspecting Julie is hauled across the empty car-park and into the back of an unknown vehicle, driven by an unknown man. Despite her pleas to be let out, despite the repetitive screams and banging in the hopes of being heard and rescued, it seems no one is going to save Julie from the horror she is soon to encounter. My heart was thumping in my chest at this point. I was absolutely terrified for Julie. The sense of sheer desperation and hopelessness was impossible to ignore. You just can't place yourself in such a shocking situation, can you? You can't actually imagine how absolutely sick with fear you would be at that moment in time, as realisation slowly began to dawn. You would of course think about your family, about the chances of anyone coming to find you and succeeding in doing so. Koethi Zan managed to capture all of these emotions superbly in that moment, and gosh, did it have a physical effect on me. I felt short of breath and my fingernails were digging into my Kindle case with the tension and nerves radiating from the author's descriptions. I wanted nothing more for than for Julie to somehow manage to break free from the back of the van and do a runner. I hoped that she would escape and find herself back in the safety of her own home with her lovely boyfriend beside her. But I knew deep down, as I continued to read, that this would not be the outcome of the abduction. Awful things lay ahead for Julie. Unthinkable things. Being taken by a complete stranger was just the beginning.

Koethi Zan's characters in The Follower were brilliantly crafted and moulded. I think the character who I found most intriguing though was Cora. I really don't want to end up spoiling this novel for other potential readers out there, so I won't go into very much detail here, but as I turned the pages of this book, and the secrets of certain characters' pasts were revealed to me, I couldn't believe what they'd had to endure. Zan takes readers back to the past, unravelling the threads of numerous lives. I was mystified as I sat back and watched how each thread seemed to connect with another, leading us back to the present day. The scenes involving Julie and her captivity in the locked room of the unknown house were terribly, terribly sad. From the food she was given to the physical attacks she endured, Zan really put this character through a hell of a lot while locked away. Time and time again I found myself hoping and praying that Julie would somehow find a way to escape, but I knew as well as Julie did that the hoping and praying was futile. There was an overwhelming sense of despair that remained right the way through this novel. It was suffocating almost, and never seemed to lessen as I progressed, if anything only growing more so.

Throughout reading this book, the path Julie stepped upon was anything but easy or simple. There were so many moments where I could have screamed with frustration at the turn of events thrown in Julie's face. Yelled and screeched and perhaps even cried. Moments where I thought escape was just a breath away which were then yanked from within Julie's grasp in seconds, only for reality to come crashing back down around her. Her attempts remained futile. Her hope and will to survive quickly fading. It was tense, so much so that it had my stomach churning throughout. As Koethi Zan tooks me back and forth between the past and the present, everything began to make sense. I found myself imagining how different life could have turned out for both Julie and Cora if certain things hadn't happened years beforehand. The consequences echoed throughout time like a domino effect. It was shocking.

All in all The Follower by Koethi Zan was a pulse-raising and adrenaline-spiking read about obsession and dark love. I was hooked from the get-go, desperate myself to find a way out of the madness Julie found herself surrounded by. This novel had me on-edge, biting my lip and holding my breath. Compelling, addictive, and purely evil, this is a novel I won't be forgetting in a long time. It's every person's worst nightmare come true.

Hummingbird Reviews is awarding The Follower by Koethi Zan with five out of five stars.

[Uwe Pfaffmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

eine Entführung, ein privater Ermittler das ist der Plot. Drumherum erfährt man wie alles zusammenhängt und begonnen hat. Vom Ende war ich dann doch enttäuscht. Die Beweggründe warum die Entführerin sich gegen ihren vom der Autorin vermittelten Charakter entschieden hat haben sich mir nicht erschlossen.

[Ankou La Faucheuse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ses trois visions différentes pour raconter et comprendre l'histoire est intéressante. J'ai encore quelques question en suspend que j'aurais voulu connaître et me laisse sur la faim cependant mais cela ne tarit pas l'histoire que j'ai aimé lire.

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2017/0...

Ah, this book... It had such an interesting premise. A victim and two perpetrators. Can she get out of the situation?
Sadly, it didn't work for me.

As we accompany Julie through the time of her confinement, the narrative is interspersed with snippets of Cora's life as she grow up, so it became clear early on that this was as much about Julie's resilience as it was trying to figure out how someone like Cora becomes who she is. That was all well and good.

However, I found it confusing and that it dragged on. I soon grew tired of it as, although Cora's memories were interesting, they just weren't enough to pull me in.

I didn't get Adam's character and to be honest he annoyed the heck out of me. Stupid decision after stupid decision, it was just overwhelming. I found my attention wandering during his chapters and only found solace when the stuff he uncovered met with Cora's account of the past.

On the other hand, what I really wanted to know, which was what made the bad guy be that way and where his religious paranoia came from, was never explained. And although the author tried to justify Cora's descent into James' craziness I for one didn't buy it; one minute she finds him a dangerous nutcase and the next she is following him and slowly after fully believing what she had previously seen as crap.

The ending was beyond rushed and by that time I couldn't stand any of the characters.

Sorry, can't say I recommend this one.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Rachel Bridgeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was always going to be a challenge with the 'difficult' second book, there is a challenge in not just meeting the success of 'The Never List' but building on it to establish the audience.
So does 'The Follower' succeed?
On the surface it looks similar, girl is kidnapped by an outsider, with a split narrative between the kidnapped girl and the kidnappers accomplice, and a detective who is looking for patterns in missing girl cases.
None of them are entirely likeable, but that is where the strengths of Ms Zan lie, she creates tonal shades where as much as you want the girl to escape, you also want to find out more about the detective.
What I really liked was that there was no lingering over the abuse the girls suffered, no drawn out 'gore for gore's sake' torture porn or unnecessary details. It is a pure character study in freedom, captivity and how you tackles demons before they become the thing that drives you.
Inevitable comparisons to 'Misery' aside, this will hopefully succeed 'The Never List' and establish Ms Zan as a thriller writer with legs.

[Alexander Henseleit · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟Wenn in einem Sumpf aus Wahn, Abhängigkeit und Hörigkeit Opfer zu Täter werden!🌟

"Nur das Böse" von Koethi Zan ist ein Thriller, der am 29.09.2021 im Fischer-Verlag erschienen ist und seinem Titel wirklich gerecht wird. Denn diese böse Handlung offenbart Abgründe, die zutiefst erschreckend und verstörend sind. Eine Entführung, die sich zu einem verheerenden Psychospiel entwickelt und mich immer wieder mit neuen unvorhersehbaren Entwicklungen überrascht hat. Dieser Psychothriller ist packend, spannend, gut durchdacht, verstörend und einfach nur abgrundtief böse.

Zum Inhalt: Sie begriff, dass sie sich geirrt hatte. Die Frau würde sie nicht vor dem Grauen bewahren. Sie war selbst Teil des Grauens.

Die Studentin Julie Brookman wird eines Nachts an einem Bahngleis überwältigt, betäubt, in einen Van gezerrt und verschleppt. Als sie wieder zu sich kommt, befindet sie sich auf einer abgelegenen Farm in Upstate New York. Ihr Entführer hält sie für »auserwählt«, und seine Frau Cora hasst sie vom ersten Moment an. Eingesperrt in eine Kammer ohne Tageslicht, fast ohne Nahrung und seelischen und körperlichen Qualen ausgesetzt, soll Julie gebrochen werden. Aber sie fügt sich nicht in ihr Schicksal, entwickelt einen ausgeprägten Überlebenswillen und ist irgendwann bereit, alles zu tun, um ihrem Gefängnis zu entkommen. Und Cora scheint ihr der Schlüssel zurück in ein freies Leben zu sein. Denn Cora weiß selbst, was es bedeutet, ein Opfer zu sein, und ihre Vergangenheit holt sie jetzt unaufhaltsam wieder ein.

Der Psychothriller wird aus verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt, was mir sehr gut gefallen hat. So wurde die Spannung immer weiter in die Höhe getrieben: Julie, die aus gutem Hause stammt und dessen Leben bis zu ihrer Entführung wie im Bilderbuch verlief. Sie kennt keinen Kummer und keine Sorgen, alles lief perfekt, bis sie in der Kammer des Schreckens aufwacht. Obwohl sie sich über ihr perfektes Leben vorher keine großen Gedanken gemacht hat, gibt das Ehepaar James und Cora ihr nun ausreichend Zeit, dies zu tun. Sie wird wie ein Tier gefangen, anfangs von James brutal und mehrfach vergewaltigt - mit verheerenden Folgen. Regelmäßig wird sie misshandelt und auf eine verstörende Art gedemütigt. Obwohl Julie zwischendurch die Hoffnung verliert, wird sie dann doch noch von neue Lebensgeister geweckt. Hauptsächlich kümmert sich Cora um Julie und sie genießt es, Macht über sie zu haben. Immer wieder versucht Julie, Cora zur Vernunft zu bringen und doch noch einen Funken Menschlichkeit in Cora zu finden. Aber dank jahrelanger Gehirnwäsche von dem wahnhaften und äußerst gestörten James versucht sie, Julie ebenfalls auf den "richtigen" Weg zu bringen und mit ihr gemeinsam zu gehen.

Julie versucht alles, um Cora zu überzeugen, dass sie ihr vorheriges Leben bereut. Sie spielt das grausame Spiel mit und manipuliert Cora, ohne dass sie es merkt. Es entstehen Machtkämpfe zwischen den beiden, die sie körperlich und seelisch an ihre Grenzen bringen. Neben Julies' Gefangenschaft wird aus Coras' Perspektive in der Gegenwart und aus der Perspektive aus ihrer Jugend erzählt, als sie mit ihrem alkoholkranken und brutalen Vater als Laura Martin in einem Wohnwagen permanent auf der Flucht war. Der suspendierte Ermittler Adam Miller kommt hier ebenfalls zu Wort, da er seit drei Jahren auf der Suche nach Antworten und Cora ist. Er ist überzeugt, dass sie mit einem Mord, der 25 Jahre zurückliegt, zu tun hat. Sein Leben besteht aus dieser nervenaufreibendem Suche und er kommt der Wahrheit Stück für Stück gefährlich nah.

Jede Perspektive hat mir eine Menge Gänsehaut beschert, denn ich hatte tiefe Einblicke in die Gedanken der Protagonisten. Ich habe mitgelitten, mitgefiebert, Wut empfunden und ich war schockiert. Denn der detaillierte und somit bildhafte Schreibstil hat automatisch Bilder des Schreckens erzeugt. Außerdem war er sehr flüssig zu lesen und dank kurzen, abwechslungsreichen Kapiteln hat er für einen schnellen Lesefluss gesorgt. Wie in einem Sumpf aus Wahn und absoluter Hörigkeit Opfer zu Täter werden, wurde während der Handlung zu ein nervenzerreißendes Katz und Mausspiel. Wie das Leben der damaligen Laura Stück für Stück zerstört wurde, hat die Autorin sehr gut erläutert. Obwohl ich immer wieder auf Coras' Verstand gehofft habe, war sie die ganze Zeit ein kühles Monster. Die Gehirnwäsche, die sie von James erhielt, hat sich zu tief eingenistet, sodass sie zwischen religiösem Wahn und der Realität nicht mehr unterscheiden konnte. Auch wenn sie im Verlauf einen Schritt weiter gegangen ist, konnte sie sich nicht von ihren schrecklichen Vorhaben trennen. Für Julie wird die Zeit in der Kammer immer schlimmer und als sie langsam zu Cora durchdringt, weil sie erkennt, dass sie ebenfalls böse sein muss, wird ein rasantes und spannendes Finale aufgebaut. Das Ende war sehr abrupt, wo Julies' wahrer Charakter noch einmal deutlich zur Geltung kommt.

Der Handlungsstrang aus der Vergangenheit, als Laura zum ersten Mal das Gefühl der Dazugehörigkeit bekommt, war ebenfalls sehr emotional. Denn hier erfuhr ich, was es mit dem Mord auf sich hatte, welcher Adam Miller keine Ruhe lässt. Er ist besessen, diesen Cold Case aufzulösen, koste es, was es wolle. In seinen Gedanken hatte ich ebenfalls viele tiefe Einblicke, sodass ich verstehen konnte, warum er wie besessen auf der Suche nach der Wahrheit ist.
Verschiedene Geschichten, die aus unendlichem Leid bestanden, ergaben einen extrem nervenaufreibenden, erschreckenden und verstörenden Thriller mit einem gut durchdachten und logischen Plot, den ich in kurzer Zeit durchgelesen habe. Von mir gibt es eine klare Leseempfehlung!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Nettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a really great read. I cant say it was a non stop page turner, so thats why I didnt give it 5 stars. But the characters were interesting and well written and the story was well paced.

[Le cercatrici di libri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recensione:

Con uno stile privo di ogni tipo di sovrastruttura, l'autrice fa entrare il lettore direttamente nella storia senza ripensamenti o rallentamenti.
Julie Broockman una ragazza soddisfatta della sua vita sia amorosa che familiare, soddisfatta della sua carriera universitaria, che per una serie di decisioni sbagliate o per la totale indifferenza verso quello che è un mondo che cela pericoli a ogni angolo, si ritrova implicata in una storia che è più grande di lei. Julie è una ragazza sicura di sé, una sicurezza che nonostante quello che subirà fisicamente, ma soprattutto, psicologicamente dai suoi rapitori non perderà.
Nel corso della storia il lettore non assiste mai alla violenza fisica che James, il rapitore fanatico religioso, compie nei confronti di Julie per purificarla. Anzi, il lettore ne viene a conoscenza solo attraverso i pensieri dei personaggi.

Stava cedendo alla tenebra. Da dove arrivavano quei pensieri? Quei pensieri sanguinosi, quelle immagini nauseanti? Doveva resistere, perché, se avesse perso la ragione, se fosse diventata un'adepta di quell'uomo, la sua zombie religiosa, non avrebbe più saputo tenere a bada gli impulsi. E allora lui avrebbe avuto la meglio, trasformando anche lei in una bestia


Ciò che prevale in questo thriller è la linea psicologica.
Julie è la vittima, colei destinata a redimersi e a dimenticare la sua vecchia vita con la convinzione che non ci sia alcuna continuità tra l'io del passato e l'io del presente.
Cora è il personaggio più complesso e la vera protagonista del libro. Cora è la devota, colei che ricopre un ruolo sempre molto altalenante tra vittima e carnefice. Cora è la dimostrazione vivente di come ciò che accade durante la crescita, quindi infanzia e prima adolescenza, incida nella costruzione della personalità e nel carattere della persona. La devota è una donna con un passato difficile, doloroso, un passato deciso dal padre che l'ha privata di ogni speranza di normalità. Cora, in realtà, non esiste e la sua storia non è altro che una serie continua di spostamenti e di decisioni sbagliate. Le decisione che prende, però, sono prese tutta con la speranza di avere una casa, non solo fisica, ma anche una casa formata da persone che si prendono cura l'uno dell'altro. Questo desiderio la spingerà verso James e la sua promessa pseudo religiosa di essere la consorte designata.
A raccontare la storia di Cora, indirettamente, attraverso una ricerca assidua della verità è Adam. Adam è un poliziotto in congedo che ha vissuto tutta la sua vita con la convinzione di essere nato con una missione di giustizia. Una missione ereditata attraverso il sangue che gli scorre nelle vene, in quanto è strettamente legata al destino della sorella maggiore che non ha mai conosciuto.
La ricerca della verità di Adam è un ricerca incessante, una ricerca che diventa quasi un'ossessione e che dura per molto tempo. Adam ha messo in pausa la sua vita, i suoi affetti, la sua famiglia, perché il bisogno di ottenere giusti
zia e verità è più forte.
Non posso e non voglio anticiparvi nulla poiché vi toglierei il piacere della scoperta, ciò che posso dire è che La devota ci fa comprendere come non esistono solo il bianco e il nero, ma nel mezzo ci stanno numerose sfumature di grigio. Lo stesso vale per le persone. Una persona che agisce in un determinato modo, spesso lo fa per un motivo più o meno importante. Spesso è lei stessa vittima di quell'azione. È difficile spiegare come Julie Adam e Cora si ritroveranno a dover rendersi conto che tutti, in un modo o nell'altro, siamo vittime di qualcosa. Per questo bisogna conoscere e non giudicare.
In conclusione, vi consiglio davvero di leggere questo thriller che fa entrare il lettore nella psiche dei personaggi e nei loro più reconditi segreti e desideri.

Claudia
4&1/2

[Azyria Sun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein Thriller über erschreckenden Abgründe, Gehirnwäsche und vollständige Hörigkeit

Worum geht’s?
Auf dem Weg von ihrer Familie zurück zur Uni wird Julie entführt und von einem wahnsinnigen Paar gefangen gehalten, die der Überzeugung sind, dass sie die Auserwählte ist. Eingesperrt in eine Kammer ohne Tageslicht hofft sie monatelang auf Rettung, während ihre Entführer versuchen, ihren Willen zu brechen.

Meine Meinung:
„Nur das Böse“ (S. Fischer Verlag, 09/2021) von Koethi Zan erschien im Original bereits 2017 und hier gleich die erste Frage: Warum mussten wir auf dieses Buch so lange warten? Die Autorin greift ein Thema auf, das so verstörend wie erschreckend ist. Es geht um Gehirnwäsche, blinde Hörigkeit, gebrochenen Willen und Wahnvorstellungen. Und die Umsetzung in einen Thriller ist mehr als gelungen! Die Sprache ist mitreißend. Erzählend mit Rückblicken aus Coras Vergangenheit sowie aus der Gegenwart von Julie und Cora bzw. Adam, bekommen wir einen Einblick, wie so eine Abhängigkeit/Hörigkeit entstehen kann und wie sich das in der Gegenwart auswirken kann. Und was die Autorin uns hier erzählt, ist einfach nur abgrundtief Böse und erschreckend verstörend.

Wir erleben mit, wie Cora aufwächst. Sie kennt ihre Mutter nicht. Ihr Vater ist alkoholabhängig und gewalttätig, verlangt aber auch absoluten Gehorsam. Cora wächst auf in diesem Gewaltmilieu und ist immer auf der Flucht. Nie bleibt sie an einem Ort länger. Als der Aufenthalt doch einmal doch von längerer Dauer ist, besiegelt das ihr Schicksal endgültig. Auf diesen Reisen lernt sie auch ihren späteren Mann James kennen. Der sich als der Auserwählte versteht und Jünger um sich schart. Die beiden heiraten und Cora, die zuvor alles tat, um ihrem Vater zu gefallen, hat nun James, der für sie alles ist. Sein Wort ist ihr Gesetz – ausgesprochen oder unausgesprochen. Wir erleben diese Entwicklung mit und auf der einen Seite tut mir Cora unendlich leid. Auf der anderen Seite schafft die Autorin es aber auch in Form von Julies Entführung, einen absoluten Hass auf Cora zu schüren. Einerseits erleben wir Cora in der Opferrolle, andererseits aber auch in der Täterrolle. Dann haben wir noch Adam, den beurlaubten Ermittler, der von Coras Fall getrieben ist und nicht aufhören kann zu suchen und diese Suche über alles stellt.

Der Aufbau der Story ist genial. Es geht direkt auf der ersten Seite los und im Laufe der Zeit schafft Koethi Zan es auf außergewöhnliche Art die Entwicklung darzustellen. Den Wahn. Die Abhängigkeit. Ich war direkt mitten drin in der Geschichte. Habe mit Julie mitgefiebert. Mit der kleinen Cora gehofft. Die Autorin hat mit meinen Gefühlen gespielt. Es war einfach nur unglaublich! Die Spannung riss nie ab. Immer war ein Kribbeln unter der Haut spürbar. Man hat auf den nächsten Knall nur gewartet – der auch sicher kam. Die Frage war nur, ob er physisch oder psychisch war und wen es erwischte. Dieses Buch hat mich gefesselt und der Einblick in die Psyche der Menschen, den uns die Autorin gegeben hat, war einfach unglaublich!

Fazit:
„Nur das Böse“ von Koethi Zan ist ein Psychothriller der wirklich außergewöhnlich mitreißend ist und absolut unter die Haut geht. Die Charaktere sind perfekt gewählt. Die Gefühle, die Psychospiele wirken so real, ich hatte die ganze Zeit ein Kribbeln unter der Haut! Es ist erschreckend, wie Gehirnwäsche einen Menschen hörig machen kann, der eigentlich gut ist und dann für den Menschen, der ihn abhängig gemacht hat, wirklich alles tut, ohne dies zu hinterfragen. Diese Entwicklung ist von der Autorin meisterhaft dargestellt und es ist mehr als spannend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite.

5 Sterne von mir für diesen Pageturner, der kein Lesezeichen benötigt!

[Una Lettrice Selvaggia · Rating 5 out of 5]

RECENSIONE DI “LA DEVOTA” DI KOETHI ZAN
Julie Brockman ha una vita perfetta. Figlia della buona borghesia; ha tanti amici; un fidanzato che la ama; una famiglia affettuosa e un brillante futuro davanti a sé.
Cora, invece, è una donna giovane che sembra molto più anziana della sua età anagrafica, dalla vita segnata dal dolore, dalla sofferenza, dagli abusi.
Cora, o Caroline, o Laura, ha conosciuto solo l’inferno. Prima vittima di un padre violento ed alcolizzato che sembra l’abbia sottratta alla madre quando era poco più d una bambina; poi di amici che si riveleranno essere suoi nemici e infine di un marito padrone che dopo averla sedotta, lui guru da quattro soldi, con tante belle parole, si rivelerà uno psicopatico violento, assassino, malvagio e stupratore.
Le vite di Julie e Cora si incrociano quando Julie viene rapita e rinchiusa in una stanza trasformata in una cella da James, il marito di Cora.
Le due donne, loro malgrado, finiranno per condividere, seppure per motivi diversi, un destino orribile.
“La devota” di Koethi Zan, edito da Longanesi, è un thriller psicologico angosciante e coinvolgente al tempo stesso.
È una storia di soprusi, di ignoranza, di violenza che vede contrapposte due donne.
Julie è una giovane studentessa di college con un futuro radioso davanti a sé. Amata, coccolata, dalla vita facile e “normale”, Julie non ha mai conosciuto il sopruso, la violenza più grezza; la sopraffazione mascherata da credo religioso. E quando si ritrova, suo malgrado, fatta prigioniera, violentata, prostrata nel fisico e nell’animo, cercherà in Cora, la sua carnefice, una sua alleata.
Cora, invece, è l’antipodo di Julie. Lei che non ha mai conosciuto o che comunque non ricorda l’amore della madre, che ha vissuto la sua vita miserabile prima con un padre gretto, violento ed alcolizzato e poi con un marito finto santone, che ha fatto del suo essere predicatore da quattro soldi, il pretesto per fare leva su anime fragili e disperate.
Cora vede in Julie un’antagonista che è riuscita a dare a James quel figlio che a lei la natura, quasi come atto di punizione, ha negato. Ma, al tempo stesso, la stessa Cora vede in Julie quello che lei avrebbe potuto essere se la sua vita fosse corsa su binari diversi, se avesse avuto una famiglia amorevole, una casa accogliente, la possibilità di studiare e di realizzare il proprio futuro.
Nella vicenda dolorosa e sconvolgente di queste due donne, si inserisce il personaggio di Adam, un ex poliziotto che va a caccia di Laura Martin, uno dei tanti pseudonimi usati in passato da Cora che da adolescente si è macchiata di un orribile crimine.
Adam è un uomo ossessionato dalla scomparsa della sorellina Abigail, sparita da un parcheggio e mai più ritrovata e che lui non ha mai conosciuto.
Adam è ossessionato dalla storia di Cora perché immagina che la sorella possa aver vissuto la stessa sorte tragica e dolorosa e vede in lei non una carnefice ma una vittima da salvare.
Koethi Zan ci regala una storia angosciante, cupa, dolorosa; un thriller psicologico ben costruito; con un inizio da subito nel pieno dell’azione.
Una vicenda umana che, purtroppo, ricalca avvenimenti spesso reali.
Un unico appunto a questo romanzo che mi è piaciuto molto.
Ho trovato alquanto irritante il personaggio di Adam, vuoi per la sua ingenuità, vuoi per la sua ossessione verso un passato che, suo malgrado, ha condizionato la sua esistenza e che ne fanno un personaggio a tratti sopra le righe e poco credibile.

[Janka H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are we born monsters, or do we became ones?

The Follower plays with the psychology of the abduction and circumstances and - IF - they can lead into the twist of the character towards evil.

Julie is a beautiful and smart student, abducted on her way home. There is never a ransom request or any contact from the abductor/s.
Cora is a housewife in her late thirties - and more, as she is a part of the abductor "team". And her personal story is the strongest here, as she was once an abductee, too.
Adam is a defrocked cop and the one who is living with the emptiness inside, as his older sister was kidnapped before his birth and his family has never recovered. And that's why he is obsessed with his (private) sleuthing - to find Laura Martin, a teenager behind the Stillwater murders 30 years ago.
And their stories got tangled and twisted.

While Ms Zan's previous novel "The Never List" was a better thrille in my opinion, this one is qualitatively better novel in the meaning of the plot twists and psychological views on the mind of the ones who got turned something they weren't supposed to be. Does the length of the abduction matter? Does the age matter? Does the family matter? And how can one get so changed/brainwashed/broken to cooperate in crime? To believe in criminal's agenda? And how much guilt does that one care?

I admire Julie for her strength of character. She is always fighting back, never letting her (horrible) circumstances to break her. She is also quite self-refelective in realizing that once she has had everything, being a privileged girl in every sense, and that that was a gift, too, not her right.
But I am quite heartbroken because of Cora - not because of her present, but because of her past. She truly has been the one without much chances to turn her circumstances. Poor, poor child.
And I understand Adam in his obsession to fulfill the empty places in his heart - and I hope that Deirdre can see that at the end.

But I am also challenged to feel just the compassion - I believe in helping the hurt ones. But I also believe in protecting the society and in honesty as a base for healing.

This novel got me to review some of my opinions about the subject, and I am thankful for that. It is also (and once again) a wake-up call to observe the fellow people better - maybe there is something going on behind the closed doors and maybe I can help, somehow. Maybe the indifference might be the small crime, too. And maybe the small act of kindness can turn the tide. Maybe.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julie's perfect life is shattered after she is abducted while waiting for the last train one night. The kidnapper brought her back to his house, which he lives with his wife, Cora. Bound and locked in a room, Julie hopes to find some bit of sanity through some exchanges with Cora but the latter is cold and isn't willing to hear her. Still, Julie didn't give up in trying and her persistence has finally paid off seeing Cora starting to open up just a bit.

Cora, on the other hand, isn't who we think she is initially. She may be the wife of a kidnapper and a psychopath, but she had a terrible past with an abusive father and a pretty unhappy adolescence years. Her husband, James, has his own distorted mind of religion and she is forced to adapt to his thinking and behaviours. Just when Cora gets on her life like a robot, thinking there is no way out of her grim and unhappiness past or present, Julie enters into her life. As their worlds collide, they soon realise that they need each other for the freedom they crave but can they trust each other to set them free?

I thought "The Follower" has a dark, intriguing premise. What made the story interesting is having two characters with opposite personality and background (in this case, the captor's wife and the captive) and seeing how their relationship has changed as the story progresses. Unfortunately, the story fell short due to the underdevelopment of the characters and the direction of the story. Julie may seem like she was the main character, but surprisingly Cora was the one who I felt took the centre stage because of her sad past as well as her present life but unfortunately what made her an intriguing character become a series of melodrama and anger and aside from the empathy I felt for her (especially her teenaged years), there was nothing much else I could think and feel for her. Also, James's motivation for the abduction remains a mystery and there isn't much background about him, which I felt is a pity. Then, there is the story of an ex-cop, Adam, who feels he has to take charge of a few missing girls cases due to what happened to his sister many years ago. While Adam's story adds intrigue and intensity alongside the two women's harrowing journey, I felt his story was underrated at times.

Overall "The Follower" was an average read to me. I read Koethi Zan's previous book, "The Never List", and thought it was a better read.

[Reno Thriller Addict · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un auteur que je ne connaissais pas, mais dont les 4ème de couverture m’ont donné envie de me lancer dans une première lecture…Bon…Pas sûr que j’y revienne…

Le début de ce livre est déroutant. Après quelques lignes seulement, l’auteur saute directement de plusieurs semaines après l’enlèvement et nous plonge directement dans le quotidien de Julie aux prises avec son geôlier.
Tout se met en place assez vite, l’identité du kidnappeur, la routine de Julie, en quelques pages, il faut assimiler tout ce qui c’est passé en plusieurs semaines sans trop savoir le pourquoi du comment. C’est un peu déconcertant.
Alors en revanche, si l’auteur ne perd pas de temps à mettre son histoire en place, après. Qu’est-ce que c’est long ! Très long… Trop long bordel ! Au point d’en devenir inintéressant.
On enchaîne les dialogues peu captivants et les scènes d’action, si tant est qu’on puisse appeler ça de l’action, qui ne valent pas mieux…
Le cœur même de l’histoire est une coïncidence beaucoup trop énorme pour être crédible.
Pour la faire simple, un ancien flic qui continue d’enquêter sur la disparition de sa sœur et tout se recoupe comme par magie grâce à l’enlèvement de Julie et de l’enchaînement de situations improbables et assez mal emmenées.
Je ne suis jamais rentré dans l’histoire, à un tel point que j’ai eu du mal à me rappeler le nom des personnages.

Ce livre est un thriller psychologique, mais aucun des personnages n’est marquant ou attachant ! C’est quand même la base d’un bon thriller psychologique d’avoir au moins un personnage fort. Désolé pour l’expression mais les personnages sont tous plus chiants les uns que les autres.
On aurait pu plonger dans un thriller intégrant les dérives sectaires, mais non, on effleure juste la surface alors qu’il y aurait eu matière à faire beaucoup mieux sur cet aspect majeur de l’intrigue.
Les 3 histoires qu’on suit en parallèle depuis le début du livre finissent bien par se recroiser, mais à quelques pages de la fin seulement. Autant dire que j’ai trouvé cette fin catapultée et prévisible au possible.

Vous l’aurez compris, c’est loin d’être le livre de l’année pour ma part !
On est sur un 2/5 qui frôle le 1/5…

https://thrilleraddict.com/2023/08/08...

[Neena · Rating 3 out of 5]

A priveleged young woman called Julie is kidnapped but her hopes of rescue are dashed when the strange woman who comes out of the farmhouse they've parked infront of looks at the kidnapper with utter adoration - for the woman is Cora Jenkins and she's the kidnapper's wife and much worse than he is!
Cora is twisted beyond redemption thanks to her own traumatic past where her own Hell just got deeper and deeper until she thought she'd found salvation and acceptance at long last and she religiously lived by the rules, values and morals of her new religious family but they're in search of "the one" and they believe that Julie may well be "the one" but Cora's jealousy and hatred of Julie grows when she discovers that Julie is pregnant which is the one thing that Cora craves most, ever since the death of her own unborn child many years before.
Cora's initial instinct is to murder Julie and Julie's unborn child but then she begins to believe that Julie's unborn child is actually her own unborn child, who's come back to be with her again and Cora becomes obsessed with creating a "new family" with Julie, especially as the failed cult leader, James (aka the kidnapper) often goes off for months on end, leaving Cora alone at the secluded farmhouse with no outside influence ..........so when James nonchalantly arrives home after yet another one of his grand escapades (and after Cora's had a particularly nightmarish time and is perilously close to losing the battle of keeping Julie captive), Cora's fury erupts to life-changing, irreversible levels when he announces that they need to set pregnant Julie free.

It was a pretty decent read and was well written apart from the fact that it seemed to drag in places and the ending was abrupt and unfathomable and left plenty of scope for a sequel but I highly doubt I'd read one as I was unable to garner any empathy for Julie or for Cora and the added character of obsessed, disgraced officer, Adam was ludicrous and totally unbelievable.