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Of Madness and Misadventure
Detective Madison Phillips and her partner, Joesy Applebaum, find themselves in the middle of multiple murder investigations. Although Madison and her husband Lou are on their honeymoon, PCPD needs help solving a string of murders. Now, Madison and Joesy, along with Mike, a PCPD detective, are trying to find the missing link tying these crimes together. Is it killing that is causing the killer's madness? Or, are the homicides the result of a cold calculating killer? To top things off, there is a large storm churning in the gulf and heading their way. Madison and Joesy must find out before the storm hits, or any evidence linking the homicides could be washed away, allowing a killer to remain free and continue killing.
- GenresFiction
439 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 19, 2020
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 28, 2022
First I want to say Thank you to the Author and BookTasters for a free copy of the book for a Review.
Now the Review!!
Where do I being with this amazing book.... the story grabbed you in and you held on so you can't find out what happens. I had to stop myself many times, as I just wanted to keep reading but when it's 2am and you have to get up at 5am for work. It doesn't go well hahaha.
I loved that we got to be with each main character and see how they reacted to what was happening and the detail in every little thing was amazing!!!
The only thing I didn't like was the pacing of the book. It felt a little slow but I also know with all that amazing detail it's hard to make it go faster!!
I would recommend this book if your looking for a new thriller that's not afraid to go into detail ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Now the Review!!
Where do I being with this amazing book.... the story grabbed you in and you held on so you can't find out what happens. I had to stop myself many times, as I just wanted to keep reading but when it's 2am and you have to get up at 5am for work. It doesn't go well hahaha.
I loved that we got to be with each main character and see how they reacted to what was happening and the detail in every little thing was amazing!!!
The only thing I didn't like was the pacing of the book. It felt a little slow but I also know with all that amazing detail it's hard to make it go faster!!
I would recommend this book if your looking for a new thriller that's not afraid to go into detail ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 20, 2022
Review posted on my blog The Writer's Library.
I wish I didn’t feel as conflicted as I did. On the one hand, this is a pretty solid story with a beginning, middle, and end. On the other hand, it feels like it took forever to get there. I wish I felt better about the story.
Don’t get me wrong. There were things I liked about it. Madison, Freddie, and Lou are solid characters, and their viewpoints are nice to see. Each character is easy to distinguish in the story and seeing them all come together in the plot is nice. I’ve seen this kind of structure work before, and I think it’s handled decently here. However, I did have some problems with it and the story.
Before we get into all of that, let’s get into the summary.
Summary
The story opens with Madison and Lou, two law enforcement officers, on their honeymoon in Florida. While they are there, however, a string of homicides pops up right where they’re vacationing, and they find that the honeymoon may not be as relaxing as they’d hoped. While they are working on the homicides, however, their last case from Fresno comes back to bite them when a hitman is sent after Madison in revenge for the earlier case.
Can Madison solve the homicides and escape the hitman before it’s too late?
Thoughts
So, I wish I didn’t feel so conflicted. My main problem with the alternating viewpoints here is small, but it detracted from my enjoyment of the story quite a bit.
I had bigger problems with the pacing, though.
I feel like we took forever to get to the climax of the story because there’s so much being juggled here! There are all these characters’ viewpoints and how they play into the story, there’s so many different events happening with each of them, and then we get scenes where these characters are intersecting, so we’ll get the same scene from two different perspectives, which in my opinion is a mistake.
Anyway, I’ll dive more into those issues when I discuss the structure. Let’s get into characters!
Characters
Madison
“We flew into Florida on October 5th. As soon as that gulf breeze hit my face, I knew I was in heaven. I just stood there inhaling the salt air. I took a deep breath and held it just for a second or two. I wanted to clean out of my lungs the pollution from Fresno.”
I liked Madison. She was a good main character and a great law enforcement officer who cared about her job. I enjoyed seeing her put her all into solving a case and it was interesting to see the conclusions she came to when working on them.
Another thing I liked about her working on the cases was how she called her intuition her “spidey-sense.” Now, I just saw Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy recently, so I knew exactly what she meant, and it added tension to the story. That said, I can see a problem with it as well – what if a reader has no clue what the spider-sense is? While it works if you know the source Townsend is drawing from, I can see it alienating certain readers that don’t know what that means.
Anyway, moving on to her relationships. I liked her relationship with Lou a lot. It was obvious that they were very close as husband and wife and I enjoyed seeing them stick by each other. However, I did have one small problem with their relationship. Why, in the first half of the novel especially, is Madison so incredibly hungry for sex? I get that they’re on their honeymoon, but it started happening in places where I wasn’t comfortable with it, and it was occurring what felt like every one of her chapters for a little while. Maybe it’s just me. I mainly have this issue because it was occurring in places other than the bed, and I personally feel uncomfortable with scenes like that because I associate sex with the bed. It might just be me, though. It could be completely normal honeymoon behavior and I don’t realize it.
Lou
“Just as I expected, Lou was overdoing it and had already boarded up three windows. You can’t keep a good man down. Not mine, that’s for sure. Already he was making some big points with my mom and like typical Lou fashion, he had her eating out of his hands. He was seriously putting on the charm. He just had a way that could completely mesmerize you. I fell under that same spell so why wouldn’t my mom.”
I liked Lou as well. It was interesting to see his reaction to the Evan Reynolds’ case and how he is still dealing with some trauma from it. I like that Townsend doesn’t go into a full breakdown of this, only leaving subtle hints that he is suffering. To me, it made it sadder, because I know how it feels to have something bothering you at the back of your mind and how you try to go about life anyway.
Aside from Madison, seeing his relationship with Frank was nice. Their trips to the lab to learn more about the homicide victims was interesting, and even seeing them just hanging out at the hotel having drinks was nice. It showed that there was real friendship there, and I always love seeing that.
Freddie
“If all went well, with this one, he could continue satisfying the urge to kill without any consequences. He had several more days before it hit. At first, he thought he would have to dispose of the bodies which always carried the possibility of getting caught. Now, he didn’t and no one would be the wiser.”
Oh, I’ve been waiting to talk about this guy!
Freddie’s sections were the most interesting, but horrifying, in the book for me. Seeing him deal with his victims in different ways and how he left the owl drawings to make his mark for the police was gripping!
I also appreciate that we see what made Freddie what he is. Going into his backstory shows why he’s so messed up, and I love that Townsend doesn’t shy away from how horrific it all is. Seeing the situation that spurred Freddie to become a serial killer adds a degree of feeling bad for him, but I was so horrified by how he dealt with the inciting incident that he’s easily the most frightening character in this story for me!
Henry
“The man lit a cigarette as he stood in the parking garage. Taking a long hit, he let the smoke swirl in his mouth before blowing it out. That is the best part about the South. People still actually smoke cigarettes, not those funny e-cigs. He tried one once and it just didn’t have the coolness effect an actual cigarette does.”
Oh, Henry… I wish I were afraid of you. I think that’s what Townsend was going for. Unfortunately, you don’t scare me.
When I learned why Henry was in the plot at all, I was nervous for Madison, but as time went on, that anxiety went away because he was taking forever to make his move! He wasn’t a very good criminal, which is a shame, because I could see how he could have been.
But it’s not all bad. I liked how he made friends with those surfers on the beach and how much he enjoyed the activity. That said, I just wish there had been less surveillance on Madison with him and more legitimate planning and prepping. Maybe we could see him deciding on a weapon to use or something. But there needed to be more tension somehow. Anyway, that problem deals more with structure, so I’ll go into it more there.
Structure
Okay, I have quite a few problems with the structure Townsend has here. This may take some time to explain. It’s not that it can’t work, or even that it doesn’t work well in certain parts here. I don’t have an issue with alternating viewpoints in a story, I have a problem with there being too many of them. I think Townsend was using too many characters’ perspectives. By the time I would finish one viewpoint, I would flip to the next and go, “Wait, we’re dealing with you now? Who are you, again?”
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel actually deals with the same structure of the alternating viewpoints. The difference with Station Eleven is that there’s a central character at the head of the narrative tying all the viewpoints together. Townsend doesn’t do something like that, so it’s harder to see how all these characters come together.
Take the character Nacho, for example. He only has one or two chapters to his viewpoint, so by the time I was done, I was wondering why he was needed at all. Why not have his information divulged in Lou’s chapters? Have Lou get that all-important phone call and give the information to Madison in his next chapter. You can even have Lou explain why they’re after her, because Nacho could give that intel over the phone! You can even keep Nacho as a character and give him dialogue. He just didn’t need his own chapters, in my opinion.
Another problem I have with the structure is how Townsend will introduce an idea and then drop it in the middle of the story, only to pick it up again at the end! That’s exactly what happens to the storm/hurricane coming to Florida, and I was kind of annoyed that it was like everyone had just forgotten about this tropical storm that was supposed to hit. It made the tension that comes out at the end feel like it came out of nowhere. I’d forgotten the opening hook by that point, so the storm didn’t consistently feel like a threat. Instead, we get the same restaurant scene from two different perspectives, which (while I can see why it was done) felt repetitive. This bogs down the story and takes away tension.
Also, like I promised to explain, we see the tension dropped with Henry, too, because of the way the story is set up. There’s a scene where he’s stalking Madison and Madison smells his cigarette smoke, but literally nothing happens with him after that! I would’ve liked to see something, like him planning how to kill her, not watching her car leave the hotel with a beer in hand saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” He just lost what originally made me nervous about him. He was no longer a threat.
Writing
Townsend can write, and her writing here is actually really good. She can build a scene and knows how to set up tension. The problem with her writing is that she waits too long to pay off tension, if that makes sense. There are some serious issues with pacing in here because she’s juggling too much at once, so that tension is lost by the time we actually get to the payoff.
That said, she excels at setting up characters in her writing. Madison, Lou, Henry, Freddie – you can see how they’re all different, and even though she’s only giving Madison the first-person perspective, we can see how each character is distinct from another.
Her writing is descriptive enough to pull you in and keep you in a scene, which is great for worldbuilding purposes. She knows how to keep you in a scene (as long as it’s not repeating). Speaking of, I did have issues with that one restaurant scene repeating from two different perspectives. I understand why it was done, but it didn’t feel needed. Why not have that one scene from Freddie’s perspective and have Henry come in? Have Freddie be suspicious of him right away and then dive into Henry’s perspective and go into more detail about what he is aiming to do, and there you go! It takes away the repetitiveness of the writing and improves the structure at the same time.
Conclusion
Like I said earlier, I wish I felt better about this story than I do. Townsend has woven an interesting narrative here, but I wasn’t really blown away by it once I got into it. This is mainly because of the story being bogged down by too many perspectives and there was information in some of those perspectives that didn’t really feel needed.
There’s a decent plot here, and I like most of the characters quite a bit. I just think the writing needed to be more concise and the padding removed. Then I think it would be truly gripping and hard to put down.
As it is, it’s mainly okay, but okay is not enough for me. I’m afraid I can only award this 2.5 stars, rounded up to three. Still, I think I’m in the minority when it comes to this story, so it’s possible it might just be me. But I do know that, in order to keep me engaged in a story, you have to set something up and either implicitly or explicitly tell me that you’re going to follow through with what you’re setting up, so I don’t think you’ve forgotten it.
That said, I think I would recommend this for people who enjoy stories with multiple perspectives, because it’s interesting to see all the different characters and how they come together. And I can certainly say that the story is definitely interesting, and that fact alone kept me coming back no matter what.
I wish I didn’t feel as conflicted as I did. On the one hand, this is a pretty solid story with a beginning, middle, and end. On the other hand, it feels like it took forever to get there. I wish I felt better about the story.
Don’t get me wrong. There were things I liked about it. Madison, Freddie, and Lou are solid characters, and their viewpoints are nice to see. Each character is easy to distinguish in the story and seeing them all come together in the plot is nice. I’ve seen this kind of structure work before, and I think it’s handled decently here. However, I did have some problems with it and the story.
Before we get into all of that, let’s get into the summary.
Summary
The story opens with Madison and Lou, two law enforcement officers, on their honeymoon in Florida. While they are there, however, a string of homicides pops up right where they’re vacationing, and they find that the honeymoon may not be as relaxing as they’d hoped. While they are working on the homicides, however, their last case from Fresno comes back to bite them when a hitman is sent after Madison in revenge for the earlier case.
Can Madison solve the homicides and escape the hitman before it’s too late?
Thoughts
So, I wish I didn’t feel so conflicted. My main problem with the alternating viewpoints here is small, but it detracted from my enjoyment of the story quite a bit.
I had bigger problems with the pacing, though.
I feel like we took forever to get to the climax of the story because there’s so much being juggled here! There are all these characters’ viewpoints and how they play into the story, there’s so many different events happening with each of them, and then we get scenes where these characters are intersecting, so we’ll get the same scene from two different perspectives, which in my opinion is a mistake.
Anyway, I’ll dive more into those issues when I discuss the structure. Let’s get into characters!
Characters
Madison
“We flew into Florida on October 5th. As soon as that gulf breeze hit my face, I knew I was in heaven. I just stood there inhaling the salt air. I took a deep breath and held it just for a second or two. I wanted to clean out of my lungs the pollution from Fresno.”
I liked Madison. She was a good main character and a great law enforcement officer who cared about her job. I enjoyed seeing her put her all into solving a case and it was interesting to see the conclusions she came to when working on them.
Another thing I liked about her working on the cases was how she called her intuition her “spidey-sense.” Now, I just saw Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy recently, so I knew exactly what she meant, and it added tension to the story. That said, I can see a problem with it as well – what if a reader has no clue what the spider-sense is? While it works if you know the source Townsend is drawing from, I can see it alienating certain readers that don’t know what that means.
Anyway, moving on to her relationships. I liked her relationship with Lou a lot. It was obvious that they were very close as husband and wife and I enjoyed seeing them stick by each other. However, I did have one small problem with their relationship. Why, in the first half of the novel especially, is Madison so incredibly hungry for sex? I get that they’re on their honeymoon, but it started happening in places where I wasn’t comfortable with it, and it was occurring what felt like every one of her chapters for a little while. Maybe it’s just me. I mainly have this issue because it was occurring in places other than the bed, and I personally feel uncomfortable with scenes like that because I associate sex with the bed. It might just be me, though. It could be completely normal honeymoon behavior and I don’t realize it.
Lou
“Just as I expected, Lou was overdoing it and had already boarded up three windows. You can’t keep a good man down. Not mine, that’s for sure. Already he was making some big points with my mom and like typical Lou fashion, he had her eating out of his hands. He was seriously putting on the charm. He just had a way that could completely mesmerize you. I fell under that same spell so why wouldn’t my mom.”
I liked Lou as well. It was interesting to see his reaction to the Evan Reynolds’ case and how he is still dealing with some trauma from it. I like that Townsend doesn’t go into a full breakdown of this, only leaving subtle hints that he is suffering. To me, it made it sadder, because I know how it feels to have something bothering you at the back of your mind and how you try to go about life anyway.
Aside from Madison, seeing his relationship with Frank was nice. Their trips to the lab to learn more about the homicide victims was interesting, and even seeing them just hanging out at the hotel having drinks was nice. It showed that there was real friendship there, and I always love seeing that.
Freddie
“If all went well, with this one, he could continue satisfying the urge to kill without any consequences. He had several more days before it hit. At first, he thought he would have to dispose of the bodies which always carried the possibility of getting caught. Now, he didn’t and no one would be the wiser.”
Oh, I’ve been waiting to talk about this guy!
Freddie’s sections were the most interesting, but horrifying, in the book for me. Seeing him deal with his victims in different ways and how he left the owl drawings to make his mark for the police was gripping!
I also appreciate that we see what made Freddie what he is. Going into his backstory shows why he’s so messed up, and I love that Townsend doesn’t shy away from how horrific it all is. Seeing the situation that spurred Freddie to become a serial killer adds a degree of feeling bad for him, but I was so horrified by how he dealt with the inciting incident that he’s easily the most frightening character in this story for me!
Henry
“The man lit a cigarette as he stood in the parking garage. Taking a long hit, he let the smoke swirl in his mouth before blowing it out. That is the best part about the South. People still actually smoke cigarettes, not those funny e-cigs. He tried one once and it just didn’t have the coolness effect an actual cigarette does.”
Oh, Henry… I wish I were afraid of you. I think that’s what Townsend was going for. Unfortunately, you don’t scare me.
When I learned why Henry was in the plot at all, I was nervous for Madison, but as time went on, that anxiety went away because he was taking forever to make his move! He wasn’t a very good criminal, which is a shame, because I could see how he could have been.
But it’s not all bad. I liked how he made friends with those surfers on the beach and how much he enjoyed the activity. That said, I just wish there had been less surveillance on Madison with him and more legitimate planning and prepping. Maybe we could see him deciding on a weapon to use or something. But there needed to be more tension somehow. Anyway, that problem deals more with structure, so I’ll go into it more there.
Structure
Okay, I have quite a few problems with the structure Townsend has here. This may take some time to explain. It’s not that it can’t work, or even that it doesn’t work well in certain parts here. I don’t have an issue with alternating viewpoints in a story, I have a problem with there being too many of them. I think Townsend was using too many characters’ perspectives. By the time I would finish one viewpoint, I would flip to the next and go, “Wait, we’re dealing with you now? Who are you, again?”
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel actually deals with the same structure of the alternating viewpoints. The difference with Station Eleven is that there’s a central character at the head of the narrative tying all the viewpoints together. Townsend doesn’t do something like that, so it’s harder to see how all these characters come together.
Take the character Nacho, for example. He only has one or two chapters to his viewpoint, so by the time I was done, I was wondering why he was needed at all. Why not have his information divulged in Lou’s chapters? Have Lou get that all-important phone call and give the information to Madison in his next chapter. You can even have Lou explain why they’re after her, because Nacho could give that intel over the phone! You can even keep Nacho as a character and give him dialogue. He just didn’t need his own chapters, in my opinion.
Another problem I have with the structure is how Townsend will introduce an idea and then drop it in the middle of the story, only to pick it up again at the end! That’s exactly what happens to the storm/hurricane coming to Florida, and I was kind of annoyed that it was like everyone had just forgotten about this tropical storm that was supposed to hit. It made the tension that comes out at the end feel like it came out of nowhere. I’d forgotten the opening hook by that point, so the storm didn’t consistently feel like a threat. Instead, we get the same restaurant scene from two different perspectives, which (while I can see why it was done) felt repetitive. This bogs down the story and takes away tension.
Also, like I promised to explain, we see the tension dropped with Henry, too, because of the way the story is set up. There’s a scene where he’s stalking Madison and Madison smells his cigarette smoke, but literally nothing happens with him after that! I would’ve liked to see something, like him planning how to kill her, not watching her car leave the hotel with a beer in hand saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” He just lost what originally made me nervous about him. He was no longer a threat.
Writing
Townsend can write, and her writing here is actually really good. She can build a scene and knows how to set up tension. The problem with her writing is that she waits too long to pay off tension, if that makes sense. There are some serious issues with pacing in here because she’s juggling too much at once, so that tension is lost by the time we actually get to the payoff.
That said, she excels at setting up characters in her writing. Madison, Lou, Henry, Freddie – you can see how they’re all different, and even though she’s only giving Madison the first-person perspective, we can see how each character is distinct from another.
Her writing is descriptive enough to pull you in and keep you in a scene, which is great for worldbuilding purposes. She knows how to keep you in a scene (as long as it’s not repeating). Speaking of, I did have issues with that one restaurant scene repeating from two different perspectives. I understand why it was done, but it didn’t feel needed. Why not have that one scene from Freddie’s perspective and have Henry come in? Have Freddie be suspicious of him right away and then dive into Henry’s perspective and go into more detail about what he is aiming to do, and there you go! It takes away the repetitiveness of the writing and improves the structure at the same time.
Conclusion
Like I said earlier, I wish I felt better about this story than I do. Townsend has woven an interesting narrative here, but I wasn’t really blown away by it once I got into it. This is mainly because of the story being bogged down by too many perspectives and there was information in some of those perspectives that didn’t really feel needed.
There’s a decent plot here, and I like most of the characters quite a bit. I just think the writing needed to be more concise and the padding removed. Then I think it would be truly gripping and hard to put down.
As it is, it’s mainly okay, but okay is not enough for me. I’m afraid I can only award this 2.5 stars, rounded up to three. Still, I think I’m in the minority when it comes to this story, so it’s possible it might just be me. But I do know that, in order to keep me engaged in a story, you have to set something up and either implicitly or explicitly tell me that you’re going to follow through with what you’re setting up, so I don’t think you’ve forgotten it.
That said, I think I would recommend this for people who enjoy stories with multiple perspectives, because it’s interesting to see all the different characters and how they come together. And I can certainly say that the story is definitely interesting, and that fact alone kept me coming back no matter what.
February 20, 2022
Review posted on my blog The Writer's Library.
I wish I didn’t feel as conflicted as I did. On the one hand, this is a pretty solid story with a beginning, middle, and end. On the other hand, it feels like it took forever to get there. I wish I felt better about the story.
Don’t get me wrong. There were things I liked about it. Madison, Freddie, and Lou are solid characters, and their viewpoints are nice to see. Each character is easy to distinguish in the story and seeing them all come together in the plot is nice. I’ve seen this kind of structure work before, and I think it’s handled decently here. However, I did have some problems with it and the story.
Before we get into all of that, let’s get into the summary.
Summary
The story opens with Madison and Lou, two law enforcement officers, on their honeymoon in Florida. While they are there, however, a string of homicides pops up right where they’re vacationing, and they find that the honeymoon may not be as relaxing as they’d hoped. While they are working on the homicides, however, their last case from Fresno comes back to bite them when a hitman is sent after Madison in revenge for the earlier case.
Can Madison solve the homicides and escape the hitman before it’s too late?
Thoughts
So, I wish I didn’t feel so conflicted. My main problem with the alternating viewpoints here is small, but it detracted from my enjoyment of the story quite a bit.
I had bigger problems with the pacing, though.
I feel like we took forever to get to the climax of the story because there’s so much being juggled here! There are all these characters’ viewpoints and how they play into the story, there’s so many different events happening with each of them, and then we get scenes where these characters are intersecting, so we’ll get the same scene from two different perspectives, which in my opinion is a mistake.
Anyway, I’ll dive more into those issues when I discuss the structure. Let’s get into characters!
Characters
Madison
“We flew into Florida on October 5th. As soon as that gulf breeze hit my face, I knew I was in heaven. I just stood there inhaling the salt air. I took a deep breath and held it just for a second or two. I wanted to clean out of my lungs the pollution from Fresno.”
I liked Madison. She was a good main character and a great law enforcement officer who cared about her job. I enjoyed seeing her put her all into solving a case and it was interesting to see the conclusions she came to when working on them.
Another thing I liked about her working on the cases was how she called her intuition her “spidey-sense.” Now, I just saw Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy recently, so I knew exactly what she meant, and it added tension to the story. That said, I can see a problem with it as well – what if a reader has no clue what the spider-sense is? While it works if you know the source Townsend is drawing from, I can see it alienating certain readers that don’t know what that means.
Anyway, moving on to her relationships. I liked her relationship with Lou a lot. It was obvious that they were very close as husband and wife and I enjoyed seeing them stick by each other. However, I did have one small problem with their relationship. Why, in the first half of the novel especially, is Madison so incredibly hungry for sex? I get that they’re on their honeymoon, but it started happening in places where I wasn’t comfortable with it, and it was occurring what felt like every one of her chapters for a little while. Maybe it’s just me. I mainly have this issue because it was occurring in places other than the bed, and I personally feel uncomfortable with scenes like that because I associate sex with the bed. It might just be me, though. It could be completely normal honeymoon behavior and I don’t realize it.
Lou
“Just as I expected, Lou was overdoing it and had already boarded up three windows. You can’t keep a good man down. Not mine, that’s for sure. Already he was making some big points with my mom and like typical Lou fashion, he had her eating out of his hands. He was seriously putting on the charm. He just had a way that could completely mesmerize you. I fell under that same spell so why wouldn’t my mom.”
I liked Lou as well. It was interesting to see his reaction to the Evan Reynolds’ case and how he is still dealing with some trauma from it. I like that Townsend doesn’t go into a full breakdown of this, only leaving subtle hints that he is suffering. To me, it made it sadder, because I know how it feels to have something bothering you at the back of your mind and how you try to go about life anyway.
Aside from Madison, seeing his relationship with Frank was nice. Their trips to the lab to learn more about the homicide victims was interesting, and even seeing them just hanging out at the hotel having drinks was nice. It showed that there was real friendship there, and I always love seeing that.
Freddie
“If all went well, with this one, he could continue satisfying the urge to kill without any consequences. He had several more days before it hit. At first, he thought he would have to dispose of the bodies which always carried the possibility of getting caught. Now, he didn’t and no one would be the wiser.”
Oh, I’ve been waiting to talk about this guy!
Freddie’s sections were the most interesting, but horrifying, in the book for me. Seeing him deal with his victims in different ways and how he left the owl drawings to make his mark for the police was gripping!
I also appreciate that we see what made Freddie what he is. Going into his backstory shows why he’s so messed up, and I love that Townsend doesn’t shy away from how horrific it all is. Seeing the situation that spurred Freddie to become a serial killer adds a degree of feeling bad for him, but I was so horrified by how he dealt with the inciting incident that he’s easily the most frightening character in this story for me!
Henry
“The man lit a cigarette as he stood in the parking garage. Taking a long hit, he let the smoke swirl in his mouth before blowing it out. That is the best part about the South. People still actually smoke cigarettes, not those funny e-cigs. He tried one once and it just didn’t have the coolness effect an actual cigarette does.”
Oh, Henry… I wish I were afraid of you. I think that’s what Townsend was going for. Unfortunately, you don’t scare me.
When I learned why Henry was in the plot at all, I was nervous for Madison, but as time went on, that anxiety went away because he was taking forever to make his move! He wasn’t a very good criminal, which is a shame, because I could see how he could have been.
But it’s not all bad. I liked how he made friends with those surfers on the beach and how much he enjoyed the activity. That said, I just wish there had been less surveillance on Madison with him and more legitimate planning and prepping. Maybe we could see him deciding on a weapon to use or something. But there needed to be more tension somehow. Anyway, that problem deals more with structure, so I’ll go into it more there.
Structure
Okay, I have quite a few problems with the structure Townsend has here. This may take some time to explain. It’s not that it can’t work, or even that it doesn’t work well in certain parts here. I don’t have an issue with alternating viewpoints in a story, I have a problem with there being too many of them. I think Townsend was using too many characters’ perspectives. By the time I would finish one viewpoint, I would flip to the next and go, “Wait, we’re dealing with you now? Who are you, again?”
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel actually deals with the same structure of the alternating viewpoints. The difference with Station Eleven is that there’s a central character at the head of the narrative tying all the viewpoints together. Townsend doesn’t do something like that, so it’s harder to see how all these characters come together.
Take the character Nacho, for example. He only has one or two chapters to his viewpoint, so by the time I was done, I was wondering why he was needed at all. Why not have his information divulged in Lou’s chapters? Have Lou get that all-important phone call and give the information to Madison in his next chapter. You can even have Lou explain why they’re after her, because Nacho could give that intel over the phone! You can even keep Nacho as a character and give him dialogue. He just didn’t need his own chapters, in my opinion.
Another problem I have with the structure is how Townsend will introduce an idea and then drop it in the middle of the story, only to pick it up again at the end! That’s exactly what happens to the storm/hurricane coming to Florida, and I was kind of annoyed that it was like everyone had just forgotten about this tropical storm that was supposed to hit. It made the tension that comes out at the end feel like it came out of nowhere. I’d forgotten the opening hook by that point, so the storm didn’t consistently feel like a threat. Instead, we get the same restaurant scene from two different perspectives, which (while I can see why it was done) felt repetitive. This bogs down the story and takes away tension.
Also, like I promised to explain, we see the tension dropped with Henry, too, because of the way the story is set up. There’s a scene where he’s stalking Madison and Madison smells his cigarette smoke, but literally nothing happens with him after that! I would’ve liked to see something, like him planning how to kill her, not watching her car leave the hotel with a beer in hand saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” He just lost what originally made me nervous about him. He was no longer a threat.
Writing
Townsend can write, and her writing here is actually really good. She can build a scene and knows how to set up tension. The problem with her writing is that she waits too long to pay off tension, if that makes sense. There are some serious issues with pacing in here because she’s juggling too much at once, so that tension is lost by the time we actually get to the payoff.
That said, she excels at setting up characters in her writing. Madison, Lou, Henry, Freddie – you can see how they’re all different, and even though she’s only giving Madison the first-person perspective, we can see how each character is distinct from another.
Her writing is descriptive enough to pull you in and keep you in a scene, which is great for worldbuilding purposes. She knows how to keep you in a scene (as long as it’s not repeating). Speaking of, I did have issues with that one restaurant scene repeating from two different perspectives. I understand why it was done, but it didn’t feel needed. Why not have that one scene from Freddie’s perspective and have Henry come in? Have Freddie be suspicious of him right away and then dive into Henry’s perspective and go into more detail about what he is aiming to do, and there you go! It takes away the repetitiveness of the writing and improves the structure at the same time.
Conclusion
Like I said earlier, I wish I felt better about this story than I do. Townsend has woven an interesting narrative here, but I wasn’t really blown away by it once I got into it. This is mainly because of the story being bogged down by too many perspectives and there was information in some of those perspectives that didn’t really feel needed.
There’s a decent plot here, and I like most of the characters quite a bit. I just think the writing needed to be more concise and the padding removed. Then I think it would be truly gripping and hard to put down.
As it is, it’s mainly okay, but okay is not enough for me. I’m afraid I can only award this 2.5 stars, rounded up to three. Still, I think I’m in the minority when it comes to this story, so it’s possible it might just be me. But I do know that, in order to keep me engaged in a story, you have to set something up and either implicitly or explicitly tell me that you’re going to follow through with what you’re setting up, so I don’t think you’ve forgotten it.
That said, I think I would recommend this for people who enjoy stories with multiple perspectives, because it’s interesting to see all the different characters and how they come together. And I can certainly say that the story is definitely interesting, and that fact alone kept me coming back no matter what.
I wish I didn’t feel as conflicted as I did. On the one hand, this is a pretty solid story with a beginning, middle, and end. On the other hand, it feels like it took forever to get there. I wish I felt better about the story.
Don’t get me wrong. There were things I liked about it. Madison, Freddie, and Lou are solid characters, and their viewpoints are nice to see. Each character is easy to distinguish in the story and seeing them all come together in the plot is nice. I’ve seen this kind of structure work before, and I think it’s handled decently here. However, I did have some problems with it and the story.
Before we get into all of that, let’s get into the summary.
Summary
The story opens with Madison and Lou, two law enforcement officers, on their honeymoon in Florida. While they are there, however, a string of homicides pops up right where they’re vacationing, and they find that the honeymoon may not be as relaxing as they’d hoped. While they are working on the homicides, however, their last case from Fresno comes back to bite them when a hitman is sent after Madison in revenge for the earlier case.
Can Madison solve the homicides and escape the hitman before it’s too late?
Thoughts
So, I wish I didn’t feel so conflicted. My main problem with the alternating viewpoints here is small, but it detracted from my enjoyment of the story quite a bit.
I had bigger problems with the pacing, though.
I feel like we took forever to get to the climax of the story because there’s so much being juggled here! There are all these characters’ viewpoints and how they play into the story, there’s so many different events happening with each of them, and then we get scenes where these characters are intersecting, so we’ll get the same scene from two different perspectives, which in my opinion is a mistake.
Anyway, I’ll dive more into those issues when I discuss the structure. Let’s get into characters!
Characters
Madison
“We flew into Florida on October 5th. As soon as that gulf breeze hit my face, I knew I was in heaven. I just stood there inhaling the salt air. I took a deep breath and held it just for a second or two. I wanted to clean out of my lungs the pollution from Fresno.”
I liked Madison. She was a good main character and a great law enforcement officer who cared about her job. I enjoyed seeing her put her all into solving a case and it was interesting to see the conclusions she came to when working on them.
Another thing I liked about her working on the cases was how she called her intuition her “spidey-sense.” Now, I just saw Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy recently, so I knew exactly what she meant, and it added tension to the story. That said, I can see a problem with it as well – what if a reader has no clue what the spider-sense is? While it works if you know the source Townsend is drawing from, I can see it alienating certain readers that don’t know what that means.
Anyway, moving on to her relationships. I liked her relationship with Lou a lot. It was obvious that they were very close as husband and wife and I enjoyed seeing them stick by each other. However, I did have one small problem with their relationship. Why, in the first half of the novel especially, is Madison so incredibly hungry for sex? I get that they’re on their honeymoon, but it started happening in places where I wasn’t comfortable with it, and it was occurring what felt like every one of her chapters for a little while. Maybe it’s just me. I mainly have this issue because it was occurring in places other than the bed, and I personally feel uncomfortable with scenes like that because I associate sex with the bed. It might just be me, though. It could be completely normal honeymoon behavior and I don’t realize it.
Lou
“Just as I expected, Lou was overdoing it and had already boarded up three windows. You can’t keep a good man down. Not mine, that’s for sure. Already he was making some big points with my mom and like typical Lou fashion, he had her eating out of his hands. He was seriously putting on the charm. He just had a way that could completely mesmerize you. I fell under that same spell so why wouldn’t my mom.”
I liked Lou as well. It was interesting to see his reaction to the Evan Reynolds’ case and how he is still dealing with some trauma from it. I like that Townsend doesn’t go into a full breakdown of this, only leaving subtle hints that he is suffering. To me, it made it sadder, because I know how it feels to have something bothering you at the back of your mind and how you try to go about life anyway.
Aside from Madison, seeing his relationship with Frank was nice. Their trips to the lab to learn more about the homicide victims was interesting, and even seeing them just hanging out at the hotel having drinks was nice. It showed that there was real friendship there, and I always love seeing that.
Freddie
“If all went well, with this one, he could continue satisfying the urge to kill without any consequences. He had several more days before it hit. At first, he thought he would have to dispose of the bodies which always carried the possibility of getting caught. Now, he didn’t and no one would be the wiser.”
Oh, I’ve been waiting to talk about this guy!
Freddie’s sections were the most interesting, but horrifying, in the book for me. Seeing him deal with his victims in different ways and how he left the owl drawings to make his mark for the police was gripping!
I also appreciate that we see what made Freddie what he is. Going into his backstory shows why he’s so messed up, and I love that Townsend doesn’t shy away from how horrific it all is. Seeing the situation that spurred Freddie to become a serial killer adds a degree of feeling bad for him, but I was so horrified by how he dealt with the inciting incident that he’s easily the most frightening character in this story for me!
Henry
“The man lit a cigarette as he stood in the parking garage. Taking a long hit, he let the smoke swirl in his mouth before blowing it out. That is the best part about the South. People still actually smoke cigarettes, not those funny e-cigs. He tried one once and it just didn’t have the coolness effect an actual cigarette does.”
Oh, Henry… I wish I were afraid of you. I think that’s what Townsend was going for. Unfortunately, you don’t scare me.
When I learned why Henry was in the plot at all, I was nervous for Madison, but as time went on, that anxiety went away because he was taking forever to make his move! He wasn’t a very good criminal, which is a shame, because I could see how he could have been.
But it’s not all bad. I liked how he made friends with those surfers on the beach and how much he enjoyed the activity. That said, I just wish there had been less surveillance on Madison with him and more legitimate planning and prepping. Maybe we could see him deciding on a weapon to use or something. But there needed to be more tension somehow. Anyway, that problem deals more with structure, so I’ll go into it more there.
Structure
Okay, I have quite a few problems with the structure Townsend has here. This may take some time to explain. It’s not that it can’t work, or even that it doesn’t work well in certain parts here. I don’t have an issue with alternating viewpoints in a story, I have a problem with there being too many of them. I think Townsend was using too many characters’ perspectives. By the time I would finish one viewpoint, I would flip to the next and go, “Wait, we’re dealing with you now? Who are you, again?”
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel actually deals with the same structure of the alternating viewpoints. The difference with Station Eleven is that there’s a central character at the head of the narrative tying all the viewpoints together. Townsend doesn’t do something like that, so it’s harder to see how all these characters come together.
Take the character Nacho, for example. He only has one or two chapters to his viewpoint, so by the time I was done, I was wondering why he was needed at all. Why not have his information divulged in Lou’s chapters? Have Lou get that all-important phone call and give the information to Madison in his next chapter. You can even have Lou explain why they’re after her, because Nacho could give that intel over the phone! You can even keep Nacho as a character and give him dialogue. He just didn’t need his own chapters, in my opinion.
Another problem I have with the structure is how Townsend will introduce an idea and then drop it in the middle of the story, only to pick it up again at the end! That’s exactly what happens to the storm/hurricane coming to Florida, and I was kind of annoyed that it was like everyone had just forgotten about this tropical storm that was supposed to hit. It made the tension that comes out at the end feel like it came out of nowhere. I’d forgotten the opening hook by that point, so the storm didn’t consistently feel like a threat. Instead, we get the same restaurant scene from two different perspectives, which (while I can see why it was done) felt repetitive. This bogs down the story and takes away tension.
Also, like I promised to explain, we see the tension dropped with Henry, too, because of the way the story is set up. There’s a scene where he’s stalking Madison and Madison smells his cigarette smoke, but literally nothing happens with him after that! I would’ve liked to see something, like him planning how to kill her, not watching her car leave the hotel with a beer in hand saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” He just lost what originally made me nervous about him. He was no longer a threat.
Writing
Townsend can write, and her writing here is actually really good. She can build a scene and knows how to set up tension. The problem with her writing is that she waits too long to pay off tension, if that makes sense. There are some serious issues with pacing in here because she’s juggling too much at once, so that tension is lost by the time we actually get to the payoff.
That said, she excels at setting up characters in her writing. Madison, Lou, Henry, Freddie – you can see how they’re all different, and even though she’s only giving Madison the first-person perspective, we can see how each character is distinct from another.
Her writing is descriptive enough to pull you in and keep you in a scene, which is great for worldbuilding purposes. She knows how to keep you in a scene (as long as it’s not repeating). Speaking of, I did have issues with that one restaurant scene repeating from two different perspectives. I understand why it was done, but it didn’t feel needed. Why not have that one scene from Freddie’s perspective and have Henry come in? Have Freddie be suspicious of him right away and then dive into Henry’s perspective and go into more detail about what he is aiming to do, and there you go! It takes away the repetitiveness of the writing and improves the structure at the same time.
Conclusion
Like I said earlier, I wish I felt better about this story than I do. Townsend has woven an interesting narrative here, but I wasn’t really blown away by it once I got into it. This is mainly because of the story being bogged down by too many perspectives and there was information in some of those perspectives that didn’t really feel needed.
There’s a decent plot here, and I like most of the characters quite a bit. I just think the writing needed to be more concise and the padding removed. Then I think it would be truly gripping and hard to put down.
As it is, it’s mainly okay, but okay is not enough for me. I’m afraid I can only award this 2.5 stars, rounded up to three. Still, I think I’m in the minority when it comes to this story, so it’s possible it might just be me. But I do know that, in order to keep me engaged in a story, you have to set something up and either implicitly or explicitly tell me that you’re going to follow through with what you’re setting up, so I don’t think you’ve forgotten it.
That said, I think I would recommend this for people who enjoy stories with multiple perspectives, because it’s interesting to see all the different characters and how they come together. And I can certainly say that the story is definitely interesting, and that fact alone kept me coming back no matter what.
January 27, 2022
BOOK REVIEWER:-OKOKO AYEZU TAMARAPREYE
BOOK TITLE:-OF MADNESS AND MISADVENTURE BY MARJORIE TOWNSEND
SYNOPSIS:-
This story by Marjorie is actually a long one but an easy read and set largely in Fresno,California. The central characters are Madison Phillips, Lou Murphy,Katie,Freddie and Henry. In the story we see a display of the madness of killing and its misadventure and lack of purpose. The book discusses everything from teaching; homicide and narcotics as areas of career path at the police academy; need for vacation after a working period;Crime recruitment; Alibi as a defense; Case law as judicial precedence;planned unresolved deaths and killings;Charges;law enforcement; autopsy;forensic pathology;hurricane parties;tourists life style;sports of surfing ;security tips;tricks of crime investigation and weather forecasting amongst others.I recommend it as a general read both for citizens and law enforcement.
LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE BOOK READ:-
👏🏽That in recovery,it first gets painful and then heals.
👏🏽Killing without consequence and when encouraged leads to more killings as seen of Freddie.
👏🏽Every career takes a progression just as the police career progression from working in the jail to the road as a patrol officer.
👏🏽Anger could influence murder intention as seen of Freddie but whether justified or not was the issue.
👏🏽Self defence could also lead to a killing called manslaughter and different from murder.
👏🏽Need for collaboration amongst the law enforcement.
👏🏽Alibi as a defense is most times abused by criminals as seen in Freddie's case when he killed his father
👏🏽Ease of digital facilities when compared to manual is seen in Henry's description of the vehicle he was in which had basic everything compared to the electric cars and its electric windows.
👏🏽A part of judicial precedence is case law as seen in the use of Evan Reynolds case in Mary's Evidence class.
👏🏽The need and impact of collaboration amongst corporate bodies and training institutions is seen in the collaboration between the university training institutions and the police department in the story.
👏🏽Bail in reality is not free.
👏🏽We learn asking questions on dates from Madison and Lou
👏🏽Different surfing board for learners and the experienced.
👏🏽Lies leads to difficulty in remembering or explaining
👏🏽Minding who we socialise with and divulge information to is seen from Madison and Lou's socialising with the person sent to kill them.
👏🏽The fact that Weather forecasts are analysis of weather based on developments.
APPLICATION OF LESSONS LEARNT:-
From the book we see an out play of karma in the case of Freddie. Goes to tell us that the law of Karma is real.
Going through law school, we were taught bail is free with ensuing argument on the topic between lecturers and then students.But the reality of situation in the story as spoken of by Freddie when he mentioned bail money and in society shows that bail is not in reality always free.
BOOK TITLE:-OF MADNESS AND MISADVENTURE BY MARJORIE TOWNSEND
SYNOPSIS:-
This story by Marjorie is actually a long one but an easy read and set largely in Fresno,California. The central characters are Madison Phillips, Lou Murphy,Katie,Freddie and Henry. In the story we see a display of the madness of killing and its misadventure and lack of purpose. The book discusses everything from teaching; homicide and narcotics as areas of career path at the police academy; need for vacation after a working period;Crime recruitment; Alibi as a defense; Case law as judicial precedence;planned unresolved deaths and killings;Charges;law enforcement; autopsy;forensic pathology;hurricane parties;tourists life style;sports of surfing ;security tips;tricks of crime investigation and weather forecasting amongst others.I recommend it as a general read both for citizens and law enforcement.
LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE BOOK READ:-
👏🏽That in recovery,it first gets painful and then heals.
👏🏽Killing without consequence and when encouraged leads to more killings as seen of Freddie.
👏🏽Every career takes a progression just as the police career progression from working in the jail to the road as a patrol officer.
👏🏽Anger could influence murder intention as seen of Freddie but whether justified or not was the issue.
👏🏽Self defence could also lead to a killing called manslaughter and different from murder.
👏🏽Need for collaboration amongst the law enforcement.
👏🏽Alibi as a defense is most times abused by criminals as seen in Freddie's case when he killed his father
👏🏽Ease of digital facilities when compared to manual is seen in Henry's description of the vehicle he was in which had basic everything compared to the electric cars and its electric windows.
👏🏽A part of judicial precedence is case law as seen in the use of Evan Reynolds case in Mary's Evidence class.
👏🏽The need and impact of collaboration amongst corporate bodies and training institutions is seen in the collaboration between the university training institutions and the police department in the story.
👏🏽Bail in reality is not free.
👏🏽We learn asking questions on dates from Madison and Lou
👏🏽Different surfing board for learners and the experienced.
👏🏽Lies leads to difficulty in remembering or explaining
👏🏽Minding who we socialise with and divulge information to is seen from Madison and Lou's socialising with the person sent to kill them.
👏🏽The fact that Weather forecasts are analysis of weather based on developments.
APPLICATION OF LESSONS LEARNT:-
From the book we see an out play of karma in the case of Freddie. Goes to tell us that the law of Karma is real.
Going through law school, we were taught bail is free with ensuing argument on the topic between lecturers and then students.But the reality of situation in the story as spoken of by Freddie when he mentioned bail money and in society shows that bail is not in reality always free.
February 25, 2022
En este libro seguimos a la pareja formada por Lou, médico forense y Maddison, detective de policía, les acompañamos en su luna de miel en Florida donde quieren disfrutar de la playa y el sol.
Conocemos a otro par de personajes, Henry es un sicario que es enviado a asesinar a la pareja, se toma su tiempo para estudiarlos y poder encontrar la manera perfecta para terminar su trabajo; También conocemos a Freddie, un asesino serial que realmente disfruta el asesinar.
Todos convergen en el mismo lugar justo cuando un huracan se acerca a la ciudad, y nuestros protagonistas tienen que resolver este dilema mientras la fuerza de la naturaleza sigue su curso.
El libro es bueno, lo vemos desde la perspectiva de cada personaje aunque claro no hay sorpresa al conocer al malo de la historia pues también vemos la narración desde su perspectiva pero aun asi se disfruta, además suceden muchas cosas al mismo tiempo y se va acelerando el ritmo de la lectura mientras se va acercando cada vez más al final el cual no es lo que esperas en ningún momento.
Me gusto el poder conocer a los personajes desde dentro de su cabeza para conocer la complejidad de su personalidad y sus pensamientos e ideas más profundas y verlos desarrollarse por completo.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
In this book we follow the couple formed by Lou, a forensic doctor and Maddison a police detective, we accompany them on their honeymoon in Florida where they want to enjoy the beach and the sun.
We meet another couple of characters, Henry is a hit man who is sent to kill the couple, he takes his time to study them and find the perfect way to finish his job; We also meet Freddie, a serial killer who really enjoys killing.
They all converge in the same place just as a hurricane approaches the city, and our protagonists have to solve this dilemma while the force of nature takes its course.
The book is good, we see it from the perspective of each character although of course there is no surprise when we meet the bad guy in the story because we also see the narration from his perspective but even so it is enjoyed, besides many things happen at the same time and it is accelerating the pace of the reading as it gets closer and closer to the end which is not what you expect at any time.
I liked being able to get to know the characters from inside their heads to get to know the complexity of their personality and their deepest thoughts and ideas and see them fully unfold.
Conocemos a otro par de personajes, Henry es un sicario que es enviado a asesinar a la pareja, se toma su tiempo para estudiarlos y poder encontrar la manera perfecta para terminar su trabajo; También conocemos a Freddie, un asesino serial que realmente disfruta el asesinar.
Todos convergen en el mismo lugar justo cuando un huracan se acerca a la ciudad, y nuestros protagonistas tienen que resolver este dilema mientras la fuerza de la naturaleza sigue su curso.
El libro es bueno, lo vemos desde la perspectiva de cada personaje aunque claro no hay sorpresa al conocer al malo de la historia pues también vemos la narración desde su perspectiva pero aun asi se disfruta, además suceden muchas cosas al mismo tiempo y se va acelerando el ritmo de la lectura mientras se va acercando cada vez más al final el cual no es lo que esperas en ningún momento.
Me gusto el poder conocer a los personajes desde dentro de su cabeza para conocer la complejidad de su personalidad y sus pensamientos e ideas más profundas y verlos desarrollarse por completo.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
In this book we follow the couple formed by Lou, a forensic doctor and Maddison a police detective, we accompany them on their honeymoon in Florida where they want to enjoy the beach and the sun.
We meet another couple of characters, Henry is a hit man who is sent to kill the couple, he takes his time to study them and find the perfect way to finish his job; We also meet Freddie, a serial killer who really enjoys killing.
They all converge in the same place just as a hurricane approaches the city, and our protagonists have to solve this dilemma while the force of nature takes its course.
The book is good, we see it from the perspective of each character although of course there is no surprise when we meet the bad guy in the story because we also see the narration from his perspective but even so it is enjoyed, besides many things happen at the same time and it is accelerating the pace of the reading as it gets closer and closer to the end which is not what you expect at any time.
I liked being able to get to know the characters from inside their heads to get to know the complexity of their personality and their deepest thoughts and ideas and see them fully unfold.
September 17, 2021
Of Madness and Misadventure is a unique juxtaposition of a novel. The adventures of the bad guy, Freddie, are described in graphic detail, but the investigation by police into his criminal activities is nearly presented as an afterthought. There is plenty of police involvement in the novel, but the police are principally visitors to the novel's setting in northwest Florida and casual observers of the criminal activity, occasionally providing insights about the perpetrators. My thoughts while reading this were that this author certainly has a great deal of experience in this sort of scenario, and the notes on the author bear this out - Marjorie Townsend has worked as a probation and parole officer, pyrotechnician, and research administrator. She earned her Master's Degree in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University. Many of the grisly "misadventures" of the perp no doubt arise, at least in part, from experience as much as the author's imagination.
Envision, if you will, a man who had an extremely difficult young life, murdered his father in a grotesque fashion, shared the information about the father with his enthusiastic sister, then proceeded to become a serial murderer. Add to that an interaction with a hitman whose target is police and a drug pusher who, due to a relationship with those police, reveals the hit before it can happen. How many books can boast a professional killer being arbitrarily stalked by a very proficient amateur killer? There are numerous deaths in this book, almost all in gruesome fashion. Even the weather is highly involved in the story's climax.
Readers of this book should be forewarned - there is depravity, and the bad guy (well, the principal bad guy) does not receive the expected justice in the end, but it's a very imaginative book which will keep you fairly riveted.
Envision, if you will, a man who had an extremely difficult young life, murdered his father in a grotesque fashion, shared the information about the father with his enthusiastic sister, then proceeded to become a serial murderer. Add to that an interaction with a hitman whose target is police and a drug pusher who, due to a relationship with those police, reveals the hit before it can happen. How many books can boast a professional killer being arbitrarily stalked by a very proficient amateur killer? There are numerous deaths in this book, almost all in gruesome fashion. Even the weather is highly involved in the story's climax.
Readers of this book should be forewarned - there is depravity, and the bad guy (well, the principal bad guy) does not receive the expected justice in the end, but it's a very imaginative book which will keep you fairly riveted.
October 29, 2021
Following Detective Maddison, after she was married to Lou, they decided to take a break from work and go on their honeymoon . They decided to go to Panama City Beach in Florida, to enjoy the beach and pay visit to her mother. Her partner Josey joined them with her boyfriend Frank as well as Cinder the cat.
The four was enjoying the love and the beach until they came across a serial killer and a hitman.
Henry The hitman sent to eliminate Maddison and her partner. He was taking his time to study them to find he perfect way for the hit he even joined the group in a night at the pub.
Freddie the serial killer who is fueled by anger and creativity as well, after he first killed his father he enjoys killing. He carefully select his victims and make them his owlets. Our heros joined the Panama City Police trying to solve these murders but Freddie made it real hard. He was very careful the way he chose the murder weapon and leave the scene without a trace but he left one thing in each scene that helped Maddison uncover the mystery with the help of the others.
Then came hurricane Gary and the fate of our heroes as well as the criminals was in its hands, Gary was furious and wow what an ending.
I loved this novel. The Author's Marjorie Townsend characters are creative. I enjoy how she speaks through each character, let us inside their heads, get us know their good and evil.
Big thanks to Book tasters for allowing this wonderful experience. Also thanks to the writer and good luck on her future projects.
The four was enjoying the love and the beach until they came across a serial killer and a hitman.
Henry The hitman sent to eliminate Maddison and her partner. He was taking his time to study them to find he perfect way for the hit he even joined the group in a night at the pub.
Freddie the serial killer who is fueled by anger and creativity as well, after he first killed his father he enjoys killing. He carefully select his victims and make them his owlets. Our heros joined the Panama City Police trying to solve these murders but Freddie made it real hard. He was very careful the way he chose the murder weapon and leave the scene without a trace but he left one thing in each scene that helped Maddison uncover the mystery with the help of the others.
Then came hurricane Gary and the fate of our heroes as well as the criminals was in its hands, Gary was furious and wow what an ending.
I loved this novel. The Author's Marjorie Townsend characters are creative. I enjoy how she speaks through each character, let us inside their heads, get us know their good and evil.
Big thanks to Book tasters for allowing this wonderful experience. Also thanks to the writer and good luck on her future projects.
February 27, 2022
What I liked most about this was the emotional bonds between the main characters. I could feel that Madison and Lou were a married couple, very much in love. They had a close friendship with Frank and Joesy. They were all extremely fond of Cinder the cat. The reason all of this appealed to me as a reader was because I felt it represented a very idealised lifestyle, a certain kind of happiness that we might hope to have. I was happy for these characters who appeared to be happy, because not everyone finds that happiness.
Of course, the story wasn't just about these characters who appeared to have a happy life together. The storyline involved murders. As a reader, I knew about the murderer, and knew what he was thinking and feeling, because some of the story was told from his perspective. While I found him to be a distasteful character, I did find it interesting on some level, to know about his thoughts, feelings and actions.
The chapters were short, and there were many of them. The perspective often shifted between chapters, from one character to another. For these reasons, I found it easier to read this book a little at a time, in small sections, to avoid confusion. However, because of this, I also found it hard to keep focused on the story, keeping track of all the characters and what was going on. That was something that disappointed me a little, because I only felt able to read a few chapters at a time. Having said that, I felt the book was well-written and ended in a way that would generally be considered ideal or pleasing to readers.
Of course, the story wasn't just about these characters who appeared to have a happy life together. The storyline involved murders. As a reader, I knew about the murderer, and knew what he was thinking and feeling, because some of the story was told from his perspective. While I found him to be a distasteful character, I did find it interesting on some level, to know about his thoughts, feelings and actions.
The chapters were short, and there were many of them. The perspective often shifted between chapters, from one character to another. For these reasons, I found it easier to read this book a little at a time, in small sections, to avoid confusion. However, because of this, I also found it hard to keep focused on the story, keeping track of all the characters and what was going on. That was something that disappointed me a little, because I only felt able to read a few chapters at a time. Having said that, I felt the book was well-written and ended in a way that would generally be considered ideal or pleasing to readers.
March 5, 2022
The book features Maddison, a detective with the Fresno county Police department, who after just solving a huge case involving a serial killer, is away on vacation in Panama with her husband, Lou, a Medical Examiner with Fresno county PD. The couple are later joined by Madison's partner Josey and her boyfriend, Frank.
The book also features a psychotic serial killer, Freddie, intent on killing as many as he can before a storm hits and helps him hide his tracks.
Despite the looming threat of a tropical storm gaining strength at record speed, about to hit the island, the four of them must help the Panama City Police Department solve the mystery and find the killer before the trail goes cold.
THOUGHTS.
Author was detailed enough. Was able to use her words to pull you in and that's exactly what you want in a thriller.
But it was still dull in a way, probably because the writer spent a little more time than necessary on some parts of the book.
The author did a good job of keeping us immersed in the book and at the edge of our seats, but she stretched it out too much and this could make a reader lose interest.
The author treated each character individually before bringing them all together. This, and the fact that the book was in different perspectives, really helped in seeing the whole picture and the interrelationship between each character.
Generally, Of madness and misadventures is a very imaginative book with a good plot, and I would recommend to lovers of a good thriller.
The book also features a psychotic serial killer, Freddie, intent on killing as many as he can before a storm hits and helps him hide his tracks.
Despite the looming threat of a tropical storm gaining strength at record speed, about to hit the island, the four of them must help the Panama City Police Department solve the mystery and find the killer before the trail goes cold.
THOUGHTS.
Author was detailed enough. Was able to use her words to pull you in and that's exactly what you want in a thriller.
But it was still dull in a way, probably because the writer spent a little more time than necessary on some parts of the book.
The author did a good job of keeping us immersed in the book and at the edge of our seats, but she stretched it out too much and this could make a reader lose interest.
The author treated each character individually before bringing them all together. This, and the fact that the book was in different perspectives, really helped in seeing the whole picture and the interrelationship between each character.
Generally, Of madness and misadventures is a very imaginative book with a good plot, and I would recommend to lovers of a good thriller.
June 5, 2022
This book needs some serious editing and some beta readers..
The story in general was ok and it has potential to be better..
I'd have liked it if not for a couple of details that made it a boring sleep inducing read for me.. I feel a bit guilty to admit that I used this book intentionally to fall asleep many times 😓
And if took me forever to finish..
💥 It was unnecessary too long.. too many details, too many parts being mentioned again and again.. And the need to explain every single detail of what someone thought it what they said or did, it totally unnecessary.
💥 It was annoying how it is told in 3rd person than jump to 1st person.
💥 I hated the multiple mention of the cat being Lou's mistress, his other woman, his purrito, how the cat loves him more than her owner... Again and again and again. Maybe it's just me but I found it too much.
💥 Why Maddy felt like because she got married that she need to keep putting their friends on the spot to hurry and marry too.. It was awkward and annoying!
💥 Freddie never gave the vibes of the intelligent serial killer that was pictured for us.. From the beginning of the book he killed like four or five people in his town when he was supposed to be this smart murderer who doesn't shit where he eats! And the murders where discovered when he planned for them to not be found until after the big storm!
P.S. Thanks to BookTasters and the author for providing a copy. I hoped I'd like the book but unfortunately I did not.
The story in general was ok and it has potential to be better..
I'd have liked it if not for a couple of details that made it a boring sleep inducing read for me.. I feel a bit guilty to admit that I used this book intentionally to fall asleep many times 😓
And if took me forever to finish..
💥 It was unnecessary too long.. too many details, too many parts being mentioned again and again.. And the need to explain every single detail of what someone thought it what they said or did, it totally unnecessary.
💥 It was annoying how it is told in 3rd person than jump to 1st person.
💥 I hated the multiple mention of the cat being Lou's mistress, his other woman, his purrito, how the cat loves him more than her owner... Again and again and again. Maybe it's just me but I found it too much.
💥 Why Maddy felt like because she got married that she need to keep putting their friends on the spot to hurry and marry too.. It was awkward and annoying!
💥 Freddie never gave the vibes of the intelligent serial killer that was pictured for us.. From the beginning of the book he killed like four or five people in his town when he was supposed to be this smart murderer who doesn't shit where he eats! And the murders where discovered when he planned for them to not be found until after the big storm!
P.S. Thanks to BookTasters and the author for providing a copy. I hoped I'd like the book but unfortunately I did not.
September 11, 2022
I'm a big fan of mystery and crime novels, particularly by Karin Slaughter and I couldn't help but draw comparisons between the two authors as I read this book. Karin's books are generally set in Atlanta and having family there, I love reading about places I know. Although I have never been to Panama City Florida, I liked that the author let us explore the location and the police department through her eyes.
I love to be on the edge of my seat during a book and like some of the other reviewers, I felt that the pacing could have been a bit better and the book a bit shorter to have greater impact and keep the drama going at a high level but that might just be personal preference.
I loved that the story featured strong and intelligent female characters but would they want to jump back into solving another crime while on a honeymoon/vacation and be welcomed by another police department? A bit of a stretch for me but entertaining nevertheless.
I also that the main serial killer narrative was creative and not just your typical murder for fun story line. Using a disaster to cover up the crime was imaginative and interesting and the ending had quite the twist but took a bit too long to get there.
If you are in to thrillers, murder and serial killer novels and are looking for a new author to try, I think this book is worth giving a go. Thanks to Booktasters for the opportunity to read this novel.
I love to be on the edge of my seat during a book and like some of the other reviewers, I felt that the pacing could have been a bit better and the book a bit shorter to have greater impact and keep the drama going at a high level but that might just be personal preference.
I loved that the story featured strong and intelligent female characters but would they want to jump back into solving another crime while on a honeymoon/vacation and be welcomed by another police department? A bit of a stretch for me but entertaining nevertheless.
I also that the main serial killer narrative was creative and not just your typical murder for fun story line. Using a disaster to cover up the crime was imaginative and interesting and the ending had quite the twist but took a bit too long to get there.
If you are in to thrillers, murder and serial killer novels and are looking for a new author to try, I think this book is worth giving a go. Thanks to Booktasters for the opportunity to read this novel.
March 7, 2022
This book closely follows the life of Detective Philips, her husband Lou, he work colleague Detective Applebum and her husband Frank. Lou suffered at the hands of a deranged psychopath after his wife (Det. Philips) busted out a drug operation with the help of her work colleague. As Lou is healing, Maddie decides to enjoy their honey moon elsewhere to get their minds off of everything that has been happening but she can't bring herself to leave the cop life behind so she volunteers to work at the Panama Police Department. Unbeknownst to her she's about to be at the center of the largest storm, there's a stalker bent on making her an owlet and worse, there's a professional hit-man who has been hired to kill her.
Overall I found the writing style of this book to be gorgeous. Each chapter deals with specific characters, detailing how their stories connect with that of the other characters. I also appreciate how the author took us on a written tour of how police investigations work (collecting evidence, profiling and all that. Each turning of the page brought more anticipation. It is a gripping story and thoroughly enjoyable.
I am looking forward to reading more of Marjorie's work.
Overall I found the writing style of this book to be gorgeous. Each chapter deals with specific characters, detailing how their stories connect with that of the other characters. I also appreciate how the author took us on a written tour of how police investigations work (collecting evidence, profiling and all that. Each turning of the page brought more anticipation. It is a gripping story and thoroughly enjoyable.
I am looking forward to reading more of Marjorie's work.
May 9, 2022
First of all, this review is possible because I received an ARC from the author through BookTasters. The opinions I wrote here are all my personal thoughts on the book.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Why? My reasons:
It deserves a good rating because it was a well written book, developed in a slow pace that gives the readers the chance to get involved in the story, while getting a complete background and some character growing. The characters are the biggest reason to reat this book: Freddie gave me the chills, and I thoroughly enjoyed Madison's parts. Her parts were in first person, while Freddie's were in third.
The only reason I could not bring myself to give this story a 5 star rating is that it really takes a while to move quick. That slow pace can become a bit boring after a while. It is good, but after a hundred pages, it just drags the details and could motive the reader to stop reading.
I think it could be a good summer reading, but if you don`t like long books, this might not be for you. Still, very satisfying and nice book.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Why? My reasons:
It deserves a good rating because it was a well written book, developed in a slow pace that gives the readers the chance to get involved in the story, while getting a complete background and some character growing. The characters are the biggest reason to reat this book: Freddie gave me the chills, and I thoroughly enjoyed Madison's parts. Her parts were in first person, while Freddie's were in third.
The only reason I could not bring myself to give this story a 5 star rating is that it really takes a while to move quick. That slow pace can become a bit boring after a while. It is good, but after a hundred pages, it just drags the details and could motive the reader to stop reading.
I think it could be a good summer reading, but if you don`t like long books, this might not be for you. Still, very satisfying and nice book.
March 3, 2022
When I first started reading this book I though of James Patterson. I loved the interaction between the characters. The book begins with the murder of two characters by a serial killer who’s name is Freddie. This man admits he will kill again. Will Joesy and Lou catch the killers. I loved the way the story switched between the two events. Most of all I have to reread this book again see what I missed the first reading. I give this five star review.
May 14, 2022
Thanks to the author and booktaster for giving a free copy for an honest review.
I feel conflicted about this book. Don't get me wrong it's a great story. The author did an amazing job.it was suspense filled, thrilling and I didn't see that end coming. My only problem with the book was it took forever to get there, I feel it got dragged for too long and some part weren't really necessary but aside this it's a good read. Thank you.
I feel conflicted about this book. Don't get me wrong it's a great story. The author did an amazing job.it was suspense filled, thrilling and I didn't see that end coming. My only problem with the book was it took forever to get there, I feel it got dragged for too long and some part weren't really necessary but aside this it's a good read. Thank you.
March 24, 2022
All in all this book is so good! The only thing i would have to say is a downside is that it takes a long time to get to the plot and it feels slow. However, the author, Marjorie, did a great job in introducing the characters and also giving so much detail that you can picture it your head. Though some parts were predictable, they did bot take away from this thrilling book. I would def recommend this book if you’re into thrillers and serial killers!
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January 27, 2022BOOK REVIEWER:-OKOKO AYEZU TAMARAPREYE
BOOK TITLE:-OF MADNESS AND MISADVENTURE BY MARJORIE TOWNSEND
SYNOPSIS:-
This story by Marjorie is actually a long one but an easy read and set largely in Fresno,California. The central characters are Madison Phillips, Lou Murphy,Katie,Freddie and Henry. In the story we see a display of the madness of killing and its misadventure and lack of purpose. The book discusses everything from teaching; homicide and narcotics as areas of career path at the police academy; need for vacation after a working period;Crime recruitment; Alibi as a defense; Case law as judicial precedence;planned unresolved deaths and killings;Charges;law enforcement; autopsy;forensic pathology;hurricane parties;tourists life style;sports of surfing ;security tips;tricks of crime investigation and weather forecasting amongst others.I recommend it as a general read both for citizens and law enforcement.
LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE BOOK READ:-
👏🏽That in recovery,it first gets painful and then heals.
👏🏽Killing without consequence and when encouraged leads to more killings as seen of Freddie.
👏🏽Every career takes a progression just as the police career progression from working in the jail to the road as a patrol officer.
👏🏽Anger could influence murder intention as seen of Freddie but whether justified or not was the issue.
👏🏽Self defence could also lead to a killing called manslaughter and different from murder.
👏🏽Need for collaboration amongst the law enforcement.
👏🏽Alibi as a defense is most times abused by criminals as seen in Freddie's case when he killed his father
👏🏽Ease of digital facilities when compared to manual is seen in Henry's description of the vehicle he was in which had basic everything compared to the electric cars and its electric windows.
👏🏽A part of judicial precedence is case law as seen in the use of Evan Reynolds case in Mary's Evidence class.
👏🏽The need and impact of collaboration amongst corporate bodies and training institutions is seen in the collaboration between the university training institutions and the police department in the story.
👏🏽Bail in reality is not free.
👏🏽We learn asking questions on dates from Madison and Lou
👏🏽Different surfing board for learners and the experienced.
👏🏽Lies leads to difficulty in remembering or explaining
👏🏽Minding who we socialise with and divulge information to is seen from Madison and Lou's socialising with the person sent to kill them.
👏🏽The fact that Weather forecasts are analysis of weather based on developments.
APPLICATION OF LESSONS LEARNT:-
From the book we see an out play of karma in the case of Freddie. Goes to tell us that the law of Karma is real.
Going through law school, we were taught bail is free with ensuing argument on the topic between lecturers and then students.But the reality of situation in the story as spoken of by Freddie when he mentioned bail money and in society shows that bail is not in reality always free.
BOOK TITLE:-OF MADNESS AND MISADVENTURE BY MARJORIE TOWNSEND
SYNOPSIS:-
This story by Marjorie is actually a long one but an easy read and set largely in Fresno,California. The central characters are Madison Phillips, Lou Murphy,Katie,Freddie and Henry. In the story we see a display of the madness of killing and its misadventure and lack of purpose. The book discusses everything from teaching; homicide and narcotics as areas of career path at the police academy; need for vacation after a working period;Crime recruitment; Alibi as a defense; Case law as judicial precedence;planned unresolved deaths and killings;Charges;law enforcement; autopsy;forensic pathology;hurricane parties;tourists life style;sports of surfing ;security tips;tricks of crime investigation and weather forecasting amongst others.I recommend it as a general read both for citizens and law enforcement.
LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE BOOK READ:-
👏🏽That in recovery,it first gets painful and then heals.
👏🏽Killing without consequence and when encouraged leads to more killings as seen of Freddie.
👏🏽Every career takes a progression just as the police career progression from working in the jail to the road as a patrol officer.
👏🏽Anger could influence murder intention as seen of Freddie but whether justified or not was the issue.
👏🏽Self defence could also lead to a killing called manslaughter and different from murder.
👏🏽Need for collaboration amongst the law enforcement.
👏🏽Alibi as a defense is most times abused by criminals as seen in Freddie's case when he killed his father
👏🏽Ease of digital facilities when compared to manual is seen in Henry's description of the vehicle he was in which had basic everything compared to the electric cars and its electric windows.
👏🏽A part of judicial precedence is case law as seen in the use of Evan Reynolds case in Mary's Evidence class.
👏🏽The need and impact of collaboration amongst corporate bodies and training institutions is seen in the collaboration between the university training institutions and the police department in the story.
👏🏽Bail in reality is not free.
👏🏽We learn asking questions on dates from Madison and Lou
👏🏽Different surfing board for learners and the experienced.
👏🏽Lies leads to difficulty in remembering or explaining
👏🏽Minding who we socialise with and divulge information to is seen from Madison and Lou's socialising with the person sent to kill them.
👏🏽The fact that Weather forecasts are analysis of weather based on developments.
APPLICATION OF LESSONS LEARNT:-
From the book we see an out play of karma in the case of Freddie. Goes to tell us that the law of Karma is real.
Going through law school, we were taught bail is free with ensuing argument on the topic between lecturers and then students.But the reality of situation in the story as spoken of by Freddie when he mentioned bail money and in society shows that bail is not in reality always free.
October 6, 2021
This book begins with an intriguing premise: a serial killer goes on a murder spree in Panama City Beach, Florida while a hurricane approaches. Fresno Police Detective Madison Phillips happens to be there on her honeymoon with Fresno medical examiner, Lou Murphy. They are later joined by Madison’s partner, Joesy Applebaum, and her fiancé, Frank. Madison and Joesy are fresh from a horrendous serial killer case in Fresno, so they are somehow eagerly welcomed by the Panama City police into their investigation of this string of random murders.
The story is told from the perspectives of each character, so we know who the killer is immediately. There are pages of extraneous conversations among the characters, but little profound thoughts or insights among them to fully flesh them out.
There is a whole lot going on in this story, but it never really builds suspense. It merely picks up speed near the end and rushes the reader toward its inexorable conclusion.
This book could benefit greatly from some professional editing to help tighten up the plot; and to clean up the pervasive grammar, spelling, and vocabulary issues. There’s potential here to tell a great story.
The story is told from the perspectives of each character, so we know who the killer is immediately. There are pages of extraneous conversations among the characters, but little profound thoughts or insights among them to fully flesh them out.
There is a whole lot going on in this story, but it never really builds suspense. It merely picks up speed near the end and rushes the reader toward its inexorable conclusion.
This book could benefit greatly from some professional editing to help tighten up the plot; and to clean up the pervasive grammar, spelling, and vocabulary issues. There’s potential here to tell a great story.
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