Die Katze

by Joy Fielding

Wer die Wahrheit sucht, begibt sich in tödliche Gefahr!

Charley Webb lebt in Florida und ist allein erziehende Mutter von zwei kleinen Kindern. Mit Leidenschaft übt sie ihren Beruf als Journalistin aus, und dank ihrer viel beachteten Artikel ist sie keine Unbekannte in Palm Beach. Eines Tages erhält sie eine E-Mail, die ihr nicht geheuer ist: Jill Rohmer, die des kaltblütigen Mordes an drei Kindern überführt wurde und im Gefängnis in der Todeszelle sitzt, bietet Charley ihre Geschichte exklusiv für ein Buchprojekt an. Zunächst zögert Charley, doch da die Herausforderung sie reizt, willigt sie schließlich ein. Während sie aber noch damit beschäftigt ist, erste Recherchen über Jill einzuholen, bekommt sie plötzlich entsetzliche Drohbriefe, in denen der Tod ihrer Kinder angekündigt wird. Charley ist außer sich vor Angst – und sie ahnt, dass sie Geister rief, die ihr zum mörderischen Verhängnis werden könnten …

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Audiobook

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Joy Fielding (née Tepperman; born March 18, 1945) is a Canadian novelist and actress. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career, appearing in the film Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) and in an episode of Gunsmoke. She later changed her last name to Fielding (after Henry Fielding) and began writing novels.
Fielding is also the screenwriter of the television film Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story.

At the age of 8, Joy Tepperman wrote her first story and sent it into a local magazine, and at age 12 sent in her first TV script, however both were rejected. She had a brief acting career, eventually giving it up to write full-time in 1972. She has published to date 22 novels, two of which were converted into film. Fielding's process of having an idea to the point the novel is finished generally takes a year, the writing itself taking four to eight months. Joy Fielding sets most of her novels in American cities such as Boston and Chicago. She has said that she prefers to set her novels in "big American cities, [as the] landscape seems best for [her] themes of urban alienation and loss of identity. Fielding is a Canadian citizen. Her husband's name is Warren, and they have two daughters, Annie and Shannon. They have property in Toronto, Ontario, as well as Palm Beach, Florida.

Fielding had an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2007, just after her publication of Heartstopper. She enjoys catching readers off guard with the endings of her stories, but insists that "[it] isn't what her fiction is about", but rather more about the development of her characters. Discussing her novels with the Toronto Star in 2008, she said "I might not write fiction in the literary sense. But I write very well. My characters are good. My dialog is good. And my stories are really involving. I'm writing exactly the kind of books I like to write. And they're the kind of books I like to read. They're popular commercial fiction. That's what they are."

Fielding has been noted as a novelist who is more popular in the United States and foreign countries, rather than in her native Canada. For example, the novel Kiss Mommy Goodbye was more popular in the States, and See Jane Run in Germany. In addition, she had an American agent and publisher, although she has now switched to a Canadian publisher.

Reviews

[Tannaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

پر از غافلگیری

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a new reader to Joy Fielding's work, I was not sure what to expect of 'Charley's Web', and was less than thrilled when I read the synopsis. At the library I would have steered clear from this book giving it a cursory glance and resuming my search. You see, as a reader I have this growing apprehension about reading novels where the main character is a reporter. You might be asking yourself why? and to be perfectly honest I don't know the answer--in my reading world it just is--what can I say "I'm a work in progress". So why did I read it? Well, 'Charley's Web' was one of this months picks in my online reading group, and there's no time like the present to work on my growth as a reader, so I cracked open 'Charley's Web' and was pleasantly surprised.

I wasn't instantly hooked, but Fielding definitely piqued my interest within the first few chapters. I noticed the biggest shift with my interest when Charley's family was introduced. While Charley's family is only one element of this book, Fielding did a great job giving the Webb family dimension. She brought to life each individual of this family by exploring issues that families today may struggle with, which made them very relate-able. This development spilled over to Charley's character which added to her own development.

I'd have to say I really enjoyed a lot of the characters in this story. One minute I'd find myself sympathizing with a character, only to be completely shocked by them shortly there after. Now, knowing how the story ends, it definitely had me rethinking about a lot of the scenes and actually made me go back and read certain ones just to make sure I didn't miss any tells.

'Charley's Web' was a fast paced suspenseful read. Fielding did a great job at moving the story along so it never became stagnant or boring. I've read many books where main characters seem to be stuck in the endless run of internal monologue. As a reader I find this very frustrating especially if it's off balance (too much internal monologue not enough dialogue) but Fielding managed to keep the internal monologues to a minimum. However, I felt there were too many flashbacks to conversations Charley had with other characters. While once in a while this wouldn't bother me, it became quite frequent and very frustrating by the end--I know what was said and didn't need another reminder.

So will I read another Joy Fielding book? Absolutely. I was unable to figure out the "whodunnit" part of the story and I pride myself in usually figuring out who the villain is. While I speculated it was this individual I wasn't sure until the scene played out. This was enough to secure my return. See you soon Joy Fielding, I'll be back.

[Kellyflower · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to like a book when the main character is not like-able. She even admits it. That she puts up walls and is not friendly with anyone. She doesn't even speak to her co-workers. She has embarrassed neighbors with her columns and thinks nothing of it.

"For God's sake, Lynn. What did you expect?" Charley interrupted, annoyed at having to defend herself. "I'm a reporter. You know that. This sort of story is right up my alley. Of course I'm going to write about it....."

So she's not friendly with anyone, Well except for men. She loves men. Has two children by two different fathers. One father was a man that was putting in the pool next door. The other a man that was showing her computers. (I think that was it..)
Here's a little something from the way she thinks:

"It felt strange to be sitting so close to a man who clearly had no interest in her, she thought, unable to remember the last time that had happened. She'd long grown accustomed to men falling all over themselves in an effort to impress her."

So, say that wouldn't bother you, how about the fact that she lets a night club owner take her son somewhere, because she really needs a babysitter. A man she really didn't like and doesn't KNOW!

"Could she do it? she wondered, inching forward in her chair. Then, immediately: what was the matter with her? She barely knew the man, for God's sake, and what she did know was unsavory, to say the least. A nightclub owner, a ladies' man, a "gangster wannabe." Hadn't she all but accused him of having mob connections? Still, her instincts told her he was a good man at heart, and it wasn't as if he'd be alone with her son. His own son would be there, along with the boy's mother and stepfather...."

I probably would have enjoyed this book more if the main character wasn't Charley. The story was interesting, although there were small parts that I felt bothered by. When Jill talked about how the children got murdered. I just hate reading stuff like that.

[Elisso]

"Σε τελική ανάλυση, τα πάντα εξαρτώνται από την παιδική μας ηλικία. Οτιδήποτε γινόμαστε ως ενήλικες είναι άμεσα συνυφασμένο με αυτό που ήμαστε ως παιδιά, με το πως μας φέρθηκαν, με το ποιοι και με ποιον τρόπο διαμόρφωσαν τις ιδέες και τις αξίες μας..."

Και έτσι ακριβώς είναι. Το περιβάλλον μέσα στο οποίο μεγαλώσαμε διαμορφώνει τον χαρακτήρα μας, την προσωπικότητα μας, την συμπεριφορά μας, το σκεπτικό μας και την εικόνα που έχουμε για τους γύρω μας. Μεγαλώνοντας μας δίνεται η δυνατότητα να επιλέξουμε ποιο μονοπάτι θα ακολουθήσουμε. Ποιους θα επιλέξουμε να συγχωρήσουμε και ποιους θα αποκόψουμε τελείως από τη ζωή μας.

Η Τσάρλι Γουέμπ είναι μια νέα γυναίκα, ανύπαντρη μητέρα που διατηρεί μια δημοφιλή στήλη στην Palm Beach Post. Έχει αποφασίσει να αφήσει έξω από τη ζωή της την οικογένεια της και τους γείτονες της καθώς αισθάνεται πως την απορρίπτουν. Η μητέρα της εγκατέλειψε εκείνη και τα αδέρφια της για να μεταναστεύσει στην Αυστραλία και η επιστροφή της μετά από 20 χρόνια απουσίας μόνο αμηχανία μπορεί να της προκαλέσει. Παρ' όλα αυτά είναι και η μοναδική που της άνοιξε την πόρτα αλλά όχι και την αγκαλιά της και την δέχτηκε κατά έναν τρόπο πίσω.

Όταν αρχίζει να λαμβάνει απειλητικά  e-mail για την ίδια αλλά και για τα παιδιά της θορυβείται και παλεύει να τα προστατεύσει. Παράλληλα θα λάβει κι ένα γράμμα από μια κατάδικο, την Τζιλ Ρόμερ, η οποία έχει καταδικασθεί σε θάνατο για την δολοφονία τριών παιδιών. Η Τζιλ θέλει η Τσάρλι να γράψει ένα βιβλίο για αυτήν και την ιστορία της. Όταν δέχεται να το κάνει θα έρθουν στο φως πολλές κρυμμένες πτυχές του χαρακτήρα της Τζιλ, μιας κοπέλας με σοβαρά ψυχολογικά προβλήματα λόγω της κακοποίησης που είχε δεχθεί από τον αδελφό της και τον πατέρα της όταν ήταν μικρή, και θα φέρουν την Τσάρλι στα όρια της. Στο μονοπάτι που έχει επιλέξει να ακολουθήσει θα βρει πολλά αγκάθια και κινδύνους αλλά και την στήριξη από ανθρώπους που πίστευε οτι δεν την έβλεπαν με καλό μάτι. Θα ανακαλύψει ξανά την οικογένεια της και θα δημιουργήσει από την αρχή δεσμούς αγάπης μαζί τους.

Η Joy Fielding δημιουργεί για άλλη μια φορά, μετά το "Σε κώμα", ένα ψυχολογικό θρίλερ με κοινωνικές προεκτάσεις και χαρίζει στους αναγνώστες μια υπόθεση γεμάτη ίντριγκες και ανατροπές. Οι χαρακτήρες που έχει δημιουργήσει είναι ιδιαίτεροι και ο καθένας τους παλεύει με τα φαντασμάτα του παρελθόντος του. Ένα χαλαρό ανάγνωσμα που θα μας κρατήσει ευχάριστη παρέα μια βροχερή και κρύα μέρα του φθινοπώρου που κάνει δειλά δειλά την εμφάνιση του.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read by this author. My mother recommended her to me and I'm glad she did. Although about two thirds of the way through I had the identity of Jill's partner figured out I still enjoyed the book.

Charley Webb has a column in the local paper. She tells about her life, beauty secrets, whatever she wants to talk about for the week. It is very popular and she gets loads of email both good and bad.

Jill Rohmer, a convicted child murderer, is on death row and contacts Charley about writing her story. Through Jill's attorney, Alex Prescott, she arranges to meet with Jill to decide if she wants to take on the project.

Right off the bat you can tell Jill Rohmer is a sociopath who enjoys playing people. Charley agrees to do the book on her terms but its obvious from the start to a certain degree Jill is pulling the strings.

The research Charley does takes her on a twisted path and when she becomes involved with Jill's attorney Jill seems to be very put out and angry.

I won't give any details of the last third of the book but tension builds and Charley and her children get into grave danger.

I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

[Aisling · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was singularly unimpressed with this book, and I was puzzled by this as I have read other books by Fielding which I thoroughly enjoyed. I found the writing style and the lack of flow (the story was told in increments with a rather disconnected jumping from idea to idea) somewhat disconcerting, but the real reason I didn't care for--and didn't choose to finish--the book is that I could summon up no empathy for, nor any interest in, any of the characters, beginning with Charley Webb herself. I don't care to waste my time reading books where my only thoughts as I read vacillate back and forth between "why are you such a b***h" and "get to the point, willya?" I hope some other of Joy Fielding's books might restore my faith in her abilities, but as of now, I think she might be on my "someone I used to read" list.

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charley (Charlotte) is a columnist for a newspaper. When she is contacted by a child murderer on death row to write her side of the story, Charley is a bit hesitant, but decides to do it. Meanwhile, she and her two kids’ lives are being threatened due to some of what she’s writing in her columns.

This really pulled me in. I wanted to keep reading, and I did! I finished it faster than I’d expected, but the drawback is that I’m afraid I might forget it quicker, as well. However, it was a great read while I was reading, that’s for sure! Definite twist ending I certainly didn’t see coming!

[Hannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een goed boek. Het is geen standaard thriller. Lange tijd lijkt het een gewoon verhaal over Charley, die werkt aan een boek over een kindermoordenares. Pas op het einde wordt het echt spannend. Toch is het boek allerminst saai. Het is boeiend geschreven, waardoor je blijft lezen. Hoewel ik op het einde wel een vermoeden had, wist ik lange tijd niet hoe het verhaal in elkaar stak. Dat was bij een ander boek van Joy Fielding ook het geval. Ik heb inmiddels een paar boeken van haar gelezen en ze is echt een goede schrijfster. Dus dit zal zeker niet mijn laatste zijn. Ik vind het wel leuk dat ze geen standaard thrillers schrijft en dat niets is wat het lijkt. Een aanrader.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Katze hat mich von Anfang an gefesselt und bis zum Schluss gehalten.
Die Familienverhältnisse auf beiden Seiten haben mir sehr gut gefallen.
Schade das die Geschichte es zu Ende ist,hätte gern noch mehr von Charly gelesen.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten how much I enjoy Joy Fielding's books! I picked this one because I am determined to read the books that have been sitting on my shelves for years, sadly neglected and unread. This book turned out to be a real page turner. I could not put it down. I read it until about midnight, tried to sleep and then picked it up again and finished it at 3 AM.

Charley Webb is a reporter for the Palm Beach Post. When she she receives a request from a death row inmate to write a book about her, telling her that she will give her the "true story", Charley agrees. Meanwhile, Charley is beginning to receive death threats at work, which include her children.

As Charley starts to interview Jill Rohmer, the woman who killed 3 children, she is drawn down the rabbit hole of Jill's psychopathology. As the murder case and the death threats begin to seem to intertwine, the book comes to a stunning conclusion.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this book. At first Charley is inherently unlikable. She is abrupt to those around her, unfriendly to her neighbors, afraid to get close to anyone but her children, who she adores. She comes from an extremely dysfunctional family. Her mother abandoned them when she was 8, but she recently came back into her life. Charley has had a hard time accepting her. Her siblings, with whom Charley has strained relationships, refuse to see her mother. Her father, a cold, imperious man, has decided that she has betrayed him by even seeing her mother. It is easy to see why Charley has put up so many walls around herself. It seems that once people started acting kindly towards Charley, she started breaking down her walls a bit. And little Bandit helped a lot. The portrayal of Jill's psychopathology was just spot on. She just creeped me out. (It is interesting that both Charley and Jill come from dysfunctional families but turned out so differently. Granted they were greatly forms of dysfunction, but apparently one was a bad seed and one wasn't.)

My only ding on this book is that the woman protagonist has to be rescued by a man. Can't a woman get herself out of danger? Other than that, this is a real thrill ride. I did not see the ending coming at all. At 3 AM what did I expect? Anyway, I definitely recommend this to those who like mysteries. It's kind of a beach read mystery, with a nasty psychopath. What fun!

[Kersi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It wasn't my aim to finish this book today but I simply couldn't stop reading!
This was such a well written story full of interesting characters and surprising plot twists.
Wow, this was my 3rd Joy Fielding book and by far my favourite!

[Jessica (a.thousand.lives.by.jess) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ☆
Warnungen sind angebracht!

[Anastasia Perrou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο μου δόθηκε από βιβλιόφιλο αναφέροντας μου, θα σου αρέσει για την εξέλιξη που επιφυλάσσει. Ψάχνοντας για την συγγραφέα έμαθα ότι στην Ελλάδα από τις εκδόσεις Διόπτρα έχει εκδοθεί ένα ακόμη βιβλίο της "Σε κώμα" που ανήκει στην κατηγορία των αστυνομικών -θρίλερ βιβλίων.

Το βιβλίο με τον βαρύ τίτλο "Επίλογος θανάτου" ξεκινά με την Τσάρλι Γουέμπ εργάζεται ως δημοσιογράφος και έχει μια δική της στήλη σε μια γνωστή εφημερίδα εκεί γράφει τις απόψεις της για καθημερινά ζητήματα που την απασχολούν κατά καιρούς. Είναι ανύπαντρη μητέρα δύο παιδιών που υπεραγαπά και προσπαθεί να έρθει πιο κοντά στη μητέρα της που επέστρεψε από την Αυστραλία αφού είχε εγκαταλείψει εκείνη και τα αδέλφια της όταν ήταν μικρά σε ηλικία.

Η Τσάρλι παράλληλα με τα email που λαμβάνει από τους αναγνώστες της και απαντά σε αυτά, λαμβάνει και ένα γράμμα από μια τρόφιμο, την Τζιλ Ρόμερ. Που έχει καταδικαστεί σε θάνατο για τη δολοφονία τριών παιδιών. Στην επιστολή αυτή η Τζιλ ζητά από την Τσάρλι να αναλάβει την συγγραφή της βιογραφίας της που θα αποκαλύπτει τα πάντα σχετικά με τις δολοφονίες αλλά και το παρελθόν της ίδιας. Η Τσάρλι όπως είναι λογικό διστάζει στην αρχή γιατί έχει να κάνει με μια διαταραγμένη προσωπικότητα, αλλά τελικά παίρνει την απόφαση να γράψει το βιβλίο γιατί το βλέπει και ως ευκαιρία ζωής.
Ένα από email που έλαβε την ίδια ημέρα με την επιστολή, ήταν ένας οργισμένος αναγνώστης που απειλούσε τη ζωή των παιδιών της, η Τσάρλι ενημερώνει για αυτό το email όχι μόνο τον διευθυντή της αλλά και την αστυνομία που τελικά θεωρούν πως είναι απλά απειλές για να την τρομοκρατήσουν και τίποτα παραπάνω.

Η γραφή απλή, λιτή και η εξέλιξη του βιβλίου όχι τόσο γρήγορη όσο θα την ήθελα αλλά δεν κουράζει τον αναγνώστη γιατί διαρκώς δίνει και κάτι καινούργιο οπότε το ενδιαφέρον μένει αμείωτο. Θεωρώ πως βασίζεται περισσότερο στην ψυχοσύνθεση των χαρακτήρων και σε καταστάσεις που έχουν βιώσει στην παιδική ηλικία όχι μόνο της Τζιλ που είναι η δολοφόνος αλλά και της Τσάρλι που ως δημοσιογράφος και μητέρα δυο ανήλικων παιδιών έχει παιδικά "τραύματα" λόγω που την εγκατέλειψε η μητέρα της.
Νιώθω πως η κεντρική ιδέα δεν είναι τόσο το θρίλερ αλλά να μας τονίσει ότι το περιβάλλον μέσα στο οποίο μεγαλώνουμε όλοι μας είναι αυτό που διαμορφώνει στην τελική τον χαρακτήρα μας, την συμπεριφορά μας, τον τρόπο που σκεπτόμαστε αλλά και τις τελικές αποφάσεις που λαμβάνουμε που μας καθορίζουν ως ανθρώπους.
Επίσης ότι είναι στο χέρι όλων μας να αποβάλλουμε ότι κακά βιώματα έχουμε ζήσει, να κρατήσουμε μόνο τα καλά, να προσπαθούμε να βελτιώσουμε τον εαυτό μας αλλά και να έρθουμε πιο κοντά με τους ανθρώπους που θέλουμε να έχουμε κοντά μας.

Παρόλο που η υπόθεση θεωρείται "βατή", το αποκορύφωμα σε αυτό το βιβλίο υπάρχει στις τελευταίες περίπου 100 σελίδες με αποτέλεσμα να γίνεται μια εξ' ολοκλήρου ανατροπή και να παρουσιάζονται στοιχεία που νωρίτερα δεν υπήρχαν καν.
Ένα βιβλίο που σίγουρα θα γεμίσει τις ώρες ανάγνωσης σας, ίσως κάποια στοιχεία να τα έχετε ξαναδεί σε ταινίες, σειρές με αποτέλεσμα να μην νιώθετε ότι έχει διαβάσει κάτι καινούργιο ως υπόθεση και όμως η γραφή της Fielding είναι αυτό που σας αποζημιώνει στο τέλος.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 stars for Fielding's latest, August 27, 2008

This review is from: Charley's Web: A Novel (Hardcover)

This was a novel that, despite its predictability, provided enough depth and entertainment to keep me reading even after I had figured out the denouement. The story -- a convicted child killer wants a book written about the crimes and holds out some tantalizing information that she may not have acted alone though she was the only one tried, convicted and put on death row. I had to suspend disbelief a couple of times that this other "perpetrator" could have escaped discovery, but the side elements in the story helped drive the plot. The prisoner asks a features reporter to do this book. The reporter, Charlotte, usually writes articles of dubious literary value on a web site using the name "Charley's Webb".....I was a bit dismayed at the main character at times -- to say she wasn't a happy, friendly reporter would be an understatement. Everywhere she turned, there was a single man looking to date her -- but this is normal in a lot of novels. What I really liked about the book was how she and her mother worked through their troublesome past and evolved into having a relationship. Most of the rest of the characters in the book were stereotypes -- the picture perfect darling precocious children, the mean neighbors, the hateful sisters, the bad boy alcoholic brother, the shady night club owner with a heart of gold, the distant father, etc.
I enjoyed this book although the triteness of the title just about put me off. The explanations in the novel regarding the names of the main character and other assorted cast did not strike me as clever but I put aside this minor annoyance and was able to read the book despite all that unnecessary detail that did nothing to add to the plot or the story.

[George Spirakis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Έχοντας διαβάσει και το προηγούμενό της (Σε Κώμα) πίστευα ότι θα είναι κάτι καλύτερο. Σε κάθε περίτπωση έχει μια βατή πλοκή, την οποία εξαντλεί στο όριο και κάπου μοιάζει να κουράζει τον αναγνώστη. Αποτέλεσμα; να κάνει μικρές παύσεις στη δράση χωρίς να προσδίδει κάτι περισσότερο στην αφήγηση.
Το βιβλίο ρέει, είναι εύκολο στην ανάγνωση και έχει μια καλή ιδέα για την πλοκή της ιστορίας. Αρκετοί διάλογοι, προβλεπόεμενο μοτίβο και μια πολύ μικρή ανατροπή στο τέλος που δεν σε αφήνει και άφωνο, αλλά δεν σε ξενίζει και τόσο.
Φαίνεται στο τέλος να "ξεπετά" την ιστορία χωρίς να θέλει να κουράσει άλλο τον αναγνώστη, μιας και ήδη έχει πει πιο πολλά απ' όσα θα έπρεπε.

[Sfdreams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I REALLY enjoyed this book!

I read a lot of mysteries, and this kept me engrossed and guessing up until the last moment.

The main character is a reporter with the Palm Beach Post, and the emails she receives from the readers of her column are interspersed throughout the book, and were interesting to read.

I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a suspenseful mystery with engaging characters and great writing.

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Usually I love books by Joy Fielding, so I was totally surprised by this one. I thought it was poorly written and the main character was extremely unlikable. This book was so bad that when I finished reading it I just left it on the ferry. Hopefully the person who found it enjoys it more than I did.

[Roxann Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to tell you of ALL the Fielding books I've read, this is by far my favorite. It was suspenseful, intriguing and kept me so ingrossed, I literally lost track of time. I absolutely loved it!
Reading this book, is not a choice but a must!

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joy Fielding has written some amazing stories, although this one did not meet her usual standard of taking on current issues. Charley Webb is a single mother who is a columnist for a newspaper. Charley writes from her own experience and frequently finds herself in hot water with some readers when they feel she steps over the line with her subject matter. Charley has developed a tough exterior and has no real friends and is not close to immediate family members. Charley even has written about members of her family in her column. . Charley has made sure not to form close relationships with any of her neighbors, but that is about to change. Her two children are the most important thing in her life. When Charley receives an email from a convicted child murderer who wants her to write her story (the true story), this could be the thing that puts Charley's name in a much larger market Although this is completely different from anything Charley has taken on before, she is intrigued. As Charley interviews Jill Rohmer, the convicted child murderer, she is drawn further and further into a web that she is unaware she is caught in and finds her children are the targets. In the end Charley finds relationships are important and learns that sometimes she needs to trust.

[Chade66 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think I was going to like this book when I started. I had a hard time relating to the main character at first. I don't read or care about fashion/make up/Brazilian waxing so I thought I would bail on it. But as it went on I realized that Fielding did a great job of creating a whole person with Charley. Just like your friend in real life, she has things you love about her, hate about her, wonder why the heck she did a thing while Fielding is pulling you into the mystery of the overall story.

In the end, I enjoyed it, did see the end coming which is fantastic (I read alot of mysteries but am seldom surprised by the endings). And as an extra bonus, there are literary references and a cute fluffy white dog. Spoiler: the dog didn't do it.

Enjoy!

[KathiMieth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Netter Joy-Fielding-Roman. Wie immer haben sich am Ende alle Handlungsstränge in einer Schleife zusammengefügt, und zwischendurch war es durchaus spannend. Diesmal habe ich allerdings sogar wochenlang vergessen, auf „done“ zu klicken, weil der Roman wirklich ein bisschen belanglos war. Teilweise sage ich das auch, weil ich absolut salty bin, dass die Protagonistin am Ende schreibt, ihre Mutter sei jetzt wieder „auf der richtigen Seite“, nur weil sie wieder mit einem Mann verheiratet ist, nachdem sie jahrelang mit einer Frau verheiratet war. Was bitte soll „richtige Seite“ bedeuten? Ach Mann. Wie hier schon einige geschrieben haben: Diesmal war die Protagonistin wirklich extrem unsympathisch. Das finde ich normalerweise nicht schlimm, aber dieser Satz am Ende – wow, einfach nur wow.

[Connie53 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tweede boek van Joy Fielding dat ik deze week gelezen heb en dat is misschien een beetje het probleem. Het is zeker spannend en ik werd steeds compleet op het verkeerde been gezet. Maar ze gebruikt wel veel van dezelfde zinnetjes om iets te omschrijven. Die waren in boek 1 best wel apart, maar nu viel het gewoon op dat ze die zinnen weer gebruikte. Dus twee boeken achter elkaar van dezelfde auteur is geen goed idee. Verder was het een prima en spannend verhaal. En niet een, als thriller op de markt gebracht, liefdesverhaal. een 7.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forget how much I love her books until I start reading one and don't want to put it down. Although in this one even though I kept second guessing myself I knew who the bad dude was. I promised myself to stop going to the library so much so, on to see if I have another of her books on my shelves. Nope I'm not organized at all....don't judge me.....

[Butterfly2507 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wie gut dieses Buch ist! Am Anfang dachte ich echt, das würde der typische, seichte Thriller werden aber falsch gedacht. Der Plot-Twist war richtig super! Wobei es leider auch eine Passagen gab an denen ich dachte "verdammt nochmal, wie langweilig kann man sein?" haha. Alles in allem ein guter Thriller!

[Nadine Rose Larter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super intense subject matter filtered through a flakey and rather unlikable protagonist so I struggled with it a bit. There is a place for this kind of writing though - a sort of light read with both romantic as well as mystery elements- and I do get why it works for some people it’s just not quite my scene.

[Christine Mathieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is certainly NOT one of Fielding's better crime novels.
I prefer "The Other Woman", "Life Penalty" and "The Deep End", was not too thrilled with her latest attempts.
Hope the next 5 books will be better (I'm reading them in chronological order).

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good suspenseful story, but it stretched my credibility level several times, and too much graphic content for me.

[Moonwoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Die Katze" war mein erster Roman von Joy Fielding. Ich mochte den Schreibstil sehr und es ließ sich angenehm lesen. Die Autorin versteht es, Spannung aufzubauen. Vor allem das Ende hat mich gefesselt. Aufgrund des Themas Kindesmissbrauch jedoch nicht unbedingt als "Bettlektüre" empfehlenswert.

[Mary Jo]

AUDIO. DNF.

[Sunshineandbooks1410 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein gutes hat es nun krank zu sein, ich komme zum lesen.
Unglaublich gutes Buch!
Habe damals schon gerne die Bücher von Joy Fielding gelesen, muss wohl wieder damit anfangen.