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Judas Child
It is three days before Christmas, and two young girls have disappeared from the local academy. This hasn't happened for fifteen years, since Rouge Kendall's twin sister was murdered. The killer was found, but now Rouge, twenty-five and a policeman, is forced to wonder: was he really the one? Also wondering is a former classmate named Ali Cray, a forensic psychologist with scars of her own. The pattern is the same, she says: a child called out to meet a friend. The friend is the bait, the Judas child, and is quickly killed. But the primary victim lives longer. . .until Christmas day. Rouge doesn't want to hear this. He's spent the last fifteen years trying to avoid the memories. A little girl has haunted his dreams all these years - and he has three days to finally put her to rest. Filled with rich prose, resonant characters, and knife-edged suspense that have won so many fans, Judas Child is Carol O'Connell's most powerful novel yet.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
96 people are currently reading
1693 people want to read
About the author
Carol O'Connell
56 books670 followersBorn in 1947, Carol O'Connell studied at the California Institute or Arts/Chouinard and the Arizona State University. She lives in New York City.
Series:
* Kathleen Mallory
Series:
* Kathleen Mallory
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 234 reviews
March 4, 2014
Two 10-year old girls disappear one afternoon from a small, upstate New York village town. The investigation resurrects the lives of those involved in a similar case from 15-years ago and involves local, state and federal law enforcement departments and agencies.
This is an extraordinary story with vividly drawn characters and venues. Heroes aren't always completely virtuous and morally challenged individuals can't be tossed aside. It's a tough subject matter that can be disturbing at times. I found the tension surrounding the children, whether they were still alive or not, to be almost unbearable at times. There were astonishing twists at the end of the story that I'm still thinking about.
I consider this to be a provocative and well written story. It's a standalone with characters you'd like to see again. Just be prepared to be uncomfortable if you find it difficult to deal with the possibility of cruel things happening to children.
This is an extraordinary story with vividly drawn characters and venues. Heroes aren't always completely virtuous and morally challenged individuals can't be tossed aside. It's a tough subject matter that can be disturbing at times. I found the tension surrounding the children, whether they were still alive or not, to be almost unbearable at times. There were astonishing twists at the end of the story that I'm still thinking about.
I consider this to be a provocative and well written story. It's a standalone with characters you'd like to see again. Just be prepared to be uncomfortable if you find it difficult to deal with the possibility of cruel things happening to children.
September 14, 2020
soporific
May 30, 2024
Rouge is a cop in a small town. Decades prior when they were kids his twin sister was kidnapped and murdered. The offender now rots in a cell.
Now his past has returned when two young girls go missing in similar circumstances. Rouge and a team of investigators unravel the mystery of the missing girls, a serial killer and the pain of the past.
This was an interesting mystery if a little slow at times. Rouge was a great character as was FBI agent Pyle. The mystery is only revealed in the final part of the book and keeps you guessing. It's nothing really original or spectacular but definitely a good read. 3.5 stars.
Now his past has returned when two young girls go missing in similar circumstances. Rouge and a team of investigators unravel the mystery of the missing girls, a serial killer and the pain of the past.
This was an interesting mystery if a little slow at times. Rouge was a great character as was FBI agent Pyle. The mystery is only revealed in the final part of the book and keeps you guessing. It's nothing really original or spectacular but definitely a good read. 3.5 stars.
May 26, 2015
Great...and not so great...
When two children are abducted, at first it's hoped that they've been kidnapped for ransom. But the crime is similar to another that was committed fifteen years earlier, resulting in the murder of a child and the imprisonment of a local priest. Now the police have to consider if the earlier investigation got the wrong man, and if the pattern repeats, they know that both little girls will be dead by Christmas.
There are bits of this book that are great and then there's the rest which is... not so great. It gets off to an incredibly slow start. By a third of the way through there's been no real investigation of any kind – just a ton of stuff about various child killings and a relentless concentration on the grief of all the parents and siblings of the victims. It manages the feat of being voyeuristic, rather tasteless and dull at the same time. Sub-plots abound but never actually go anywhere – I'm sure there's something in there about corrupt politicians, the Mafia and truth-tests, but it's so badly done, I had no idea what was going on with it or what purpose it served, except to pad the book out unnecessarily. I found it unlikely that the police would use the abduction of two young children as an excuse to mentally torture the mother of one of them to get information on corruption in local politics. But, assuming this to be the case, it makes it impossible for the reader to like the investigators, surely, and yet I think on the whole we're supposed to.
The characterisation is fine, but every single character has a secret or a problem. Too much, too much! The FBI man who stalks his ex-girlfriend. The priest who's struggling with his faith. The profiler who knows about dozens of unsolved child murders that no-one else ever seems to have heard of, and has a mysterious past of her own which is hinted at every time we meet her. The police officer haunted by the memory of the murder of his own twin sister (would he really be allowed on the case once a connection had been made between the two crimes? I doubt it). The headmaster who 'buys' gifted children for his school. The weak and pathetic fathers who can't cope and the wise, strong mothers who can – I think Ms O'Connell's feminist petticoat is showing. The tortured psychiatrist whom everyone believes knows who is doing the killings, but won't tell because it's against his moral code – really? Too much!
But the book finally picks up when it goes to the missing girls – Gwen and Sadie. O'Connell's characterisation of the children is excellent, although they feel two or three years older than the ten-year-olds they're supposed to be. Sadie has always been the leader, with a streak of imaginative wickedness that leads her to play cruel tricks on people, such as pretending she is dead. But now her imagination is a useful tool in trying to find a way out of their desperate situation. Gwen is an interesting combination of weakness and strength – unlike Sadie, she knows her own limitations and gradually begins to put the brakes on Sadie's wilder schemes. The power balance within their relationship shifts over the course of the book and this is done very well and believably. And at this stage of the book, the police are finally doing some proper investigatory work, so that side of it improves too. This whole central section is full of tension, even to the level of psychological horror at points, and very well written. And the pages fly as the girls' story heads frantically to its thrillerish climax...
...which it's important not to think too much about, or you might just notice that it's silly. The thing is it doesn't look silly at the time so it works brilliantly. But unfortunately the explanations that come after the climax stretch credulity way past breaking point – for this reader at least. It's hard to say why without spoilers, but it's not so much the twists themselves that kills the credibility, but the fact that they make a nonsense of the sequence of earlier events. In fact, had one or two of the twists not happened this would have been a much better book. The shock value wears off quickly in the face of the tidying up O'Connell does at the end, giving too much time for the reader to recognise the problems caused by them.
So, flawed and over complicated, but still a page-turner once past the slow start and worth reading for the excellent sections with Gwen and Sadie.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Headline.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
When two children are abducted, at first it's hoped that they've been kidnapped for ransom. But the crime is similar to another that was committed fifteen years earlier, resulting in the murder of a child and the imprisonment of a local priest. Now the police have to consider if the earlier investigation got the wrong man, and if the pattern repeats, they know that both little girls will be dead by Christmas.
There are bits of this book that are great and then there's the rest which is... not so great. It gets off to an incredibly slow start. By a third of the way through there's been no real investigation of any kind – just a ton of stuff about various child killings and a relentless concentration on the grief of all the parents and siblings of the victims. It manages the feat of being voyeuristic, rather tasteless and dull at the same time. Sub-plots abound but never actually go anywhere – I'm sure there's something in there about corrupt politicians, the Mafia and truth-tests, but it's so badly done, I had no idea what was going on with it or what purpose it served, except to pad the book out unnecessarily. I found it unlikely that the police would use the abduction of two young children as an excuse to mentally torture the mother of one of them to get information on corruption in local politics. But, assuming this to be the case, it makes it impossible for the reader to like the investigators, surely, and yet I think on the whole we're supposed to.
The characterisation is fine, but every single character has a secret or a problem. Too much, too much! The FBI man who stalks his ex-girlfriend. The priest who's struggling with his faith. The profiler who knows about dozens of unsolved child murders that no-one else ever seems to have heard of, and has a mysterious past of her own which is hinted at every time we meet her. The police officer haunted by the memory of the murder of his own twin sister (would he really be allowed on the case once a connection had been made between the two crimes? I doubt it). The headmaster who 'buys' gifted children for his school. The weak and pathetic fathers who can't cope and the wise, strong mothers who can – I think Ms O'Connell's feminist petticoat is showing. The tortured psychiatrist whom everyone believes knows who is doing the killings, but won't tell because it's against his moral code – really? Too much!
But the book finally picks up when it goes to the missing girls – Gwen and Sadie. O'Connell's characterisation of the children is excellent, although they feel two or three years older than the ten-year-olds they're supposed to be. Sadie has always been the leader, with a streak of imaginative wickedness that leads her to play cruel tricks on people, such as pretending she is dead. But now her imagination is a useful tool in trying to find a way out of their desperate situation. Gwen is an interesting combination of weakness and strength – unlike Sadie, she knows her own limitations and gradually begins to put the brakes on Sadie's wilder schemes. The power balance within their relationship shifts over the course of the book and this is done very well and believably. And at this stage of the book, the police are finally doing some proper investigatory work, so that side of it improves too. This whole central section is full of tension, even to the level of psychological horror at points, and very well written. And the pages fly as the girls' story heads frantically to its thrillerish climax...
...which it's important not to think too much about, or you might just notice that it's silly. The thing is it doesn't look silly at the time so it works brilliantly. But unfortunately the explanations that come after the climax stretch credulity way past breaking point – for this reader at least. It's hard to say why without spoilers, but it's not so much the twists themselves that kills the credibility, but the fact that they make a nonsense of the sequence of earlier events. In fact, had one or two of the twists not happened this would have been a much better book. The shock value wears off quickly in the face of the tidying up O'Connell does at the end, giving too much time for the reader to recognise the problems caused by them.
So, flawed and over complicated, but still a page-turner once past the slow start and worth reading for the excellent sections with Gwen and Sadie.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Headline.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
November 20, 2021
4.5
Un giallo/thriller che tiene alta la tensione per tutta la durata della lettura. Il senso di repulsione verso uno dei personaggi portava i miei sospetti sempre in una direzione ben precisa.
Buono il colpo di scena finale anche se, ad un certo punto della narrazione, abbastanza intuibile.
Un moderno thriller, a mio avviso, ha preso spunto dal libro della O'Connol non riuscendo, però, a rimanere allo stesso livello.
Un giallo/thriller che tiene alta la tensione per tutta la durata della lettura. Il senso di repulsione verso uno dei personaggi portava i miei sospetti sempre in una direzione ben precisa.
Buono il colpo di scena finale anche se, ad un certo punto della narrazione, abbastanza intuibile.
Un moderno thriller, a mio avviso, ha preso spunto dal libro della O'Connol non riuscendo, però, a rimanere allo stesso livello.
August 14, 2020
Το παιδί Ιούδας είναι:
Υ - Π - Ε - Ρ - Ο - Χ- Ο
Συγκλονίζει.
Σε μαγεύει.
Σε κυριεύει.
Γίνεται ένα με το πέτσι σου.
Σαρκαστικό.
Σαδιστικό.
Διεστραμμένο.
Καθηλωτικο.
Ευφυέστατο
Τρομακτικό.
Σε σπαραζει.
Σε πονάει.
Σε αγγίζει ματωνοντας σε.
Σου γελάει ειρωνικά για να σου δημιουργήσει το αίσθημα του φρικαλεόυ πόνου.
Ανατροπές που σε στοιχειώνουν.
Ανατροπές που σε σκοτώνουν.
Ανατροπές που σε φέρνουν αντιμετώπο με την ίδια σου την ψυχή.
Απαγωγή.
Καμία απαγωγή δεν είναι σαν αυτή.
Καμία απαγωγή δε σε τρελάνει σαν αυτή.
Κανένα βιβλίο δεν είναι σαν αυτό.
Και το τέλος.
Τι διαβάζεις;
Πώς έγινε αυτό;
Ποιος είναι ο Ιούδας;
Εσύ που διαβάζεις ή ο δημιουργός του βιβλίου;
Καταπληκτικό.
Δεν έχω άλλες λέξεις να το περιγράψω.
Το καλύτερο βιβλίο αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας της αναγνώστικης μου πορείας.
Εκδόθηκε πριν 20 έτη.
Δεν ξέρω πότε γράφτηκε.
Αλλά ας με συγχωρήσετε για αυτό που θα πω:
Δεν έχει να ζηλέψει τίποτα από την νέα γενιά Ελλήνων και ξένων συγγραφέων.
Το αντίθετο μάλιστα.
Δεν είναι μια κατηγορία μόνο του είναι η σχολή λογοτεχνίας.
Διαβάστε το..!
Υ - Π - Ε - Ρ - Ο - Χ- Ο
Συγκλονίζει.
Σε μαγεύει.
Σε κυριεύει.
Γίνεται ένα με το πέτσι σου.
Σαρκαστικό.
Σαδιστικό.
Διεστραμμένο.
Καθηλωτικο.
Ευφυέστατο
Τρομακτικό.
Σε σπαραζει.
Σε πονάει.
Σε αγγίζει ματωνοντας σε.
Σου γελάει ειρωνικά για να σου δημιουργήσει το αίσθημα του φρικαλεόυ πόνου.
Ανατροπές που σε στοιχειώνουν.
Ανατροπές που σε σκοτώνουν.
Ανατροπές που σε φέρνουν αντιμετώπο με την ίδια σου την ψυχή.
Απαγωγή.
Καμία απαγωγή δεν είναι σαν αυτή.
Καμία απαγωγή δε σε τρελάνει σαν αυτή.
Κανένα βιβλίο δεν είναι σαν αυτό.
Και το τέλος.
Τι διαβάζεις;
Πώς έγινε αυτό;
Ποιος είναι ο Ιούδας;
Εσύ που διαβάζεις ή ο δημιουργός του βιβλίου;
Καταπληκτικό.
Δεν έχω άλλες λέξεις να το περιγράψω.
Το καλύτερο βιβλίο αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας της αναγνώστικης μου πορείας.
Εκδόθηκε πριν 20 έτη.
Δεν ξέρω πότε γράφτηκε.
Αλλά ας με συγχωρήσετε για αυτό που θα πω:
Δεν έχει να ζηλέψει τίποτα από την νέα γενιά Ελλήνων και ξένων συγγραφέων.
Το αντίθετο μάλιστα.
Δεν είναι μια κατηγορία μόνο του είναι η σχολή λογοτεχνίας.
Διαβάστε το..!
September 18, 2011
I've read this book several times and just love it. The writing is very well done and I found myself on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happens. The ending was an awesome twist that I never suspected.
September 18, 2021
4.5 stelline
Letto tempo fa ed è un thriller che ti tiene incollata alle pagine fino all'epilogo finale
Letto tempo fa ed è un thriller che ti tiene incollata alle pagine fino all'epilogo finale
September 16, 2014
Absolutely my favorite mystery writer ever! This book may be 16 years old, but it will knock your socks off. It kept me guessing until the last page of the epilogue!! Carol O'Connell never disappoints!
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November 23, 2021Η Carol O’ Connell είναι μια συγγραφέας που δεν είχε τύχει να διαβάσω μέχρι τώρα. Πρόσφατα έπεσε στα χέρια μου το «Παιδί Ιούδας» και οφείλω να ομολογήσω ότι είναι ένα πολύ δυνατό αστυνομικό ψυχολογικό θρίλερ το οποίο κουβαλάει στην πλάτη του ήδη είκοσι χρόνια κυκλοφορίας και έχει βραβευτεί με το Barry Award ως το καλύτερο βιβλίο του 1999 (ένα χρόνο μετά την πρώτη του έκδοση).
Η συγγραφέας έχει γίνει γνωστή στο βιβλιοφιλικό κοινό με τη σειρά αστυνομικών μυθιστορημάτων με ηρωίδα την Kathy Mallory. Το «Παιδί Ιούδας» είναι ένα stand alone crime novel που υπόσχεται πολύ δυνατές και συγκινητικές στιγμές στους αναγνώστες καθώς πραγματεύεται την έννοια της απώλειας ενός παιδιού από έναν σαδιστικά εκβιαστικό δολοφόνο.
Δύο δεκάχρονα κορίτσια εξαφανίζονται παραμονές Χριστουγέννων στο Μέικερς Βίλατζ, δύο κορίτσια που πήγαιναν στην Ακαδημία Σεντ Ούρσουλα. Την Ακαδημία των πλούσιων με τα παράξενα παιδιά. Εκεί όπου πριν δεκαπέντε χρόνια εξαφανίστηκε και δολοφονήθηκε η επίσης δεκάχρονη Σούζαν Κένταλ καταστρέφοντας ανεπανόρθωτα την κάποτε γεμάτη κύρος οικογένεια της.
Η Σούζαν ήταν η δίδυμη αδελφή του Ρουζ Κένταλ του νεαρού αστυνομικού που καλείται να ανακαλύψει τι συνέβη στις δύο δεκάχρονες που αγνοούνται παρόλο που όλα τα στοιχεία του θυμίζουν την περίπτωση της αδελφής του. Όμως ο ένοχος για τη δολοφονία της Σούζαν έχει ήδη καταδικαστεί και βρίσκεται στη φυλακή. Μήπως τελικά ο ιερέας Πολ Μαρ�� που δηλώνει από την αρχή αθώος λέει την αλήθεια και είναι ένα εξιλαστήριο θύμα ενός σαδιστή δολοφόνου;
Το φάντασμα της δίδυμης αδελφής του τον έχει στοιχειώσει όλα αυτά τα χρόνια και είναι αποφασισμένος να λύσει το γρίφο της δολοφονίας της για να μπορέσει να την αφήσει να ησυχάσει. Ο χρόνος μετρά αντίστροφα για τα δύο κορίτσια. Υπάρχει μια απειροελάχιστη πιθανότητα να τις βρουν ζωντανές; Ο δολοφόνος σκοτώνει τα θύματα του την ημέρα των Χριστουγέννων χαρίζοντας ανείπωτο πόνο στους γονείς των παιδιών. Ποιος είναι ο ρόλος του παιδιού Ιούδας;
Αυτό ακριβώς μας καλεί η Carol O’ Connell να ανακαλύψουμε. Παρόλο που μας δίνει την ερμηνεία του τίτλου του βιβλίου της από τα πρώτα κεφάλαια κρατά επτασφράγιστο μυστικό τον άσο που κρύβει στο μανίκι της κάνοντας την απόλυτη ανατροπή λίγο πριν το τέλος. «Το παιδί Ιούδας» μας συνθλίβει συναισθηματικά φτάνοντας στην κάθαρση της τραγωδίας που βιώνουν οι ήρωες της O’ Connell αφήνοντας μας συντετριμμένους με ένα σφίξιμο στην καρδιά μας. Δεν είναι από τα μυθιστορήματα που τελειώνουν όμορφα, δεν είναι από εκείνα τα βιβλία που μας γεμίζουν εκείνη την ανέμελη πληρότητα της λύσης του μυστηρίου αλλά είναι από εκείνα τα κείμενα που κάθονται βαριά στην ψυχή μας και που τα κουβαλάμε μέσα για αρκετό καιρό μετά το πέρας της ανάγνωσης τους.
Το βιβλίο της Caroll O’ Connell είναι κυριολεκτικά μια άβυσσος των συναισθημάτων των ηρώων της που καταφέρνει να βυθιστεί στην ψυχογράφηση τους με πολύ δεξιοτεχνικό τρόπο και να κάνει τους αναγνώστες να συμπάσχουν μαζί τους. Ειδικά τα κεφάλαια που αναφέρονται στα δύο δεκάχρονα κορίτσια και στη μεταξύ τους σχέση όντας κλεισμένες μέσα σε έναν εντελώς εξωπραγματικό χώρο για εκείνες είναι ίσως από τις πιο δυνατές στιγμές του βιβλίου.
Οι διάλογοι των δύο κοριτσιών βγάζουν προς τα έξω μια ιδιαίτερα βαθιά φιλία αλλά και όλους τους φόβους που τις κατακλύζουν. Η συγγραφέας τις παρουσιάζει αρκετά πιο ώριμες από την πραγματική τους ηλικία και πολλές φορές αποφασισμένες να σώσουν τη ζωή τους ξεφεύγοντας από τη «Μύγα», όπως αποκαλούν τον άνθρωπο που τις κρατά αιχμάλωτες. Είναι πεπεισμένες ότι εκεί που τις έχει κλείσει το τέρας δεν πρόκειται να τις βρουν ποτέ και καταστρώνουν ολόκληρο σχέδιο διαφυγής.
Η αφήγηση της ιστορίας του βιβλίου της O’ Connell κυλά αρκετά αργά χωρίς ιδιαίτερες ανατροπές και συνεχόμενες σκηνές δράσης ακολουθώντας όμως κινηματογραφική γραφή χωρίς πολλές φιοριτούρες. Η συγγραφέας δεν αφήνει τίποτα στην τύχη καταφέρνοντας να στήσει ένα ψυχολογικό θρίλερ με καλοδουλεμένη πλοκή με περιγραφές που σε πολλά σημεία κόβουν την ανάσα και δημιουργούν αντιφατικά συναισθήματα στους αναγνώστες.
Μην περιμένετε ότι θα συμπαθήσετε όλους τους ήρωες της Caroll O’ Connell γιατί αυτό δεν πρόκειται να γίνει καθώς όλοι τους κρατούν μέσα τους καλά κρυμμένα μυστικά. Μόνο όταν κλείσετε και την τελευταία σελίδα του βιβλίου και αφήσετε να καταλαγιάσει μέσα σας αυτό που διαβάσατε θα τους καταλάβετε απόλυτα και ίσως να δικαιολογήσετε κάποιες από τις πράξεις τους.
H Carol O’ Connell βυθίζει αργά αργά τους αναγνώστες στο έλος της γραφής της κάνοντας τους να ασφυκτιούν από την πίεση που αισθάνονται καθώς βουλιάζουν στην αφήγηση του «Παιδιού Ιούδας» περιμένοντας την ώρα που θα τους «προδώσει» σκεπάζοντας τους ολοκληρωτικά. Μέχρι που κυριολεκτικά τους «φτύνει» από την κολλώδη πλοκή που τους κρατούσε τόσο σφιχτά δεμένους με τα τελευταία κεφάλαια να απογειώνουν κυριολεκτικά το βιβλίο και να καταπατούν όλο μας το είναι.
Ένα δυνατό αστυνομικό ψυχολογικό θρίλερ γραμμένο είκοσι χρόνια πριν η αστυνομική λογοτεχνία κατακλύσει κυριολεκτικά τις αγορές και τα ράφια της βιβλιοθήκης μας που υπόσχεται να μας κρατήσει ξύπνιους μέχρι αργά ανεβάζοντας την αδρεναλίνη μας στα ύψη, ειδικά με τις εκπλήξεις που μας επιφυλάσσει στις τελευταίες του σελίδες.
Η συγγραφέας έχει γίνει γνωστή στο βιβλιοφιλικό κοινό με τη σειρά αστυνομικών μυθιστορημάτων με ηρωίδα την Kathy Mallory. Το «Παιδί Ιούδας» είναι ένα stand alone crime novel που υπόσχεται πολύ δυνατές και συγκινητικές στιγμές στους αναγνώστες καθώς πραγματεύεται την έννοια της απώλειας ενός παιδιού από έναν σαδιστικά εκβιαστικό δολοφόνο.
Δύο δεκάχρονα κορίτσια εξαφανίζονται παραμονές Χριστουγέννων στο Μέικερς Βίλατζ, δύο κορίτσια που πήγαιναν στην Ακαδημία Σεντ Ούρσουλα. Την Ακαδημία των πλούσιων με τα παράξενα παιδιά. Εκεί όπου πριν δεκαπέντε χρόνια εξαφανίστηκε και δολοφονήθηκε η επίσης δεκάχρονη Σούζαν Κένταλ καταστρέφοντας ανεπανόρθωτα την κάποτε γεμάτη κύρος οικογένεια της.
Η Σούζαν ήταν η δίδυμη αδελφή του Ρουζ Κένταλ του νεαρού αστυνομικού που καλείται να ανακαλύψει τι συνέβη στις δύο δεκάχρονες που αγνοούνται παρόλο που όλα τα στοιχεία του θυμίζουν την περίπτωση της αδελφής του. Όμως ο ένοχος για τη δολοφονία της Σούζαν έχει ήδη καταδικαστεί και βρίσκεται στη φυλακή. Μήπως τελικά ο ιερέας Πολ Μαρ�� που δηλώνει από την αρχή αθώος λέει την αλήθεια και είναι ένα εξιλαστήριο θύμα ενός σαδιστή δολοφόνου;
Το φάντασμα της δίδυμης αδελφής του τον έχει στοιχειώσει όλα αυτά τα χρόνια και είναι αποφασισμένος να λύσει το γρίφο της δολοφονίας της για να μπορέσει να την αφήσει να ησυχάσει. Ο χρόνος μετρά αντίστροφα για τα δύο κορίτσια. Υπάρχει μια απειροελάχιστη πιθανότητα να τις βρουν ζωντανές; Ο δολοφόνος σκοτώνει τα θύματα του την ημέρα των Χριστουγέννων χαρίζοντας ανείπωτο πόνο στους γονείς των παιδιών. Ποιος είναι ο ρόλος του παιδιού Ιούδας;
Αυτό ακριβώς μας καλεί η Carol O’ Connell να ανακαλύψουμε. Παρόλο που μας δίνει την ερμηνεία του τίτλου του βιβλίου της από τα πρώτα κεφάλαια κρατά επτασφράγιστο μυστικό τον άσο που κρύβει στο μανίκι της κάνοντας την απόλυτη ανατροπή λίγο πριν το τέλος. «Το παιδί Ιούδας» μας συνθλίβει συναισθηματικά φτάνοντας στην κάθαρση της τραγωδίας που βιώνουν οι ήρωες της O’ Connell αφήνοντας μας συντετριμμένους με ένα σφίξιμο στην καρδιά μας. Δεν είναι από τα μυθιστορήματα που τελειώνουν όμορφα, δεν είναι από εκείνα τα βιβλία που μας γεμίζουν εκείνη την ανέμελη πληρότητα της λύσης του μυστηρίου αλλά είναι από εκείνα τα κείμενα που κάθονται βαριά στην ψυχή μας και που τα κουβαλάμε μέσα για αρκετό καιρό μετά το πέρας της ανάγνωσης τους.
Το βιβλίο της Caroll O’ Connell είναι κυριολεκτικά μια άβυσσος των συναισθημάτων των ηρώων της που καταφέρνει να βυθιστεί στην ψυχογράφηση τους με πολύ δεξιοτεχνικό τρόπο και να κάνει τους αναγνώστες να συμπάσχουν μαζί τους. Ειδικά τα κεφάλαια που αναφέρονται στα δύο δεκάχρονα κορίτσια και στη μεταξύ τους σχέση όντας κλεισμένες μέσα σε έναν εντελώς εξωπραγματικό χώρο για εκείνες είναι ίσως από τις πιο δυνατές στιγμές του βιβλίου.
Οι διάλογοι των δύο κοριτσιών βγάζουν προς τα έξω μια ιδιαίτερα βαθιά φιλία αλλά και όλους τους φόβους που τις κατακλύζουν. Η συγγραφέας τις παρουσιάζει αρκετά πιο ώριμες από την πραγματική τους ηλικία και πολλές φορές αποφασισμένες να σώσουν τη ζωή τους ξεφεύγοντας από τη «Μύγα», όπως αποκαλούν τον άνθρωπο που τις κρατά αιχμάλωτες. Είναι πεπεισμένες ότι εκεί που τις έχει κλείσει το τέρας δεν πρόκειται να τις βρουν ποτέ και καταστρώνουν ολόκληρο σχέδιο διαφυγής.
Η αφήγηση της ιστορίας του βιβλίου της O’ Connell κυλά αρκετά αργά χωρίς ιδιαίτερες ανατροπές και συνεχόμενες σκηνές δράσης ακολουθώντας όμως κινηματογραφική γραφή χωρίς πολλές φιοριτούρες. Η συγγραφέας δεν αφήνει τίποτα στην τύχη καταφέρνοντας να στήσει ένα ψυχολογικό θρίλερ με καλοδουλεμένη πλοκή με περιγραφές που σε πολλά σημεία κόβουν την ανάσα και δημιουργούν αντιφατικά συναισθήματα στους αναγνώστες.
Μην περιμένετε ότι θα συμπαθήσετε όλους τους ήρωες της Caroll O’ Connell γιατί αυτό δεν πρόκειται να γίνει καθώς όλοι τους κρατούν μέσα τους καλά κρυμμένα μυστικά. Μόνο όταν κλείσετε και την τελευταία σελίδα του βιβλίου και αφήσετε να καταλαγιάσει μέσα σας αυτό που διαβάσατε θα τους καταλάβετε απόλυτα και ίσως να δικαιολογήσετε κάποιες από τις πράξεις τους.
H Carol O’ Connell βυθίζει αργά αργά τους αναγνώστες στο έλος της γραφής της κάνοντας τους να ασφυκτιούν από την πίεση που αισθάνονται καθώς βουλιάζουν στην αφήγηση του «Παιδιού Ιούδας» περιμένοντας την ώρα που θα τους «προδώσει» σκεπάζοντας τους ολοκληρωτικά. Μέχρι που κυριολεκτικά τους «φτύνει» από την κολλώδη πλοκή που τους κρατούσε τόσο σφιχτά δεμένους με τα τελευταία κεφάλαια να απογειώνουν κυριολεκτικά το βιβλίο και να καταπατούν όλο μας το είναι.
Ένα δυνατό αστυνομικό ψυχολογικό θρίλερ γραμμένο είκοσι χρόνια πριν η αστυνομική λογοτεχνία κατακλύσει κυριολεκτικά τις αγορές και τα ράφια της βιβλιοθήκης μας που υπόσχεται να μας κρατήσει ξύπνιους μέχρι αργά ανεβάζοντας την αδρεναλίνη μας στα ύψη, ειδικά με τις εκπλήξεις που μας επιφυλάσσει στις τελευταίες του σελίδες.
August 3, 2018
The Author:
Carol O’Connell is the New York Times bestselling author of the Mallory series, including Mallory’s Oracle, The Man Who Cast Two Shadows, Killing Critics, Stone Angel, Shell Game, Crime School, Dead Famous, Winter House, Find Me, The Chalk Girl, It Happens in the Dark, and Blind Sight. She is also the author of two stand-alone, Judas Child and Bone By Bone. O’Connell lives in New York City.
Overviews:
It is three days before Christmas, and two young girls have disappeared from the local academy. This hasn't happened for fifteen years, since Rouge Kendall's twin sister was murdered. The killer was found, but now Rouge, twenty-five and a policeman, is forced to wonder: was he really the one? Also wondering is a former classmate named Ali Cray, a forensic psychologist with scars of her own. The pattern is the same, she says: a child called out to meet a friend. The friend is the bait, the Judas child, and is quickly killed. But the primary victim lives longer. . .until Christmas day. Rouge doesn't want to hear this. He's spent the last fifteen years trying to avoid the memories. A little girl has haunted his dreams all these years - and he has three days to finally put her to rest. Filled with rich prose, resonant characters, and knife-edged suspense that have won so many fans, Judas Child is Carol O'Connell's most powerful novel yet.
Source: GoodReads
It is three days before Christmas, and two young girls have disappeared from the local academy. This hasn’t happened for fifteen years, since Rouge Kendall’s twin sister was murdered. The killer was found, but now Rouge, twenty-five and a policeman, is forced to wonder: Was he really the one? Also wondering is a former classmate named Ali Cray, a forensic psychologist with scars of her own. The pattern is the same, she says: a child called out to meet a friend. The friend is the bait, the Judas child, and is quickly killed. But the primary victim lives longer...until Christmas Day.
Rouge doesn’t want to hear this. He’s spent the last fifteen years trying to avoid the memories: drinking alone, lying low, washing out of school and a promising first career. Now he might abandon law enforcement too—but something won’t let him, not yet. A little girl has haunted his dreams all these years—and he has three days finally to put her to rest.
Source: Barnes&Noble
Review:
The incipit is oppressive, this is the essence of every thriller and a strategy to introduce the main character Sadie Gwen, there are also direct questions to the reader, such as 'Why does she do spite?'
The plot is simple to understand, the psychologies of the characters, are more complex, such as why David Shore is terrorised by Sadie, apparently it could be a case of bullying, but, in my opinion there is more, they have something in common.
In more than five hundred pages, there are many personages, central and peripheral, at the end the reader will discover that the assassin of this story is a peripheral character, a character with a weak character, this means that to judge a person superficially is always wrong.
The antihero is Allison Cray, a girl disfigured by a scar on cheek, this wound has not damaged her personality, now it is a combative, intelligent and self-confident,in the past she was an invisible.
In her adult life she become a coroner with a specific preparation for the behavior of pedophiles, her first case was to investigate on Susan Kendall.
She is also in my opinion, the 'Judas Child' telling a lie with tremendous consequences.
Gwen Hubble depends entirely on Sadie, she is shy, unsecure, but the kidnapping will teach many thing like to develop her senses, being unable to see, to be buried for a while and knock out the assassin.
Gwen as the priest are the victims of a superficial society who judge a person in the wrong way, because their personalities are more complex and to be properly understood require time.
Mortimer Cray a retired psychiatric is the most selfish character, he knows the identity of the killer of Susan and the rapist of Ali.
Myles Penny is a cardiologist he is almost invisible in the novel, he is intelligent and strategist, I wrongly judged him as an insignificant character, but the reality is different.
Rouge Kendall the brother of Susan Kendall ia a policeman, he believes that Paul Marie is not the assassin of her sister, for a lack of proofs.
We do not know anything about Susan Kendall, we knows only, that she had been found dead the day before Christmas on a white and immaculate mantle of snow, and that she felt the physical pain of her brother, Rouge.
Rouge Kendall is the best character of this novel, he is a policeman able to divide his personal problems and his emotions, he sees the world in a rational way, he does not hate anyone, he is also empathic, he believes that Paul Marie is innocent, the priest condemned by the judges and now in jail for having killed her loved sister.
Paul Marie is a victim of the judiciary system, he accept his destiny, he believes that the true judge is God.
Ellen Kedall is the mother of Rouge and Susan, she is destroyed by the lost of her daughter, she has not yet accepted her death. We do not know what she think of Paul Marie, it could be that her hatred takes the form of the young priest, a perfect pretest.
There is a traitor, a retired policeman, who earned money, thanks to Susan.
Many years after the death of Susan two girl have been kidnapped a few days before Christmas, they are Sadie Green and Gwen Hubble.
Sadie Green has a vivid personality, she loves to make spiteful to David her companion, it seems that she has a strong personality but in reality, she believes that her family does not love her, fortunately the reality is different.
Her mother Becca is conscious by the fact that the local police is more interested to find Gwen Hubble rather than Sadie and decide to hire a clairvoyant to stimulate the police interests.
Carol O’Connell is the New York Times bestselling author of the Mallory series, including Mallory’s Oracle, The Man Who Cast Two Shadows, Killing Critics, Stone Angel, Shell Game, Crime School, Dead Famous, Winter House, Find Me, The Chalk Girl, It Happens in the Dark, and Blind Sight. She is also the author of two stand-alone, Judas Child and Bone By Bone. O’Connell lives in New York City.
Overviews:
It is three days before Christmas, and two young girls have disappeared from the local academy. This hasn't happened for fifteen years, since Rouge Kendall's twin sister was murdered. The killer was found, but now Rouge, twenty-five and a policeman, is forced to wonder: was he really the one? Also wondering is a former classmate named Ali Cray, a forensic psychologist with scars of her own. The pattern is the same, she says: a child called out to meet a friend. The friend is the bait, the Judas child, and is quickly killed. But the primary victim lives longer. . .until Christmas day. Rouge doesn't want to hear this. He's spent the last fifteen years trying to avoid the memories. A little girl has haunted his dreams all these years - and he has three days to finally put her to rest. Filled with rich prose, resonant characters, and knife-edged suspense that have won so many fans, Judas Child is Carol O'Connell's most powerful novel yet.
Source: GoodReads
It is three days before Christmas, and two young girls have disappeared from the local academy. This hasn’t happened for fifteen years, since Rouge Kendall’s twin sister was murdered. The killer was found, but now Rouge, twenty-five and a policeman, is forced to wonder: Was he really the one? Also wondering is a former classmate named Ali Cray, a forensic psychologist with scars of her own. The pattern is the same, she says: a child called out to meet a friend. The friend is the bait, the Judas child, and is quickly killed. But the primary victim lives longer...until Christmas Day.
Rouge doesn’t want to hear this. He’s spent the last fifteen years trying to avoid the memories: drinking alone, lying low, washing out of school and a promising first career. Now he might abandon law enforcement too—but something won’t let him, not yet. A little girl has haunted his dreams all these years—and he has three days finally to put her to rest.
Source: Barnes&Noble
Review:
The incipit is oppressive, this is the essence of every thriller and a strategy to introduce the main character Sadie Gwen, there are also direct questions to the reader, such as 'Why does she do spite?'
The plot is simple to understand, the psychologies of the characters, are more complex, such as why David Shore is terrorised by Sadie, apparently it could be a case of bullying, but, in my opinion there is more, they have something in common.
In more than five hundred pages, there are many personages, central and peripheral, at the end the reader will discover that the assassin of this story is a peripheral character, a character with a weak character, this means that to judge a person superficially is always wrong.
The antihero is Allison Cray, a girl disfigured by a scar on cheek, this wound has not damaged her personality, now it is a combative, intelligent and self-confident,in the past she was an invisible.
In her adult life she become a coroner with a specific preparation for the behavior of pedophiles, her first case was to investigate on Susan Kendall.
She is also in my opinion, the 'Judas Child' telling a lie with tremendous consequences.
Gwen Hubble depends entirely on Sadie, she is shy, unsecure, but the kidnapping will teach many thing like to develop her senses, being unable to see, to be buried for a while and knock out the assassin.
Gwen as the priest are the victims of a superficial society who judge a person in the wrong way, because their personalities are more complex and to be properly understood require time.
Mortimer Cray a retired psychiatric is the most selfish character, he knows the identity of the killer of Susan and the rapist of Ali.
Myles Penny is a cardiologist he is almost invisible in the novel, he is intelligent and strategist, I wrongly judged him as an insignificant character, but the reality is different.
Rouge Kendall the brother of Susan Kendall ia a policeman, he believes that Paul Marie is not the assassin of her sister, for a lack of proofs.
We do not know anything about Susan Kendall, we knows only, that she had been found dead the day before Christmas on a white and immaculate mantle of snow, and that she felt the physical pain of her brother, Rouge.
Rouge Kendall is the best character of this novel, he is a policeman able to divide his personal problems and his emotions, he sees the world in a rational way, he does not hate anyone, he is also empathic, he believes that Paul Marie is innocent, the priest condemned by the judges and now in jail for having killed her loved sister.
Paul Marie is a victim of the judiciary system, he accept his destiny, he believes that the true judge is God.
Ellen Kedall is the mother of Rouge and Susan, she is destroyed by the lost of her daughter, she has not yet accepted her death. We do not know what she think of Paul Marie, it could be that her hatred takes the form of the young priest, a perfect pretest.
There is a traitor, a retired policeman, who earned money, thanks to Susan.
Many years after the death of Susan two girl have been kidnapped a few days before Christmas, they are Sadie Green and Gwen Hubble.
Sadie Green has a vivid personality, she loves to make spiteful to David her companion, it seems that she has a strong personality but in reality, she believes that her family does not love her, fortunately the reality is different.
Her mother Becca is conscious by the fact that the local police is more interested to find Gwen Hubble rather than Sadie and decide to hire a clairvoyant to stimulate the police interests.
March 29, 2021
Η ιστορία έχει ως θέμα την ανεύρεση δυο εξαφανισμένων δεκάχρονων κοριτσιών. Η αφήγηση χωρίζεται σε δυο ξεχωριστα κομματια. Το πρώτο αφηγείται την αγωνία των δυο παιδιών η οποία αφήγηση εχει και το περισότερο ενδιαφέρον, αγωνιώδες ,βίαιο και τρομακτικό. Το δεύτερο μέρος αφορά την έρευνας , απο πλευράς αστυνομίας, γονιών και λοιπών εμπλεκομένων που τις ψαχνουν. Το συγκεκριμένο αφηγηματικό κομμάτι ενώ στην αρχη ξεκινά με ενδιαφέρον, στην πορεία γινεται μπερδεμενο και κουραστικό, γεμάτο με χαρακτήρες και υπερανάλυση των συναισθημάτων τους.Επίσης κάποια γεγονότα ήταν ξεκάρφωτα και ασύνδετα. Αν έχετε διαβάσει ή σας αρέσουν ανάλογα αστυνομικά θρίλερ με απαγωγες-εξαφανισεις κτλ δεν χάνετε και τίποτα εξαιρετικό αν δεν το διαβάσετε....
March 3, 2016
This book was published in 1999. Yet it reads like a contemporary thriller. That’s because of the descriptive writing, well drawn characters and a story well ahead of its time.
The plot is full of suspense and lots of action. But where O’Connell really shines is in her portrayal of Gwen and Sadie, the little girls abducted. She nails this. The voices of these girls will stay in your head long after you’ve put this book down. Their courage and tenacity in the face of terrifying events is inspiring to watch unfold.
Read my full review here.
The plot is full of suspense and lots of action. But where O’Connell really shines is in her portrayal of Gwen and Sadie, the little girls abducted. She nails this. The voices of these girls will stay in your head long after you’ve put this book down. Their courage and tenacity in the face of terrifying events is inspiring to watch unfold.
Read my full review here.
June 4, 2021
Anche più di 5 se potessi.
Nonostante la mancanza di Mallory (protagonista della gran parte dei romanzi della O'Connell) questo thriller non è da meno. Tutti i personaggi sono ben caratterizzati, non risulta mai noioso e la trama è totalmente coinvolgente. Mi pento anche di non averlo letto prima avendolo tenuto da parte per un po' di anni.
Lo straconsiglio a tutti gli amanti dei thriller.
Sarà uno di quei libri che non dimenticherò mai.
Nonostante la mancanza di Mallory (protagonista della gran parte dei romanzi della O'Connell) questo thriller non è da meno. Tutti i personaggi sono ben caratterizzati, non risulta mai noioso e la trama è totalmente coinvolgente. Mi pento anche di non averlo letto prima avendolo tenuto da parte per un po' di anni.
Lo straconsiglio a tutti gli amanti dei thriller.
Sarà uno di quei libri che non dimenticherò mai.
March 17, 2021
Για ιστορία μυστηρίου καλή,αγωνία σε όλο το βιβλίο,αυτό όμως μέχρι εκεί,ίσως κάποιους τους αγγίξει περισσότερο ως προς το τέλος γιατί έχει να κάνει με μικρά παιδιά.Περιμενα κάτι παραπάνω από αυτό το βιβλίο με αυτό τον τίτλο,ίσως κάτι πιο τρομακτικό όχι πως δεν το απέδωσε καλά αλλά περίμενα κάτι παραπάνω..
November 29, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐, 5
Un crescendo di suspence che non da tregua al lettore, fino all' agghiacciante colpo di scena
Un crescendo di suspence che non da tregua al lettore, fino all' agghiacciante colpo di scena
July 10, 2020
Θυμάμαι, την πρώτη φορά που διάβαζα αυτό το βιβλίο, πηδούσα κεφάλαια για να φτάσω στην αφήγηση των παιδιών. Και μετά γύριζα πάλι πίσω και διάβαζα τα υπόλοιπα. Κι αυτό, δεν το έχω κάνει με κανένα άλλο βιβλίο. Από εκείνο το καλοκαίρι του 2000 λοιπόν, αυτό το βιβλίο παρέμενε σταθερά στην πρώτη 5άδα με τα καλύτερά μου.
Τελευταία, καιρό τώρα, μου'χε μπει να το ξαναδιαβάσω γιατί, μια 20ετία μετά κι έχοντας ξεχάσει εντελώς την όλη ιστορία (θυμόμουν μόνο ότι είχε να κάνει με απαγωγή παιδιών κι ότι ήταν απ' τα κορυφαία μου) κι έχοντας διαβάσει πολύ περισσότερα βιβλία, ήθελα να επιβεβαιώσω ότι αξίζει την θέση που του είχα δώσει τότε.
Θυμάμαι, ένα άλλο βιβλίο της ίδιας συγγραφέως που είχα διαβάσει, νομίζω το είχα αφήσει και στην μέση. Το παιχνίδι του οστράκου. Κι ίσως να πρέπει να του ξαναδώσω μια ευκαιρία γιατί δεν το θυμάμαι καθόλου κι αυτό. Αν και είμαι σχεδόν σίγουρη ότι με είχε κουράσει τόσο, που δεν ξαναπήρα βιβλίο της κι ίσως κι αυτό ήρθε η ώρα να το αναθεωρήσω.
Χαίρομαι τόσο πολύ που τελικά, παρά τα αμέτρητα αδιάβαστα που έχω, αποφάσισα να ξαναδιαβάσω το Παιδί Ιούδας τώρα. Και λυπάμαι πολύ που διαπίστωσα πως δεν συνέχισε με τον ίδιο αστυνομικό, τον Ρουζ Κένταλ με σειρά βιβλίων.
Σύμφωνα με την προσωπική μου άποψη πάντα, οι χαρακτήρες του βιβλίου είναι όλοι τόσο άρτια δομημένοι που σου γίνονται απόλυτα οικείοι. Η ιστορία σε στοιχειώνει. Επειδή διαβάζω πριν κοιμηθώ και όταν ξυπνάω, μου έτυχε να δω στον ύπνο μου συνέχεια από το βιβλίο! Κι όταν ξύπνησα, αναρωτιόμουν πώς το άφησα εγώ σε τέτοιο σημείο. Κι έψαχνα προς τα πίσω τα κεφάλαια για να δω πού ήταν αυτό το σημείο και να θυμηθώ ποιος έκανε αυτό που είδα στον ύπνο μου! Να είναι που οι πρωταγωνιστές/θύματα είναι παιδιά; Πάντα με αγγίζουν ένα κλικ παραπάνω αυτά τα βιβλία...
Η αφήγηση, όπως ήδη θα καταλάβατε από τα προηγούμενα που έχω πει, γίνεται παράλληλα. Σκηνές στον ίδιο χρόνο και παρακολουθείς την εξέλιξη της ιστορίας ως παιδί/θύμα, ως αστυνόμος/ερευνητής και ως γονιός. Αυτό το μυθιστόρημα δεν τελειώνει με ''ζήσανε αυτοί καλά κι εμείς καλύτερα''...
Τον θύτη τον κατάλαβα από μία σκηνή. Και δε νομίζω πως ήταν που το 'χα ξαναδιαβάσει γιατί δεν θυμόμουν τίποτα. Δεν θυμόμουν σημαντικότερα πράγματα από το ποιος είναι ο δολοφόνος. Έτσι κι αλλιώς όμως, το βιβλίο παραμένει στην θέση του και αυτήν την φορά πιστεύω θα κάνω πάνω από 20 χρόνια να το ξαναξεχάσω. Το είχα λατρέψει τότε και το ξαναλάτρεψα σήμερα διαβάζοντάς το με πιο ώριμη ματιά.
Τελευταία, καιρό τώρα, μου'χε μπει να το ξαναδιαβάσω γιατί, μια 20ετία μετά κι έχοντας ξεχάσει εντελώς την όλη ιστορία (θυμόμουν μόνο ότι είχε να κάνει με απαγωγή παιδιών κι ότι ήταν απ' τα κορυφαία μου) κι έχοντας διαβάσει πολύ περισσότερα βιβλία, ήθελα να επιβεβαιώσω ότι αξίζει την θέση που του είχα δώσει τότε.
Θυμάμαι, ένα άλλο βιβλίο της ίδιας συγγραφέως που είχα διαβάσει, νομίζω το είχα αφήσει και στην μέση. Το παιχνίδι του οστράκου. Κι ίσως να πρέπει να του ξαναδώσω μια ευκαιρία γιατί δεν το θυμάμαι καθόλου κι αυτό. Αν και είμαι σχεδόν σίγουρη ότι με είχε κουράσει τόσο, που δεν ξαναπήρα βιβλίο της κι ίσως κι αυτό ήρθε η ώρα να το αναθεωρήσω.
Χαίρομαι τόσο πολύ που τελικά, παρά τα αμέτρητα αδιάβαστα που έχω, αποφάσισα να ξαναδιαβάσω το Παιδί Ιούδας τώρα. Και λυπάμαι πολύ που διαπίστωσα πως δεν συνέχισε με τον ίδιο αστυνομικό, τον Ρουζ Κένταλ με σειρά βιβλίων.
Σύμφωνα με την προσωπική μου άποψη πάντα, οι χαρακτήρες του βιβλίου είναι όλοι τόσο άρτια δομημένοι που σου γίνονται απόλυτα οικείοι. Η ιστορία σε στοιχειώνει. Επειδή διαβάζω πριν κοιμηθώ και όταν ξυπνάω, μου έτυχε να δω στον ύπνο μου συνέχεια από το βιβλίο! Κι όταν ξύπνησα, αναρωτιόμουν πώς το άφησα εγώ σε τέτοιο σημείο. Κι έψαχνα προς τα πίσω τα κεφάλαια για να δω πού ήταν αυτό το σημείο και να θυμηθώ ποιος έκανε αυτό που είδα στον ύπνο μου! Να είναι που οι πρωταγωνιστές/θύματα είναι παιδιά; Πάντα με αγγίζουν ένα κλικ παραπάνω αυτά τα βιβλία...
Η αφήγηση, όπως ήδη θα καταλάβατε από τα προηγούμενα που έχω πει, γίνεται παράλληλα. Σκηνές στον ίδιο χρόνο και παρακολουθείς την εξέλιξη της ιστορίας ως παιδί/θύμα, ως αστυνόμος/ερευνητής και ως γονιός. Αυτό το μυθιστόρημα δεν τελειώνει με ''ζήσανε αυτοί καλά κι εμείς καλύτερα''...
Τον θύτη τον κατάλαβα από μία σκηνή. Και δε νομίζω πως ήταν που το 'χα ξαναδιαβάσει γιατί δεν θυμόμουν τίποτα. Δεν θυμόμουν σημαντικότερα πράγματα από το ποιος είναι ο δολοφόνος. Έτσι κι αλλιώς όμως, το βιβλίο παραμένει στην θέση του και αυτήν την φορά πιστεύω θα κάνω πάνω από 20 χρόνια να το ξαναξεχάσω. Το είχα λατρέψει τότε και το ξαναλάτρεψα σήμερα διαβάζοντάς το με πιο ώριμη ματιά.
May 6, 2017
I really did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I figured it would pretty much be your typical, predictable mystery-thriller, blah, blah. And in some ways, it totally turned out that way, but in other ways? Not so much. Certain characters (Ali, Rouge, Sadie and Gwen, Father Paul Marie, Arnie Pyle, Ellen Kendall) are well-written and really interesting and likable. And there are a few really great twists. While I felt like I knew who the culprit was pretty early on, and I turned out to be right, I still found the way things played out very satisfying.
There are a few things that were a little too convoluted to entirely make sense to me, and a few things I felt should have been touched on more (the monozygotic twin thing and David, mainly), but the heart of the story--what was happening with Sadie and Gwen--was just so well done and surprising that O'Connell pretty much completely won me over. I dare you NOT to fall in love with those girls. No, really, I dare you!
I'm not sure how I feel about reading other books by O'Connell--this really isn't my usual genre, and part of me wonders how she could possibly top this story. But after this, I certainly trust her not to take the easy path with her characters, and that's something I can totally get behind. Well done, madam!
There are a few things that were a little too convoluted to entirely make sense to me, and a few things I felt should have been touched on more (the monozygotic twin thing and David, mainly), but the heart of the story--what was happening with Sadie and Gwen--was just so well done and surprising that O'Connell pretty much completely won me over. I dare you NOT to fall in love with those girls. No, really, I dare you!
I'm not sure how I feel about reading other books by O'Connell--this really isn't my usual genre, and part of me wonders how she could possibly top this story. But after this, I certainly trust her not to take the easy path with her characters, and that's something I can totally get behind. Well done, madam!
August 8, 2012
Not something I would have chosen for myself but I received this as a birthday gift just because it has an orange cover (my current favorite color). Okay, I'm game. For the most part this was a fast-paced story about a small town, a double kidnapping, and a corrupt (and possibly dangerous) ex-cop. While I loved the kidnapping story, I felt a little overwhelmed by the number of characters and some of the side plots.
May 17, 2012
This book took a bit to get me interested in it, but then it was a page turner. I am still unsure about the ending. Left me wondering if what I thought I read was real or not.
February 10, 2017
"Deve ser reconfortante estarmos apaixonados por nós próprios. Não há o medo da rejeição - nunca."
O'Connell conta-nos uma história sobre um assassino de crianças, ao mesmo tempo que faz uma análise, mais ou menos profunda, do comportamento humano.
Duas raparigas desaparecem: uma filha de importantes figuras políticas e outra filha de uma família normal. Ambas mais perspicazes e criativas que as crianças da sua idade. Na investigação deste caso destacam-se o policia Rouge Kendall e a psicóloga forense Ali Cray. Ele é assombrado por memórias de uma tragédia distante e ela apresenta uma cicatriz facial que marca um acontecimento longínquo, resultado de um trauma de infância que mantém em segredo.
Os eventos presentes estão ligados ao passado de Kendall, o que torna a investigação pessoal. O mesmo acontece com Cray. Ambos descobrem um padrão e pensam conseguir apanhar o assassino certo, que já devia ter sido preso há muitos anos atrás, não tivesse sido cometido um erro.
A par da investigação, O'Connell oferece-nos uma visão privilegiada das duas raparigas, do local onde estão presas e dos perigos e dificuldades que enfrentam ao tentar escapar. Achei interessante o recurso a algumas referências cinematográficas - por exemplo, os filmes "A Mosca" e "Dr. Jekyll e Mr Hyde" - para melhor visualizarmos os cenários.
O'Connell mantém-se imparcial durante a narração, não catalogando as suas personagens como boas ou más. Todas assumem contornos bastante reais, principalmente um rapaz de 10 anos que é demasiado tímido para falar.
Apesar de tudo, o enredo perde grande parte do seu fascínio pela escassez de diálogos. O'Connell tem uma boa capacidade para descrever e chegar até nós, mas senti a falta de expressão dos envolvidos nesta história, que nada tem de tranquila ou normal. Outro aspecto que me desiludiu, mas este já é de foro pessoal, foi o cliché em relação às personagens principais. Os "heróis" têm mesmo de ter um passado muito muito trágico? Não podem haver "heróis" normais? Mais uma vez, tenho saudades do Kurt Wallander e do seu problema com os diabetes.
"Todas as mulheres transportam dinamite; era-lhes entregue à nascença, juntamente com muitas caixas de fósforos para acenderem os rastilhos."
O'Connell conta-nos uma história sobre um assassino de crianças, ao mesmo tempo que faz uma análise, mais ou menos profunda, do comportamento humano.
Duas raparigas desaparecem: uma filha de importantes figuras políticas e outra filha de uma família normal. Ambas mais perspicazes e criativas que as crianças da sua idade. Na investigação deste caso destacam-se o policia Rouge Kendall e a psicóloga forense Ali Cray. Ele é assombrado por memórias de uma tragédia distante e ela apresenta uma cicatriz facial que marca um acontecimento longínquo, resultado de um trauma de infância que mantém em segredo.
Os eventos presentes estão ligados ao passado de Kendall, o que torna a investigação pessoal. O mesmo acontece com Cray. Ambos descobrem um padrão e pensam conseguir apanhar o assassino certo, que já devia ter sido preso há muitos anos atrás, não tivesse sido cometido um erro.
A par da investigação, O'Connell oferece-nos uma visão privilegiada das duas raparigas, do local onde estão presas e dos perigos e dificuldades que enfrentam ao tentar escapar. Achei interessante o recurso a algumas referências cinematográficas - por exemplo, os filmes "A Mosca" e "Dr. Jekyll e Mr Hyde" - para melhor visualizarmos os cenários.
O'Connell mantém-se imparcial durante a narração, não catalogando as suas personagens como boas ou más. Todas assumem contornos bastante reais, principalmente um rapaz de 10 anos que é demasiado tímido para falar.
Apesar de tudo, o enredo perde grande parte do seu fascínio pela escassez de diálogos. O'Connell tem uma boa capacidade para descrever e chegar até nós, mas senti a falta de expressão dos envolvidos nesta história, que nada tem de tranquila ou normal. Outro aspecto que me desiludiu, mas este já é de foro pessoal, foi o cliché em relação às personagens principais. Os "heróis" têm mesmo de ter um passado muito muito trágico? Não podem haver "heróis" normais? Mais uma vez, tenho saudades do Kurt Wallander e do seu problema com os diabetes.
"Todas as mulheres transportam dinamite; era-lhes entregue à nascença, juntamente com muitas caixas de fósforos para acenderem os rastilhos."
April 18, 2007
Loved this book. I was completely obsessed with it. Dark and messy. If you like a happy ending, don't read the last chapter. Nothing Carol O'Connell writes ends well with all the loose ending tied up.
Read
March 22, 2009Deliciously creepy. And well-done poignancy saves the ending from feeling too Sixth Sense. I'm looking forward to checking out O'Connell's earlier books.
April 29, 2009
scariest frickin' book EVER.
July 10, 2016
Very good--read again 1-18-2016 to 1-20-2016
December 19, 2022
Just noticed the cover again, and it is superb. Brava! Jennifer Ann Daddio.
This is a standalone novel that lives just short of midway in the ongoing Mallory series. It's interesting when a singular story happens in a character storytelling journey. I wonder if it started as a Mallory piece and then didn't fit her oeuvre, or couldn't house the other characters, or what?
I read this as we approach Christmas Day, which makes this story's place in time more creepy.
The characters are relatives, survivors and town familiars around a school where terrible things have happened in the past, and now, there are two girls missing.
O'Connell has no equal for character development - when it's Mallory, she knows even more than she gives us in what makes her tick - this book is all new characters and the principals are built for us in a way that makes us think we know who they are. But we don't. And so many! Ari Cray, Rouge Kendall, The Doctors, the families, Gwen and Sadie. the priests, the cops. It's not possible to rule any suspect out, and we're five days from December 25. Tick tock.
One of her best.
This is a standalone novel that lives just short of midway in the ongoing Mallory series. It's interesting when a singular story happens in a character storytelling journey. I wonder if it started as a Mallory piece and then didn't fit her oeuvre, or couldn't house the other characters, or what?
I read this as we approach Christmas Day, which makes this story's place in time more creepy.
The characters are relatives, survivors and town familiars around a school where terrible things have happened in the past, and now, there are two girls missing.
O'Connell has no equal for character development - when it's Mallory, she knows even more than she gives us in what makes her tick - this book is all new characters and the principals are built for us in a way that makes us think we know who they are. But we don't. And so many! Ari Cray, Rouge Kendall, The Doctors, the families, Gwen and Sadie. the priests, the cops. It's not possible to rule any suspect out, and we're five days from December 25. Tick tock.
One of her best.
May 16, 2019
Just before Christmas Sadie and Gwen go missing. For Rouge Kendall, the local cop, the parallels with his own sister's abduction and murder are instantly apparent. Can he and psychologist Ali save the girls before it's too late?
This is a really compelling thriller. I picked the murderer pretty early on but there was still a lot to confuse and intrigue.
This is a really compelling thriller. I picked the murderer pretty early on but there was still a lot to confuse and intrigue.
August 29, 2022
4 sterren- Nederlandse paperback
Recensie volgt later. Uitgeleend aan stichting Groen Licht. Nederlands voor anderstaligen.
Recensie volgt later. Uitgeleend aan stichting Groen Licht. Nederlands voor anderstaligen.
September 16, 2018
This story took a while to get into, but once it did, I couldn't put it down. So many possible suspects and each one with their own agenda. Great read
February 2, 2020
My previous acquaintance with O'Connell was through two early Mallory books--I hated the first and was fascinated by the second--and the excellence of this one will force me to go back through her novels. The plot elements will be familiar to readers of novels with serial killers --and like most of those this has a full share of violence--but rather than one investigator or a team, there are several levels of investigation involving characters, each with their own reasons for solving the case. The characters, even the minor characters, are so fine that they rope us in, the prose is elegant, the plot rich in twists, but for me it's the mood that stays with me--chilling, intense, disturbing, haunting. The story is set in December, and reading it on sunless days in January is just about perfect.
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