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The audiobook narrated by William Dufris is awful. I don’t know how this was published.

This books starts out as a semi-normal (if random gut-punches of racism is normal, and it might have been in the time it was written) mystery of a jewel heist. And then, at around 25%, it takes a hard turn into complete batshittery.

A monologue of nonsense. What is going on.

This is the second time I’ve tried to read this book, and at this point I have to accept it just isn’t doing it for me.

This author is so creepy when he talks about female slaves. Is it necessary to talk about how people would use them for sex in every paragraph? And the tone that he makes these comments lightens what should be a grave and serious subject.

I cannot believe this is how this ends.

The events that just happened were easily the weakest of the whole book. It honestly made me doubt the ability for the writers to wrap this story up satisfactorily. One of the main character’s actions, or response to some damming information, is unbelievable and only added because the authors wanted this response for another character. When you can see puppet strings the book loses its magic.

I think I’ve figured out a few things, though, if I’m right, these things were almost pointed out with a neon sign. Still, I like when the author gives clues to have the reader piece it together rather than all plausible twists and turns that surprise.

I guessed this would happen, but it is such a gut punch even so. Ugh. I would rage and become a tyrant.

I’m going back and forth between ebook and audio. This narrator is terrible, but I can’t knit a sweater and read an ebook at the same time, so it’ll have to do.

I’m not in the mood for this now.

I think I need to continue this on ebook. The narrator is terrible, but worse are the names of people and places—there’s no way these will stick in my head without me seeing their spelling.

I have loved this series but I feel like the same things keep happening just at different locations. She makes an alliance, they betray her. She has the fire, she loses the fire. She’s fine with all her murders, she loves murdering, she hates herself for all her murders. I just want some new aspect to this story.

This book is for bug people and I am not one, sadly.

I just read Night of the Mannequin which has very similar sections. It’s jarring. They both even have a part that references their English teacher telling them about the passive voice. I think I need more space between the two or I’m going to be constantly comparing.

What this author does at the halfway point, the way she manipulates your thoughts about what’s really going on, is so clever. When I registered my own feelings, my own surprise, it was shocking. Of course, it’s all foreshadowed. But like, the reader is the character that was foreshadowed.

This intro reads like someone who frequents Reddit wrote it.
“Except to the most avid seekers of wisdom, Stoicism is either unknown …”
Maybe I’m naive, but who doesn’t know what stoicism is? It’s not some secret lost forbidden text.

I called my editor back. "You don't like the last part where he leaves town?" I asked.
"That's right," the editor said.
"Okay," I said. "Then I'll fix it so he never leaves town."
"My God!" my editor said. "Why didn't I think of that?"

This is a supposedly real conversation with the author and his editor. Would you want to take writing advice from him after reading that??

Bickham says that you need to think about who your character is and what makes them tick. "Make sure that this character is the type who will struggle if threatened. Wimps won’t form a story goal or strive toward it."

Vehemently disagree. The challenge isn't in creating a "strong" character, it's in creating a crisis so unlivable by that character that even the "wimp" is forced into action.

This audiobook narrator doesn’t work for me at all. I’ll have to continue with the ebook.

When he takes the photo from the doctor… that was intense.

Omg I forgot how creepy King is with some things. No, not the way you think. It’s very *men writing women*. Ugh.

And with Hollywood sex-pest James Franco reading the words.

I didn’t know where my wife was, and I didn’t care, but she was definitely trying to control me when she was mad about that.

Sure dude.

The lady doth protest too much. In other words, Christie spends too much time complaining about how much his ex-wife tried to control him. Especially for a guy that was a marine, worked for DoD, and was a member of the Hell’s Angels. Yea—people controlling you was definitely a deal breaker for you bro.

I suspect something bad happened and he’s avoiding blame. We’ll see I guess.

He gets a tattoo and, when the artist says it’s free because he’s with their gang, he insists on paying. The artist says to get his old lady to clean his shop in exchange and he agrees. His “old lady” is another undercover agent. Way to go asshole. I’m sure she loved that.

This Ken Croke is a dipshit. It really shows you how stupid these MC members must have been.

Tom Hanks has such a funny way of announcing the chapters. Almost sarcastically.

“It’s insane, but it also makes complete sense.”

Does it???? Cause I think it makes no sense. Although, we’re talking about small town cops here. They are known to be incompetent. But—and this is huge—there has to be motive. And there’s literally no motive. At all.