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gseiken's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kallsie's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 really - worst audiobook recording i've ever heard (could hear saliva and candy swishing around in the readers's mouth) but not deducting anything for this from the rating. Ok plot, just way freaking long. Author could benefit from a thesaurus "rich blood", "rich diarrhea" (not exaggerating) "rich gifts"... rich rich rich WE GET IT!!
knaglieri's review against another edition
1.0
Not a fan. Dude writes like a dude, can't write women. Life is too short to read bad books. DNF
samnbeans's review against another edition
3.0
a little long, sometimes the writing was...pedantic? like he was writing about stuff that just didn't matter and rambled a bit. I found the last few chapters I just wanted it to end and found it amazing that Leon kept getting away because he was so damn stupid and obviously really ill.
roblovesbooks's review against another edition
Detective/Crime drama aspect: great. Kidnappers POV: great. I'd rather have mostly one or the other. The 4 page chapters and the back and forth (Detective/Crime/Investigation/Past/Nell-Angelo/Psychos/Victim) was one too many books in one for me.
sek73's review against another edition
4.0
A chilling debut read
Wow, I haven't been this captivated by a novel about a serial killer since "The silence of the lambs" the book, not the movie. The reasons behind the murders should have brought a feeling of compassion but I couldn't muster anything nice towards Xander/Leon. I had a hard time even living the main character, Detective Valerie (forgot her last name) but I also couldn't put this book down. The reasons for the objects surprised me and I had to see it thru. 4 stars out of 5 due to the repetitive sentence fragment throughout the story.
Wow, I haven't been this captivated by a novel about a serial killer since "The silence of the lambs" the book, not the movie. The reasons behind the murders should have brought a feeling of compassion but I couldn't muster anything nice towards Xander/Leon. I had a hard time even living the main character, Detective Valerie (forgot her last name) but I also couldn't put this book down. The reasons for the objects surprised me and I had to see it thru. 4 stars out of 5 due to the repetitive sentence fragment throughout the story.
cozreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
vegantrav's review against another edition
4.0
A sadistic serial killer is being hunted by a brilliant but flawed police officer.
This may seem like a formulaic crime novel, and in some ways, it is. But the author creates a sense of fear and dread that persists throughout the novel. It is very dark and exceedingly brutal, and readers will be holding their breath as the suspense builds and builds.
The Killing Lessons is a very quick read despite being nearly 400 pages because it is so engaging. It is not perfect, though. Its main flaws are a few strokes of luck that are almost too good to be true:. Still, as crime novels and police procedurals go, The Killing Lessons is fantastic.
This may seem like a formulaic crime novel, and in some ways, it is. But the author creates a sense of fear and dread that persists throughout the novel. It is very dark and exceedingly brutal, and readers will be holding their breath as the suspense builds and builds.
The Killing Lessons is a very quick read despite being nearly 400 pages because it is so engaging. It is not perfect, though. Its main flaws are a few strokes of luck that are almost too good to be true: