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allyx's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
I loved the premise and had high hopes for this book, but I had trouble fully embracing it. I enjoyed reading it, but it didn't feel like a thriller to me - while I wanted to know what would happen next, the anticipation never felt electric. Perhaps it was too slow-paced for my taste, because I did enjoy the writing.
quequel's review against another edition
3.0
Ao longo da história, fui surpreendida várias vezes, e fiquei bem tensa em alguns momentos. Mas a conclusão em si não teve nada de surpreendente. Apesar de eu achar que a surpresa seria justamente essa. Acho q ainda estou um pouco confusa! Haha.
stephheartsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
For years, renowned author Linda Conrad has not stepped outside of her home. It's been this way since she walked in on her sister's killer leaving the scene of the crime. The killer was never found.
One random day she spots her sister's killer and began to meticulously set a trap to get him to confess.
I really like this book. It's been on my tbr since 2016 smh. I'm trying my hardest to knock out some of my backlist. I'm glad I read this.
One random day she spots her sister's killer and began to meticulously set a trap to get him to confess.
I really like this book. It's been on my tbr since 2016 smh. I'm trying my hardest to knock out some of my backlist. I'm glad I read this.
sonaea's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kruemelgizmo's review against another edition
3.0
Bestsellerautorin Linda Conrads hat seit 11 Jahren nicht mehr ihr Haus verlassen, Jahr für Jahr veröffentlicht sie zwar neue Bücher, aber lebt sonst völlig zurückgezogen, gibt keine Interviews und führt ein recht einsames Leben. In der Presse spekuliert man über eine Krankheit, aber nur Linda Conrads kennt den wahren Grund die sie ans Haus fesselt. Denn Linda hat vor Jahren ihre Schwester ermordet aufgefunden und den Mörder vom Tatort flüchten sehen und dieses Trauma führte sie nach und nach in die Isolation ihres Hauses. Aber eines Tages gerät ihre selbstgeschaffene Welt wieder aus den Fugen, denn im Fernseher erblickt sie das Gesicht des Mörders. Linda versucht ihm eine Falle zu stellen und sie selbst ist der Köder…
Die Falle stammt aus der Feder von Melanie Raabe
Der Thriller brauchte für mich ein paar Seiten um in Fahrt zu kommen, die Protagonistin und ihr Verhalten machten mir den Einstieg auch nicht ganz so leicht, auch störten mich hier ein wenig die Wiederholungen dazu. Aber nachdem Linda das Gesicht im Fernseher gesehen hat, kommt für mich persönlich Spannung auf, ihre Vorbereitung und auch die Idee den vermeintlichen Mörder eine Falle zu stellen haben mir gut gefallen. Auch wenn der weitere Ablauf der Geschichte recht vorhersehbar war, konnte sie mich gut unterhalten und war spannend erzählt.
Mein Fazit:
Ein Thriller, der mich gut unterhalten hat.
Die Falle stammt aus der Feder von Melanie Raabe
Der Thriller brauchte für mich ein paar Seiten um in Fahrt zu kommen, die Protagonistin und ihr Verhalten machten mir den Einstieg auch nicht ganz so leicht, auch störten mich hier ein wenig die Wiederholungen dazu. Aber nachdem Linda das Gesicht im Fernseher gesehen hat, kommt für mich persönlich Spannung auf, ihre Vorbereitung und auch die Idee den vermeintlichen Mörder eine Falle zu stellen haben mir gut gefallen. Auch wenn der weitere Ablauf der Geschichte recht vorhersehbar war, konnte sie mich gut unterhalten und war spannend erzählt.
Mein Fazit:
Ein Thriller, der mich gut unterhalten hat.
liviiosa's review against another edition
3.0
Das Buch ist schwer zu bewerten.. Ein grandioser Schreibstil. Eine wirklich sehr gut ausgearbeitete Geschichte. Aber hier und da hat es mir an Spannung gefehlt. Manche Passagen fand ich ein klein wenig zu lang. Auf der anderen Seite, sobald richtig Spannung aufkam, fing das nächste Kapitel mit dem zweiten Erzählstrang an und die Spannung verlor sich.
daphrose's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one of those books that reminded me both why I love books and why I love thrillers. It is one of the first “fun” books I have read in months, given to me by an English professor whose basement flooded and left him with water-damaged books, this book among them (it was not unreadable, lucky for me!). This is by no means the “best book ever written,” but it is good. I stayed up late reading it because I could not put it down, so that must be a good sign.
To be clear: this is a PSYCHOLOGICAL thriller, not a CRIME thriller. The possible solutions to the committed crime are very narrow, and there are no great investigations. But existing in Linda’s head, seeing her reality, makes the reader question what the real reality is. Did she really see her sister’s murder, or is it just “Linda and her stories”? Does she doubt? Should she? Should the reader? Linda’s unreliable narration is revealed slowly, unsteadily, so the reader is never sure if her reporting of the events is true—neither does she. I love this kind of deep character building that dives deep into someone’s psychology. It can make you think. Is ethics defined to a single person? Is someone’s experience of reality real? This is one of those books that probes those questions, but it does not overdo it. You can merely enjoy it for the plot and characters as well.
Is this book perfect? No. There are a handful of translation difficulties, a few underdeveloped characters, and some cliches, especially toward the end. (I, for one, think the literary community is too harsh on “cliches”; I loved the end because it was realistic and summative. I have no complaints.) The “book-within-a-book” was a little distracting to me, and I found myself skimming it to get back to the main story. I appreciated it more than flashbacks, but I think it should have been incorporated better. It seemed out of place with the rest of the plot.
Overall, I really recommend this book. It’s a fast read, so what do you have to lose? It’s easy to lose yourself in Raabe’s world building and intriguing characters. This book left me questioning the truth, sympathizing with and despising (in the best ways) every character and their realities, formulating new theories each chapter, and enjoying every moment. If Raabe has any more English-translated novels, I will be there for them.
To be clear: this is a PSYCHOLOGICAL thriller, not a CRIME thriller. The possible solutions to the committed crime are very narrow, and there are no great investigations. But existing in Linda’s head, seeing her reality, makes the reader question what the real reality is. Did she really see her sister’s murder, or is it just “Linda and her stories”? Does she doubt? Should she? Should the reader? Linda’s unreliable narration is revealed slowly, unsteadily, so the reader is never sure if her reporting of the events is true—neither does she. I love this kind of deep character building that dives deep into someone’s psychology. It can make you think. Is ethics defined to a single person? Is someone’s experience of reality real? This is one of those books that probes those questions, but it does not overdo it. You can merely enjoy it for the plot and characters as well.
Is this book perfect? No. There are a handful of translation difficulties, a few underdeveloped characters, and some cliches, especially toward the end. (I, for one, think the literary community is too harsh on “cliches”; I loved the end because it was realistic and summative. I have no complaints.) The “book-within-a-book” was a little distracting to me, and I found myself skimming it to get back to the main story. I appreciated it more than flashbacks, but I think it should have been incorporated better. It seemed out of place with the rest of the plot.
Overall, I really recommend this book. It’s a fast read, so what do you have to lose? It’s easy to lose yourself in Raabe’s world building and intriguing characters. This book left me questioning the truth, sympathizing with and despising (in the best ways) every character and their realities, formulating new theories each chapter, and enjoying every moment. If Raabe has any more English-translated novels, I will be there for them.
jenno's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this. Suspenseful, unexpected and kept me turning the pages. Just as a good thriller should be.
adogmomsbookishlife's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a quick and easy read! It definitely has the feel of a book by the author Gilian Flynn. There were definitely times where I thought I knew what was going to happen and other times where I had no idea. My thought of the ending was extremely far-fetched so I was a little disappointed that the ending was as simple as it was. Regardless, it was very enjoyable and I breezed right through it.
gaysandmurder's review against another edition
5.0
A focused, tension-filled thriller - 4.5 stars rounded up
I really liked that this book had a clear premise and didn’t try to do anything extra. Linda’s sister was killed years ago and when she thinks she sees the killer on the local news she writes a book about what happened to trap him.
The problem is that Anna has been stuck inside her house since this happened. Linda’s mental illness was handled really well in this book. It felt like Linda was genuinely struggling with mental illness and her behavior made sense for what had happened to her. However, this condition makes it hard to know if she is a fully reliable narrator. There is a lot of tension and the twists and turns worked without making it too dramatic.
The chapter of the book that Linda uses to lure the killer to her house kind of ruins the emersion for me. I do think it was an interesting way to show us what happened during the investigation of her sister’s murder and the fact we knew they were fictionalized allowed for a nice
I really liked the writing in this book and think it is better than most other thrillers. I don’t think this is a genre that needs great writing, but I was able to picture everything that was happening as a film.
I really liked that this book had a clear premise and didn’t try to do anything extra. Linda’s sister was killed years ago and when she thinks she sees the killer on the local news she writes a book about what happened to trap him.
The problem is that Anna has been stuck inside her house since this happened. Linda’s mental illness was handled really well in this book. It felt like Linda was genuinely struggling with mental illness and her behavior made sense for what had happened to her. However, this condition makes it hard to know if she is a fully reliable narrator. There is a lot of tension and the twists and turns worked without making it too dramatic.
The chapter of the book that Linda uses to lure the killer to her house kind of ruins the emersion for me. I do think it was an interesting way to show us what happened during the investigation of her sister’s murder and the fact we knew they were fictionalized allowed for a nice
I really liked the writing in this book and think it is better than most other thrillers. I don’t think this is a genre that needs great writing, but I was able to picture everything that was happening as a film.