chi ming

Cheap romance, cheaper mystery

Revisado: 06-17-24

I don’t understand how these books get published. It feels like it’s a 12 year old girl who is obsessed with Jane Austin trying her hands in romance and decided to rub a bit of mystery in it. It feels forced and unnatural. How does it get such high ratings I have no idea. I forced myself to finish it because I have wasted too many credits on highly rated but bad books. Disappointed throughout.

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I kept on waiting for a twist, but ...

Revisado: 02-20-24

What is the point of this book? I honestly do not know. It is more wishful thinking than imagination. It would be a story where a bad thing happens, but then wish for a best outcome, and there you go, you got a story.
Characters are not relatable. They are all very one-dimensional. Everyone is quite cliché.
One of the narrators just tries a bit too hard. I understand the imitation of an inexperienced young woman, but she just sounds always surprised or frightened.
Don't know who liked the book. I didn't.

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Don't read if you are an attorney or psychiatrist

Revisado: 01-17-24

Honestly, if you are in either professions, you will probably be offended by this book. I am not talking about inaccuracies, which exist in almost all fictions written by people outside of these professions, but big taboos, which are basically what this story is based upon. The author does discuss doctor-patient / attorney client confidentiality, but it feels like it is based on a desk-top research. They are brushed away too quickly and too easily.

The characters were built out quite hastily -- not very believable in my view. There are so many characters that exist only for the purpose of the protagonists to develop a romantic relationship. The male protagonist's pain for losing his son is very unrealistic. If you are a parent, you know nobody behaves that way for losing a child. This is a romance more than it is a thriller, which is fine, but maybe don't use a father who just lost his son to be the target of a wet dream?

Oh also, it feels like the female protagonist is the only psychiatrist in L.A. -- how did all her patients end up having something to do with a big case -- or rather, if that is the way the author wants it to happen, maybe set the story up in a small town with population of 500, with one lawyer and one psychiatrist?

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Has the potential of a great Nordic Noir, but...

Revisado: 01-17-24

I am willing to give it a 4 for the ending, which is quite unexpected. However it simply took too long to get there. It feels like the first 80% of the story can be cut down by 1/2, which I take the author was trying to build the characters, but the characters still feel quite weak and distant. None of the characters are quite likeable, or relatable. Their pains feel too forced, robotic and cliché.

The author also spent too much ink on explaining what is the Swedish way, like she is intentionally facing an international crowd, rather than her own people.

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Annoying Protagonist

Revisado: 02-28-23

I have not been annoyed by a protagonist so much for a very long time. She is needy, whiney, and makes everything about herself. The first book in the series was pretty good as the plot was fresh enough and keeps you hooked, but you will see no development or improvement on characteristics in this book. It's like that an experienced US attorney, and a mother to an almost grown child is just like a little girl and is stuck that way.

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Good plot, but…

Revisado: 02-24-23

Good plot, nice twists and turns, keeps you hooked. Down side is the characters could have been more developed. They all sound the same and one can easily replace another.

It’s true that the performance is not great on Agent Keller’s part. The performer sounds like she is reading the script for the first time and was just reading out loud.

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Great series!

Revisado: 02-17-23

The author is very perceptive of human nature, the flow is smooth, not forced, the plot twisty bit believable. What makes it better is there is always great empathy for the suffering.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Could have been shorter

Revisado: 02-05-23

The story is good and solid, as Jane Harper always delivers. A bit longer and reminiscent than I would have liked though — if the protagonist could spend a bit less energy and time on self-reflection, the case would have been solved quicker.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Some lazy work

Revisado: 12-25-22

First of all, Chinese ambassador speaks Cantonese in an official setting? Communicating with the PM’s translator in Cantonese? The translator, who claims to be from Bei Jing, speaks Cantonese? Simply put, the two people who should be speaking mandarin to each other in the show were speaking Cantonese to each other. This is either extremely lazy, or simply ignorant. Also, PM should not be translated into premiere (zing li), but prime minister (shou xiang), as it should be, in Chinese. If you want to make a story about China, at least do some proper due diligence. Come on Audible, you can do better than this.

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Did the writer enjoyed writing this book?

Revisado: 12-13-22

It feels like something the writer just had to write, like a school project. It didn’t feel like she actually enjoyed writing it. The tormenting past feels and sounds familiar, like what you would see in so many WWII movies (and not particular good ones), and the love story sounds cheesy and unreal. The beginning was good and gripping, like Jodi Picoult’s other books. But it just went downhill from there. Waste of money and time. Too bad Audible doesn’t allow me to return this book.

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