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Also, I found the inclusion of the Walking Man in Jack's search for his brother's killer absurd. Mo Hayder has written some darn good books but this was not one of them. It is rare that I am sorry I read a book. While there are good elements I in plotting and writing that suggest why this book is so highly rated, the good only heightened my disappointment with the book overall. I have seen comparisons in other reviews to Elizabeth George, and this reminded me of Elizabeth George's weakest books rather than her best. I am not usually put off by gruesome descriptions in books, but this seemed gratuitous and poorly motivated given what we learn about the perpetrators's motivation.
I would be more specific but don't want to give away plot details. I like her detective very much but found the answer to his personal quest to be unsatisfying and contrived. It seemed like the author grew tired of this element of her detective and just wanted to put an end to it. Another reviewer compared it to the depressed Scandanavia detective books. I have read all of those books and loved them.
In the end of those Scandanavia books there is a sense of understanding the dark side of human nature and the struggle of the good to make sense of it. This does not happen in this book. Here the personalities of the perpetrators's did not fit their actions. The plot and writing led me on. The last third felt like a betrayal of the reader. The first 50 pages or so are intriguing but what follows is ridiculous premise with a contrived ending sandwiching pages of sadism and yet another depressed though not Scandinavian detective.
Cut pages out of the repetitive sadism, and I'm not at all bothered by graphic violence, and you'd have a decent crime novel. BTW no animals are harmed and a little dog is kind of the hero so that's a saving grace. A pretty standard Mo Hayder novel with a nice twist. Well, it was a no-brainer choosing "Dark" out of the 6 single-word options Amazon offers you to describe the mood.
Editorial Reviews. Review. Praise for Wolf: “[A] destined-to-be classic Hayder's work and characters are worth the unending nightmares they will inspire. Wolf: Jack Caffery series 7 and over 2 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Wolf: Jack Caffery series 7 Paperback – 12 Mar The sensational new Jack Caffery thriller from Mo Hayder, bestselling author of Gone and Poppet.
Though suspenseful isn't a bad choice either. The pace is slow but offers enough to keep you reading. Dark is mostly what Mo Hayder does best, occasionally with a touch of supernatural and mysterious. In her universe, the protagonists tend to be brooding, depressed, and damaged, and harbor many secrets. Good things don't come to them, they don't have a sympathetic spouse at home or cheerful sidekick to share their burdens.
And it seems like they get more bad luck than good, and most of the people who could help them are more than a little screwed up too. The bulk of the story is a sort of hostage situation where two unknown antagonists have trapped a family in their house, with seemingly no goal other than to torment them.
The family members are tough and smart enough to survive and get out the faintest cry for help The ending is a genuine surprise, a nice twist to cap off a mostly slow-paced book where the focus is mostly away from Caffery and his plodding efforts. My only complaint is that the walking man shtick is getting a little old I kind of wish the author would just do something with this character The house is silent.
Fourteen years ago two teenage lovers were brutally murdered in a patch of remote woodland. The prime suspect confessed to the crimes and was imprisoned. Now, one family is still trying to put the memory of the killings behind them. But at their isolated hilltop house. Mo Hayder has written some of the most terrifying crime thrillers you will ever read. Her first novel, Birdman, was hailed as a 'first-class shocker' by the Guardian and her follow-up, The Treatment was voted by the Times one of 'the top ten most scary thrillers ever written'.
In Gone won the prestigious Edgars Best Novel award. Mo left school at 15 and has worked as a barmaid, security guard, English teacher, and even a hostess in a Tokyo club. She now lives in England's West Country and is a full-time writer. For more information on Mo Hayder and her books, see her website at www. For the latest books, recommendations, offers and more.
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Poppet Mo Hayder. Wolf Mo Hayder.
Poppet Steven Crossley. Review Text "Builds to its mesmerising climax with a brilliantly paced sense of menace. Masterful" show more. About Mo Hayder Mo Hayder has written some of the most terrifying crime thrillers you will ever read. Her first novel, Birdman, was hailed as a 'first-class shocker' by the Guardian and her follow-up, The Treatment was voted by the Times one of 'the top ten most scary thrillers ever written'.
In Gone won the prestigious Edgars Best Novel award.
She left school at 15 and has worked as a barmaid, security guard, English teacher, and even a hostess in a Tokyo club. She now lives in England's West Country and is a full-time writer. Rating details.
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