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Tony Healey

Auteur van Hope's Peak

32+ Werken 237 Leden 10 Besprekingen

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Bevat de naam: Tony Healey

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Werken van Tony Healey

Hope's Peak (2017) 68 exemplaren
Legend (2012) 29 exemplaren
Operation Chimera (2014) — Auteur — 20 exemplaren
Storm's Edge (Harper and Lane) (2017) 10 exemplaren
The Bloody North (2014) 8 exemplaren
Tutti Frutti (2012) 6 exemplaren
Commander (2012) 6 exemplaren
Hero (2012) 3 exemplaren
The Call (2016) 2 exemplaren

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Curiosity Quills Press Presents: Chronology [anthology] (2015) — Medewerker — 17 exemplaren

Tagged

Algemene kennis

Geslacht
male
Nationaliteit
UK
Geboorteplaats
Brighton, Sussex, England, UK
Woonplaatsen
Sussex, England, UK

Leden

Besprekingen

I haven't read the first book in this series, Hope's Peak, and I am sure I should have before jumping into this one as Storm's Edge is very much a sequel so i felt there were things I was missing. It would definitely have made a better, more enjoyable read if I had.
So my advice is, read Hope's Peak first then this one to maximise your enjoyment.
Storm's Edge is a really good quick read and I'm looking forward to the next book of the series.
 
Gemarkeerd
DebTat2 | 1 andere bespreking | Oct 13, 2023 |
THE GOOD:

First review of 2017 so I’m starting with the highlight reel: Hope’s Peak moves as a brisk pace, and if it weren’t for how heavy the subject matter sometimes becomes, I’d call it a “beach read.” You can easily get through it in a couple of days. The chapters are broken into lean scenes (all that progress one of several storylines). We have the detectives, Stu and Harper, two recent divorcees with intermingled personal lives (aka “it’s complicated”), who are working on a case that’s been buried for years. Ida, the psychic, is a hermit type, suffering in the aftermath of her mother’s murder (tied to the current murders Stu and Harper are trying to solve). And there’s the killer, revealed about midway through the book and expanded on through the end. This isn’t a puzzle so much as it’s a thriller to beat the clock before he kills again. Characterization of the main players is well executed and thorough. At no point did I wonder who was who.

THE BAD and THE UGLY:

The core concept of Hope’s Peak is that this decades-long, ongoing murder case hasn’t been solved or even properly investigated because the locals rely on a tourist economy. Murder is bad for tourism. I don’t buy this (as reason to turn a blind eye to a serial rapist/murderer), and I had hoped there would be a twist to turn this around, if only a personal connection between the killer and the police that rendered him protected. There wasn’t, and in fact there were no twists in the book, which downgrades this a star for me. Hope’s Peak follows a logical and well thought out path with zero diversion to the unsatisfying conclusion.

The ending renders a lot of the Stu/Harper drama pointless. I have to be careful to avoid spoilers here, but I don’t see why things went how they did between them especially given this is billed as book one in a series. Harper’s condition in the ambulance rubs me as a ploy for sympathy, and I can’t see how this will play going forward.

Further (with regards to the ending), Ida is a convenient plot device (and psychics typically are) but her seeing the killer’s back story came as a major information dump. There’s a Norman Bates theme. The author directly mentions a scene from Psycho (as well as the image of the Bates home) so I don’t think this was an accidental homage. The race trope, too, was exactly that. I would put Hope’s Peak a three on a ten scale of originality (ten being something I’ve never seen done). Still, it’s enjoyable and pulls you along. Just don’t expect too much.

SUMMARY:

Probably a three and a half star read for me, but since it was overall well written (with an appreciated efficiency of words) I’ll upgrade to a four. I would read another book in this series. I like Harper and Ida as characters even if I found their immediate connection a bit too convenient. Expect to suspend belief. The worst thing about Hope’s Peak is the premise it was built upon, and we’ve all been blinded by poor judgment in the moment. This could have easily been a difficult cold case and it would’ve been a much more realistic feeling premise.
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
bfrisch | 2 andere besprekingen | Dec 9, 2022 |
This book surprised me! I picked this as my December Kindle First book, but after reading some of the reviews, was a little weary of whether this would be a waste of time or not. After letting it sit around in my Kindle for a month, I finally decided to read it, and was not disappointed. Good story (if a little short, but I already knew that when I picked it up), definitely had its moments of suspense, and I ended up liking most of the characters by the end. However, I read this as more of a thriller than a mystery, as the perpetrator is revealed quite early in the book and several scenes were written from his POV. I liked the characters we were supposed to like, and the antagonist was written in a way that made him very unlikeable (although his motives are also explained at the end).

I don't know much of the details regarding police work and what goes on behind the scenes, so I can't speak to the accuracy of what was depicted in this book.

The ending was bittersweet, but satisfying. I always like a HEA ending, but only when it fits with the rest of the story.

I did have a couple little qualms with the book, though. The writing style was easy to read, and most of the scenes were very short. Author also wrote with a lot of short sentences, and at several points in the story, I did find them to be jarring. Scene changes were very sudden, and without much of a smooth transition. And although I never had trouble telling who was who in any given scene, I wasn't sure whose POV the scene was told in.

I also felt like you never get to know the characters very much, but then again, that's hard to accomplish in a book that's of this length. I never really got a clear picture of any of our protagonists. Also thought the psychic's abilities were just a little too convenient.

All in all, I enjoyed this and would pick up book #2 in this series.
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
galian84 | 2 andere besprekingen | Sep 16, 2017 |
The reader is treated to a second visit to the small town of Hope's Peak in North Carolina. Detective Jane Harper once again has to confront a serial killer ... one she killed, but at the time did not know that he had a partner.

This is one of those books that must be read in order. The first book is titled HOPE'S PEAK. STORM'S EDGE is a continuation.. one with many spoilers from the first book.

Some characters return ... some don't. And some characters lose their lives now. Police Captain Frank Morelli is one casualty, closely followed by another retired policeman. Someone seems to be cleaning the town of possible corruption ... or does it go deeper than that?

Once again, Ida Lane, a psychic agrees to help Jane ... but that help puts Jane's job at risk.

I can't say too much without giving away the entire plot. I will say it is a well-written, dark crime thriller. There are twists and turns, some small, some large that will leave the reader wondering how they missed the clues. The characters are deftly described and are credible.

It's a fairly fast read ... mainly because the reader won't want to put it down once they start reading.

Many thanks to TONY HEALY / THOMAS & MERCER / NETGALLEY for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
linstrong | 1 andere bespreking | Jun 16, 2017 |

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Statistieken

Werken
32
Ook door
1
Leden
237
Populariteit
#95,614
Waardering
3.0
Besprekingen
10
ISBNs
20
Talen
1

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