Book Review: Columbine by Dave Cullen-Crime Biographies

 Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of Columbine by Dave Cullen.

Title: Columbine

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Crime Biographies

Author: Dave Cullen

Publisher: Twelve
Publication Date: March 03, 2010

Language: English

Paperback: 496 pages
Meet the Author: Dave Cullen
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Ten years in the works, a masterpiece of reportage, this is the definitive account of the Columbine massacre, its aftermath, and its significance, from the acclaimed journalist who followed the story from the outset.

"The tragedies keep coming. As we reel from the latest horror . . ."

So begins a new epilogue, illustrating how Columbine became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a false script, seized upon by a generation of new killers. In the wake of Newtown, Aurora, and Virginia Tech, the imperative to understand the crime that sparked this plague grows more urgent every year.

What really happened April 20, 1999? The horror left an indelible stamp on the American psyche, but most of what we "know" is wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths, or the Trench Coat Mafia. Dave Cullen was one of the first reporters on scene, and spent ten years on this book-widely recognized as the definitive account. With a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen, he draws on mountains of evidence, insight from the world's leading forensic psychologists, and the killers' own words and drawings-several reproduced in a new appendix. Cullen paints raw portraits of two polar opposite killers. They contrast starkly with the flashes of resilience and redemption among the survivors.

Expanded with a New Epilogue.

My Thoughts

Wow, just wow. This is probably one of the best non-fiction book I have ever read.

The amount of research, the level of detail, the way Dave Cullen tells the story. From the killers story, to the victims, their parents, the survivors, the planning of the massacre, the killers parents, how the media's wrong interpretation of the facts became the truth, and how bad things were handling by the authorities. Dave Cullen does not leave anything out. A great piece of investigative journalism, on one of the most horrific school shootings in USA history.

Definitely a book I will never forget. 

Wendy

Book Review: The Good Sister: A Novel by Sally Hepworth-Mystery/Thriller

Hello dear Readers,

My book review of The Good Sister: A Novel by Sally Hepworth.

Title: The Good Sister: A Novel

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Author: Sally Hepworth

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: April 13, 2021

Language: English

Hardcover: 320 pages
Meet the Author: Sally Hepworth
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.

There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous.

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.

My Thoughts

This was my first Sally Hepworth novel and I enjoyed it a lot. Part suspense, part family drama. Unexpected twists, and unforgettable characters.

I though the author did a good job in handling family dynamics, and sibling relationships. Being Rose and Fern twin sisters. The story is so fascinating, to see this sister's bond and how it works, develops and changes thought the pages. you get easily invested in it and can't put it down. A very well-written and enjoyable thriller. 

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the free Advanced Copy in Exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy

Book Review: You Love Me: A You Novel by Caroline Kepnes- Mystery/ Thriller

 Hello dear Readers,

My book review of You Love Me: A You Novel by Caroline Kepnes.

Title: You Love Me: A You Novel

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Author: Caroline Kepnes

Publisher: Random House

Publication Date: April 06, 2021

Language: English

Hardcover: 400 pages
Meet the Author: Caroline Kepnes
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

The highly anticipated new thriller in Caroline Kepnes’s hit You series, now a blockbuster Netflix show—a compulsively readable trip into the deviant mind of the uniquely antisocial, savvy bookseller . . . Joe Goldberg.

“Fiendish, fast-paced, and very funny.”—Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Cosmopolitan, PopSugar, Literary Hub

Joe is done with the cities. He’s done with the muck and the posers, done with Love. Now, he’s saying hello to nature, to simple pleasures on a cozy island in the Pacific Northwest. For the first time in a long time, he can just breathe.

He gets a job at the local library—he does know a thing or two about books—and that’s where he meets her: Mary Kay DiMarco. Librarian. Joe won’t meddle, he will not obsess. He’ll win her the old-fashioned way . . . by providing a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand. Over time, they’ll both heal their wounds and begin their happily ever after in this sleepy town.

The trouble is . . . Mary Kay already has a life. She’s a mother. She’s a friend. She’s . . . busy.

True love can only triumph if both people are willing to make room for the real thing. Joe cleared his decks. He’s ready. And hopefully, with his encouragement and undying support, Mary Kay will do the right thing and make room for him.

My Thoughts

Unpopular opinion here, but I did not enjoy this book as much as I though I would. I loved You and Hidden Bodies, perhaps some time has passed between books, perhaps some things changed but unfortunately, book three did not make it for me. 

It started very slow, I thought it would picked up at some point but never did. All that dialogue going on in Joe's head got really boring and tiring, almost making Joe a little annoying of a character at times. Then how some situations were predictable and some of the story line felt unnecessary.

I tried really hard to like it this book, to engage, kept reading in the hopes of the story getting more exciting but unfortunately, did not happen for me. 

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the advanced free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy