Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Book Review - His & Hers; Alice Feeney

 

His & Hers; Alice Feeney
Flatiron Books/Macmillan Audio - 2020

There are two sides to every story HIS (Detective Jack Harper) and HERS (Anna Andrews, BBC News anchor).  

Anna, is newly single, estranged from her mother and someone who drinks too much. She's also someone with some dark secrets from her past when she was a teen, which are about to come back and haunt her. When Anna is sent to cover a murder story in the quiet village of Blackdown, the victim turns out to be a woman she knew in her past.

Jack is a police detective, also single and also covering the same case. He arrives at the scene and realizes that he knows the victim as well, but, he decides not tell anyone just what he knows. Jack also drinks a bit too much.

When more women with connections to Anna and Jack end up dead, with a signature item tied to each of their tongues, it looks as if a serial killer is out there. Who will the next victim be? Who is lying?

I loved almost everything about this psych thriller. The (2) unreliable narrators alternate the short chapters of this novel. I loved how only bits and pieces of info/clues are revealed throughout the book, allowing the read to speculate what may have happened along the way and in the past.  As the story progresses the web gets larger - who is the killer and what was the motive?  

What I hated SPOILER - cat lovers, like me, will be appalled at what they read on page 247. Why do authors have to spoil books for animal lovers by resorting to animal abuse? It's toward the last 50 or so pages of the book so, I felt I still had to see how this one ended since I was already so invested. However, what would have been a 5 star rating is no more. This was a fast paced page turning thriller that I was able to read in just 2-sittings. Well done except for what I cited previously. I started this book on audio and it is well-done but, the male voice was really creepy, too creepy to listen to before bedtime so I picked up the print edition as well.

a couple quotes that I liked....

"We rarely deserve the lives we lead. We pay for them however we can, be it with money, guilt or regret."

"Silence is my favorite sympathy, I can't think clearly when life gets too loud."

"Some people build invisible walls around themselves in the name of self-observation. Hers was tall, solid and impenetrable."


22 comments:

  1. I skimmed the spoiler as I am anxiously waiting for this hold to come in. BUT, that is the one thing I hated about Kafka on the Shore (Murakami) that he chose to include a cat killer into the mix. Yes, talking cats in his book make up for some of it but I will always hate the cat killer.

    I just finished Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker...ooooo weee it was good.

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  2. Yes, I remember that about Murakami, but I didn't remember being as upset as with this one...maybe is was the talking factor LOL. I'm waiting for Don't Look for Me from the library; glad you liked it.

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  3. Wow, that must have really been a creepy male voice! Now, I'm curious. :-)

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    1. LOL, it would have been ok for daytime reading but not before bed.

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  4. You're right, I'd not touch that one fur sure!

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    1. Yes, authors should realize that readers are generally animal lovers as well.

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  5. It sounds very good but I'd have to skip reading about the poor cat. I'm the same when abduction of children crops up in crime novels and sadly it's all too common.

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  6. Thank you for your honest review, Diane. What you mention in the spoiler would bother me as well.

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    1. I felt it was important to mention it. Had I know in advance I would have skipped the book.

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  7. This one sounds really good and now that I've been warned about the kitty part, I can be prepared.

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    1. It was good, I've read all 3 books this author has written, but I feel turned off by her right now.

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  8. It's an interesting premise for a story, but the spoiler would make me give it a pass. I just can't deal with reading about animal abuse at the moment.

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    1. I understand, isn't there enough depressing news in the world.

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  9. Replies
    1. Yes! We are are the only readers who would be troubled by this.

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  10. A shame it was somewhat spoiled for you, thanks for sharing your thoughts

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    1. It came on so suddenly although I should have been prepared when the kitten can into the picture.

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  11. Sorry it was spoiled for you - given how many cat/pet lovers who also love to read that seems an odd decision for an author. I hate to be taken out of a book by something like that!

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  12. Yep that would put me off, if I get wind of a pet in a book I need to make sure the pet is still there at the end!

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  13. Thanks for the heads up. I think I'll skip this based on page 247. I get nervous when an animal is in any kind of thriller and it sounds like this wouldn't be the book for me.

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