The Girl With A Clock For A Heart
by Peter Swanson
Why did you choose this book? great cover and I like the synopsis
When did you read this book? January 2015
Who should read this book? readers who enjoy suspense
Source: TLC Book Tours
George Foss has passed the age when he thinks he might fall madly in love or have anything truly remarkable happen to him. He spends evenings at his local tavern talking about the Red Sox and obsessing over a lost love from his college days who vanished twenty years earlier. Until she reappears.
George has both dreamed of and dreaded seeing Liana Decter again. She’s an enigma and quite possibly someone who was involved in a murder years ago. But she’s back—and needs his help. She says that some men are after her and that they believe she’s stolen their money. And now they will do whatever it takes to get it back.
George can’t say no—he never could—and soon his life is gone as he is pulled into a terrifying whirlpool of lies and betrayal, from which there is no sure escape.
My Review
This one got of to a bit of a slow start for me, but once it got going, it was hard to put down. There were a lot of twists and turns here. Who was the ‘bad guy’ and why were these things happening? And who is, or was, Liana Decter, and why does she have so many names! I don’t read a lot of thrillers, possibly because I worry about the outcomes to the characters. This one was no exception. I really had to wonder if George would survive. Sadly, there were also times when I had to wonder at George’s intelligence. There were so many times I just wanted to scream at him; ‘Why are you doing that? Don’t go in there! Are you nuts?!”
It seemed like George’s thought process went something like this:
“Liana has lied to me before, so I probably shouldn’t trust her…..but she’s pretty!”
“That guy beat me up pretty good the other day and promised to hurt me if I interfere again, so I probably should walk the other way….but Liana is pretty!”
..etc….
And Geoge seemed to completely ignore what was right in front of him; a former co-worker who was also pretty and had great affection for him. He just took her for granted; his ‘friend with benefits’!
My only real complaint about the book is the ending. There is no nice, tidy ending where we learn exactly what happened. And we really don’t know what is going to happen next. There is no epilogueto tell us how everything worked out in the end. With this ending, all we really know if that George remains George, making choices that are not smart!
As frustrated as I got with George though, I very much enjoyed this book. As I mentioned, I don’t read a lot of thrillers, I’m really glad I read this one! I’m giving it 3½ stars. But for readers who love thrillers, this will probably rate even higher. Take a look at some of the other stops on the tour to see if this one is for you.
About Peter Swanson
Peter Swanson’s stories and poems have appeared in The Atlantic, Measure, Mysterical-E, Soundings East, The Vocabula Review, and Yankee Magazine. He has degrees in Creative Writing, Education, and Literature from Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College. He lives with his wife and cat in Somerville, Massachusetts. This is his first novel. His second novel, The Kind Worth Killing, will be available in hardcover from William Morrow on February 3, 2015.
My Rating: ★★★1/2 3-1/2 Stars
This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I was provided a copy for review purposes and have written an honest review which appears above..
Peter’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, January 6th: BoundbyWords
Thursday, January 8th: The many thoughts of a reader
Tuesday, January 13th: Dreams, Etc.
Wednesday, January 14th: Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Thursday, January 15th: Life Between Reads
Monday, January 19th: A Dream Within a Dream
Tuesday, January 20th: Staircase Wit
Wednesday, January 21st: Ace and Hoser Blook
Thursday, January 22nd: Vivacious Hobo
Monday, January 26th: Time 2 Read
TBD: Man of La Book
TBD: Spiced Latte Reads
"George remains George" Well, at least we know he is consistent! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour!