Dan

My favorite non-fiction book I have ever read! I learned of it from watching The Wire and as fantastic as that show is, the book is better. David Simon has a rare combination of straightforward reporting and eloquent writing. Most of all, he has a knack for capturing humanity, in all of its flaws.

A beautifully written, compelling read. Norton takes you on a journey, blending a heartfelt story with just the right amount of forensic detail. It's about finding answers for a family, and it's both moving and inspiring. Norton nails the balance between storytelling and technical info, making it a must-read for true crime fans or anyone who loves a good, impactful story.

Educational history book that reads like a novel. I loved it and have been recommending it to anyone who will listen.

Lovable lead character

I dug the characters and enjoyed the story but it lacked the darkness that the beginning promised and was a bit more “cop action movie” than I enjoy.

Interesting story

I was interested enough to finish it but it lacked the dive into character development or procedure that I enjoy in other books

Good read

I enjoyed this like I enjoy most procedurals, but my rating comes from a few things being a little more fantastical than other procedurals

Wonderful mix of light and darkness

In addition to a captivating story, there is a dive into the psyche of a captive and survivor of captivity.

Finally!

I've meant to read this forever and it ties many things together from the movies and the show. I could hardly put it down

Familiar characters but a new vibe

I feel like I know this group of characters, but this one took it to a new level. I couldn't put it down but this one was more heart-wrenchimg than suspenseful.

Excellent information, reads like a textbook

This was filled with great information from a series of well-researched papers and the studies directly of criminals. If you're after a factual breakdown of sexual homicide, this is it. Rightfully so, it reads like a textbook so I would rate it 4 or 5 as reference material, but 3 as a general read.

Awestruck

Dot Hutchison is gifted with incredible talent, that she uses to get you into the minds of killers and survivors. I have learned so much in these 2 books and am enamored with the characters she creates.

Captivating!

I've never read anything like this. It's absolutely captivating and I'll be thinking about this story for a long time.

Didn't want to stop reading!

This was well-done, one of the more exciting stories I've read in a while, with a good mix of emotion, action, and suspense.

Great procedural

If you're into procedurals, you'll enjoy this! I lean towards crime novels that include the police portion, so it lacked the book for me. It's a very realistic story, though, and I read it quickly so it's good.

The best serial killer story I've read in a long time

I was hooked from the opening paragraph and absolutely loved this book. There's an sharing of the killer's psyche that I hadn't experienced before and it was intriguing. I never wanted to put it down and now I have to read his other series while I wait for the next Zoe Bentley story.

Didn't want to put it down

The perfect mix of macabre humor, action, and human behavior. The riddles were a fun bonus, I had to look a few up.

Clever

There are some wonderful lines and overall the sarcasm is fun. It got a little too fantastical for taste, but it was entertaining.

You'll race to the end and then ponder what you read.

I love the pace of Dan Brown books and each time I read one I spend days afterwards reading about art and history. Most have filled me with wonder about our past, but this one has filled me with wonder about our future.

This has some spoilers!

If this was a non-fiction book sharing the similarities between the fall of Ancient Israel and the major events affecting the U.S., I'd probably give it a 4. Spoiler alert: there were many and they were really interesting.

It's a 2 only because of how interesting the information was. The actual story was so hard to read. It was an afterthought, something to wrap all of the information in. This guy gets handed a series of clues, wanders around for weeks or months with each one until the guy that gave him the clue (aka the myserious prophet) shows back up to tell him the answer. This happens over and over. Luckily there's a slight bit of progress in that with the last few he actually reads some things and gets help from others (and still gets them wrong.) Books like The Da Vinci Code have stories that could stand on their own but also shove in a bunch of art and religious history. I'm not a book snob and I'm not an academic and even I felt insulted by using the story as a mask. The author even tells you he's done it near the end.

That said, I didn't stop reading it for 2 reasons: first, the information about the two was very interesting. Second, my dad had recommended it (on top of it being on my wish list) and I wanted to be able to talk with him about it.

The only way to read this book is to completely remove the characters as you go and focus on the long shares from the prophet.

I loved this book. I had missed out on the “Bill Nye the Science Guy” years but I now understand why he was so well loved. The book was entertaining, educational, and inspiring. I highly recommend it.

I loved this book. it took me a while to get used to the dialect in the beginning and that challenge made it all the better. Some fantastic moments throughout and it left me wondering how we survived this period at all.

I wanted to love this book. I still want to love this book. It was entertaining, but I didn't learn much that I didn't already understand about the needs for a revolution or the way in which it could start. Brand is hilarious and that made it worth listening to, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone seriously studying wealth imbalance. Plus, I don't agree with his spirituality. That wouldn't matter if it wasn't used as one of 2 primary reasons that we need a revolution. If he dropped that and instead expounded more on how a revolution could play out, this would have been fantastic.

I really enjoyed this, one of those tales where you're rooting for the lesser evil.

So dark and fun, one of the recommendations from a list of True Detective fans.

It was so interesting to read the wide array of thoughts that he recorded. While I'm not a stoic, it helped me understand them and it was awesome to see the constant inner conflict that I associate with all humans, but especially stoics.