Scott

Since my evenings and weekends are filled with homework, I have been trying to read this on my lunch breaks at work for a couple of months now. Unfortunately since I have chatty coworkers that seem to completely disregard the fact that I'm reading when they sit down at my table and start talking to me, that wasn't getting me anywhere. I finally made the commitment to finish this book this weekend while I'm on a small break from my classes.

I must admit was mildly let down by this book as I kept hearing all this buzz about it. I had expected more twists, but they never materialized. A friend of mine recently commented about how he doubted that anyone could figure out the twist and turns beforehand, but my hand to God, I did. I guess I just have a knack for this sort of stuff. Daryl complains that I often ruin movies for him because I figure them out so darn early in the film. The same was true of this book. I guessed at the central mystery regarding Harriet almost immediately upon being introduced to it, and there were plenty of clues along the way that confirmed my suspicions. I thought that my suspicions were too obvious, so I expected to be wrong. I was disappointed when I wasn't.

My biggest complaint with the book is that it seemed to reach its peak about two-thirds the way into it. After that point, everything else seemed like resolution. I also wasn't very engrossed by the secondary plot involving the Wennerström affair. There were no clues to solve regarding it; it was just a bunch of stuff that happened.

Now lest I sound too critical, I did find it an enjoyable read. I just found myself waiting for a twist I didn't see coming that would really knock my socks off. I still plan on reading the next book in the series and hope it offers a few more surprises than this one.

Despite being 240 pages, this reminded me more of a short-story than a full length book. Geared toward the teen/youth category, it's a quick read and I finished it in one day. I can't really discuss the book since there are some twists that shouldn't be given away. While I had considered the possibility of the final twist earlier in the book, I thought the book was going in another direction so it still caught me off guard. Overall, an enjoyable read though the ending may be polarizing.